C. John Weborg

 

 

C. John Weborg developed the spiritual formation and spiritual direction programs at North Park Theological Seminary during his tenure as full-time professor of theology (1975 to 2003) and in the years following his formal retirement. In addition to his interest in spirituality, he has also taught widely in the areas of Pietism, worship, and liturgy; pastoral issues in healthcare; and systematic theology. A festschrift in his honor, In Spirit and in Truth: Essays on Theology, Spirituality and Embodiment in Honor of C. John Weborg was published in 2006.

His ecumenical work has included developing the influential course, Prayer and Life in the Spirit, with Sister Agnes Cunningham, giving the McManis Lectures at Wheaton College, lectures at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, and the Adolf Olson Lectures at Bethel Theological Seminary. His book Alive in Christ, Alert to Life had its beginning in the lectures given at Bethel. Additionally, he gave lectures at the International Parish Nurse Resource Center and served as the Dickie Visitor in Religious Studies at St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H.

Weborg’s baptismal faith came to confirmation in the Covenant church of his birthplace in Pender, Nebr. Early Covenant Pietism was the “nursery” which formed and shaped his interior roots and intellectual direction. His two dissertations in the area of Lutheran Pietism, “The Eschatological Ethics of Johann Albrecht Bengel” and “Spener’s Doctrine of the Church,” continued to extend the branches of this early interest.

Before joining the North Park faculty, Weborg served the Evangelical Covenant Church in the ministry of Word and Sacrament in Peoria, Ill., Springhouse, Penn., and Princeton, Ill. Much of his writing faithfully fed and watered the denomination through monthly columns in The Covenant Companion magazine, articles in the Covenant Home Altar, and the Covenant Quarterly.

Although John officially retired in 2003 and moved to Princeton, Ill with his wife, Lois, they remained active with both family and ministry life for many years. John taught part-time at North Park until 2011 and his latest book, Made Healthy in Ministry for Ministry, was published by Wipf and Stock in 2011. John has also kept his connection to the Center for Spiritual Direction, joining each incoming cohort for a session each summer during their first class.