Dr. Thor Hall

Dr. Thor Hall Ph.D., a religious educator, was born on March 15, 1927, and died at home on June 27, 2017. A native of Larvik, Norway, he held an A.B. equivalent from Oslo University; an M.Div. equivalent from the Union Scandinavian Theological Seminary in Gothenburg, Sweden, and an M.R.E. and Ph.D degrees from Duke University. Hall was an ordained United Methodist minister and was active in the Kiwanis, and served as former president of the Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club. He served on the boards of the Chattanooga Symphony, the Arts and Education council, Urban Forum, the Riverbend Festival and the Mental Health Association. Hall was the Associate Professor of Preaching and Theology in The Duke Divinity School from 1956 to 1972. He was the first person to be named to the Leroy A. Martin Distinguished Professorship of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. He was the author of some twelve books, editor and translator for several more. His books include Whatever Happened to the Gospel, The Evolution of Christology, Makers of the Modern Theoloogical Mind, and Anders Nygren. His numerous articles and essays have been published in professional journals throughout the U.S. and abroad. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Varnell Hall; stepdaughter, Lindsay Whitaker, of Los Angeles, Calif.; and a son, Jan Tore Hall, of Clinton, Mass. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by Cremation Center of Chattanooga, 1345 Hickory Valley Road, 423-362-5999.