The Right Reverend

Guy Erwin
Bishop
Erwin in September 2016
ChurchEvangelical Lutheran Church in America
SeeSouthwest California Synod
In officeOctober 10, 2013 – August 1, 2020
PredecessorDean Nelson
Personal details
Born1958 (age 65–66)
Pawhuska, Oklahoma, US
DenominationLutheran
Spouse
Rob Flynn
​
(m. 2013)​
OccupationPresident of the United Lutheran Seminary
Alma mater

R. Guy Erwin (born 1958, Pawhuska, Oklahoma) (Osage) is an American Lutheran bishop.[1] He was elected in 2013 to a six-year term as bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).[2] Since August 2020, he has served as president of the United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia.[3]

A member of the Osage Nation, Erwin is the first Native American bishop elected to office in the ELCA. He was ordained as a minister in 2011, two years after the denomination dropped its ban against LGBT clergy.[4] He is the first openly gay bishop in the ELCA.[5][4]

Biography

Born in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in 1958, Erwin has Osage and European ancestry; he is registered as and identifies as a member of the Osage Nation.[6] When he was eight, his family moved to Germany; there he learned to speak German, and began to be interested in church history and Lutheranism. After their return to the United States, the family settled in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Erwin was president of the student council at Sapulpa High School, where he graduated.[6] Erwin went to Harvard College, graduating in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He holds the Master of Arts, Master of Philosophy, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Yale University.[7]

Based on a Fulbright grant, Erwin lived in Germany for two years, where he conducted research for his doctoral dissertation and began to prepare for ministry. But in 1987, the newly created Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) denied ordination to a group of gay and lesbian seminarians. Erwin began to work within the Lutheran Church for changes to its position on gay clergy. While teaching for years at California Lutheran University, he also served as a volunteer parish associate.[6]

From 1993 to 1999, Erwin was lecturer in ecclesiastical history in the Yale Divinity School (YDS). He taught History of Western Christianity as well as courses on Martin Luther, the Pietists, and other topics.

Since 2000 Erwin has taught at California Lutheran University. He is considered a specialist on the life and teachings of Martin Luther, considered founder of the faith and highly influential to the Protestant Reformation.[4]

During the 2006–2007 academic year, Erwin was visiting professor at Yale Divinity School while on sabbatical.[2] In 2008 he was promoted to full professor.[8]

He was ordained as a minister in 2011, two years after the ELCA dropped its ban on LGBT clergy. Two years later, in an historic vote, Erwin was elected as bishop for a customary six-year term in the Southwest California Synod, which encompasses most of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.[4] He oversees 126 congregations with 33,000 members.[6] He also serves on the advisory council of the Guibord Center, an interfaith non-profit in Los Angeles.[9]

In 2018, Erwin was appointed a member of the Venerable Order of St John.[10]

In 2020, Erwin was appointed as president of United Lutheran Seminary.[11]

Personal life

Erwin has been in a committed same-sex relationship with Rob Flynn for 20 years. They were married in August 2013.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Sherman, Bill (June 10, 2013). "Lutheran church's first gay bishop has area ties". Tulsa World. ISSN 2330-7234. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Radio, Southern California Public (7 June 2013). "Rev. Guy Erwin on becoming the Evangelical Lutheran Church's first openly gay bishop". Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  3. ↑ "United Lutheran Seminary Names Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin As Next President". WFMZ.com. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Saillant, Catherine (31 May 2013). "Evangelical Lutheran Church elects first openly gay bishop". LA Times. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  5. 1 2 Press release. "The Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin Elected Bishop". Southwest California Synod, ELCA. Archived from the original on 2013-06-19.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Sherman, Bill (10 June 2013). "Lutheran church's first gay bishop has area ties". Tulsa World. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "About, People - August 2013 - Yale Divinity School". divinity.yale.edu. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  8. ↑ "Faculty promotions announced". California Lutheran University. 12 March 2008.
  9. ↑ "About: Advisory Council, Guy Erwin". The Guibord Center. theguibordcenter.org. n.d.
  10. ↑ https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/3062494
  11. ↑ "President Erwin". www.unitedlutheranseminary.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
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