James Harold Burtness

James Harold Burtness (May 3, 1928 – April 10, 2006) was an American theologian, author, lecturer, and Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He taught Christian ethics at Luther Seminary for over forty years and was known for his scholarship on the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Early life and education Burtness was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 3, 1928. He became an assistant professor in 1960 and was appointed full professor in 1972. He continued exploring Christian ethics in Whatever You Do: An Essay on the Christian Life (1967).

Burtness’s best-known work, Shaping the Future: The Ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was published in 1985 by Fortress Press. In it, he interpreted Bonhoeffer’s ethical writings—especially how Bonhoeffer’s principle of responsible action could shape contemporary Christian moral thought. In 1999 he published Consequences: Morality, Ethics, and the Future, analyzing different forms of Christian moral reasoning and proposing an integrated approach to ethics.

As a Bonhoeffer scholar, Burtness also contributed to the translation of Bonhoeffer’s works, including Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible, which he translated into English in 1970 for Augsburg Publishing House. He later helped with the English edition of *Life Together* and *Prayerbook of the Bible* as part of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works series.

Personal life Burtness was married to Dolores Arlene Leiseth in 1951; they had four children: Stephen (1953–2005), Eric (1955-), Deborah (1958-), and Peter (1960-).

He died on April 10, 2006, at the age of 77, from injuries sustained in a fall earlier that year.

Books All Things Are Yours. Division of College and University Work, National Lutheran Council, 1962. Good News: Work Book (with T.J. Vinger). For Board of Parish Education and Board of Publication of the ALC. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1962. The New Community in Christ (edited with John Kildahl). Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1963. Whatever You Do. Tower Series. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1967. Shaping the Future: The Ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985. Consequences: Morality, Ethics, and the Future. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1999.