John B. Cobb

American theologian

John Boswell Cobb Jr. (February 9, 1925 – December 26, 2024) was an American theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist. He was seen as an important academic in process philosophy and process theology.[3] Cobb was the author of more than fifty books.[4]

John B. Cobb
Cobb in 2013
Born
John Boswell Cobb Jr.

(1925-02-09)February 9, 1925
DiedDecember 26, 2024(2024-12-26) (aged 99)
NationalityAmerican
Spouse
Jean L. Cobb
(m. 1947)
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Chicago
ThesisThe Independence of Christian Faith from Speculative Beliefs[1] (1952)
Doctoral advisorCharles Hartshorne
Influences
Academic work
Discipline
School or tradition
Institutions
Doctoral students
Main interests
Notable ideas
Influenced

Early life

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John Cobb was born in Kobe, Japan, on 9 February 1925, to parents who were Methodist missionaries.[5] Until age 15, he lived in Kobe and Hiroshima.

In 1940, Cobb moved back to the United States, settling in Georgia to finish high school.[5] Cobb studied at Oxford College of Emory University in Oxford, Georgia and then at the University of Chicago. In 1947, Cobb married Jean L. Cobb.[6]

Career

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In 1971, he wrote the first single-author book in environmental ethics, Is It Too Late? A Theology of Ecology, where he talked about why it was important to have religious thought involved in the ecological crisis.[7] In 1989, he co-authored the book For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy Toward Community, Environment, and a Sustainable Future.

Cobb is the co-founder and co-director of the Center for Process Studies in Claremont, California.[8]

During his career, Cobb was a visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School, University of Chicago Divinity School, Vanderbilt Divinity School, Iliff School of Theology, Rikkyo University in Japan, and the University of Mainz in Germany.[4][9]

In 2014, Cobb was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[10]

Cobb died on December 26, 2024 at the age of 99.[11]

References

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  1. Cobb, John B. (1952). The Independence of Christian Faith from Speculative Beliefs (PhD thesis). Chicago: University of Chicago. OCLC 80987653.
  2. "Dissertations Completed". Religious Studies Review. 18 (2): 170–176. 1992. doi:10.1111/j.1748-0922.1992.tb00087.x.
  3. Roland Faber, God as Poet of the World: Exploring Process Theologies (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008), 35; C. Robert Mesle, Process Theology (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 1993), 126; Gary Dorrien, "The Lure and Necessity of Process Theology," CrossCurrents 58 (2008): 316; Monica A. Coleman, Nancy R. Howell, and Helene Tallon Russell, Creating Women's Theology: A Movement Engaging Process Thought (Wipf and Stock, 2011), 13.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Process and Faith, "John B. Cobb Jr." http://processandfaith.org/misc/john-b-cobb-jr
  5. 5.0 5.1 David Ray Griffin, "John B. Cobb Jr.: A Theological Biography," in Theology and the University: Essays in Honor of John B. Cobb Jr., ed. David Ray Griffin and Joseph C. Hough Jr. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991), 225.
  6. "Jean Cobb: Loving Wife and Mother, Librarian". Claremont Courier. 4 February 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  7. The Center for Environmental Philosophy, "History of Environmental Ethics for the Novice," http://www.cep.unt.edu/novice.html Archived 26 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  8. The Center for Process Studies, "About the Center for Process Studies," "The Center for Process Studies: About the Center for Process Studies". Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
  9. The Center for Process Studies, "John B. Cobb's CV," http://www.ctr4process.org/about/CoDirectors/cobb_cv.pdf, Claremont School of Theology, "CST to Award Cobb Honorary Doctorate at Commencement," [1]
  10. "American Academy of Arts and Sciences". Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  11. Wedel, Max (2024-12-27). "CST Mourns the Passing of John Cobb". Claremont School of Theology. Retrieved 2024-12-27.

Other websites

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