Robert Tobias papers, circa 1960 -- 1961

Robert Tobias was born August 17, 1919 in Lyons, Kansas. Tobias completed a Master of Arts from Phillips University in 1943 and obtained his Bachelor of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in 1945. He went on to pursue his Doctorate in Theology at the University at Geneva. His dissertation entitled, Communist-Christian Encounter in East Europe, 1917-1951 revealed his interest in ecumenism and the role of the church in society. This interest was perhaps influenced by his special responsibilities towards East Europe while working as the Assistant Director of the Department of Inter-Church Aid and Service to Refugees, which was part of the World Council of Churches. He served in this position from 1946-1953. Tobias also served as a World Council of Churches observer for the Geneva sessions, led by Eleanor Roosevelt. These sessions were used to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Tobias earned many honors for his work in ecumenism, including Geneva's key to the city and prominent decorations by King Paul of Greece as Commander of the Royal Order of Phoenix and in Yugoslavia, by patriarchs German and Pavel with the Order of St. Sava. From the 1950s-1980s Tobias served as a theology professor at the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana and later at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, Illinois. During his time at the Christian Theological Seminary, Tobias worked with other faculty and ecumenical leaders, such as Dr. Henry P. van Dusen from Union Theological Seminary, to establish a World Association of Theological Schools. In 1960, a proposal was drafted at the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism in Bossey, Switzerland. As the secretary of the continuation committee, Tobias sent out surveys to seminary schools nationwide and abroad to gauge interest in a world-wide association of seminaries. In 1961, the committee met during the World Council of Churches meeting in New Delhi to discuss the formal establishment of the association. Following this meeting Tobias assisted in establishing a world-wide directory of seminaries. Robert Tobias continued with his work on ecumenism and went on to serve on committees of many ecumenical and international organizations. Beginning in 1983, Tobias co-chaired sessions of the Lutheran-Orthodox dialogue in North America and has written books and articles related to his work, including, Heaven on Earth: A Lutheran - Orthodox Odyssey. Tobias passed away on October 6, 2010 and was buried in Kenosha, Wisconsin.