Oswald Hoffmann

Dr. Oswald C. J. Hoffmann (December 6, 1913 September 8, 2005) was an American clergyman and broadcaster who was best known as a speaker for The Lutheran Hour, a long-running radio program affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

Background

Oswald C. J. Hoffmann was 1932 graduate of Concordia University, Saint Paul. Dr. Hoffmann held a Master of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. In addition, he held an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the Philippine Christian University in Manila, The Philippines.

Career

Ordained a Lutheran minister in 1939, Dr. Hoffmann served as a Lutheran pastor, as a college professor, and as director of public relations for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Dr. Hoffmann spent the early years of his career as an instructor, professor and director of the choir at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota; the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis-St. Paul; and Concordia Collegiate Institute in Bronxville, New York. In 1948, he helped found The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) Department of Public Relations in New York City and served as its director until 1963. Dr. Hoffmann served as president of the Lutheran Council in the U.S.A. (1970–73). Hoffmann was chairman of the translations committee of the American Bible Society, and in 1977 he was elected president of the United Bible Societies.[1]

On September 25, 1955, Dr. Hoffmann initiated the 23rd season as Lutheran Hour speaker. He served in that position for thirty-three years, broadcasting his last Lutheran Hour program from mainland China on Christmas Day, 1988. Hoffmann was the namesake of the Oswald Hoffmann School of Christian Outreach (OHSCO) at Concordia University, St. Paul. OHSCO (currently known as the Oswald Hoffmann Institute for Christian Outreach) was founded in 1984 as a center for evangelism and mission studies where students are trained for professional outreach ministries.[2]

Dr. Hoffmann was also the author of eight books, including Hurry Home Where You Belong. His autobiography, What Is There to Say But Amen? was published in 1996.[3]

gollark: Did you just randomly decide to calculate that?
gollark: Well, you can, or also "it would have about the same mass as the atmosphere".
gollark: Wikipedia says that spider silk has a diameter of "2.5–4 μm", which I approximated to 3μm for convenience, so a strand has a 1.5μm radius. That means that its cross-sectional area (if we assume this long thing of spider silk is a cylinder) is (1.5e-6)², or ~7e-12. Wikipedia also says its density is about 1.3g/cm³, which is 1300kg/m³, and that the observable universe has a diameter of 93 billion light-years (8.8e26 meters). So multiply the length of the strand (the observable universe's diameter) by the density of spider silk by the cross-sectional area of the strand and you get 8e18 kg, while the atmosphere's mass is about 5e18 kg, so close enough really.
gollark: Okay, so by mass it actually seems roughly correct.
gollark: So, spider silk comes in *very* thin strands and is somewhat denser than water, interesting.

References

  1. The Lutheran Hour - profile (Lutheran Hour Ministries)
  2. Death of Oswald Hoffmann (The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Division of News & Information, Board for Communication Services)
  3. Oswald Hoffmann, 91, Radio Evangelist (New York Times. : September 18, 2005)
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