Martin Rumscheidt died January 29, 2024. An internationally respected theologian, scholar and mentor, he graduated from McGill University, and served United Church congregations in Montreal, Enterprise and Toronto.

He taught historical theology at the University of Windsor and, until retirement in 2002, was Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at the Atlantic School of Theology where the Martin and Barbara Rumscheidt Memorial Scholarship is established. Martin received honorary Doctorates of Divinity from Victoria University, U of T and AST.

Continuing his work after retirement, Martin had “conversations” with individuals and groups about his life as a child of WW2 Germany, sharing his journey of learning and responsibility “both theological and human – for the legacy of the Shoah” (Philip G. Ziegler, University of Aberdeen, Center for Barth Studies, 2024).

Most recently Martin published In Search for a Theology Capable of Mourning, a collection of his essays. In the Foreword to this book, his colleague and friend Richard L. Rubenstein wrote: “In a quiet, dignified way, (Martin) confronted the truth…He could easily have declared, “I was so young. I had nothing to do with it” and, of course, he would have spoken the truth, but it would not have been a healing truth. By his utter honesty and frankness, Martin has achieved that healing for himself and for us.”

A service will be held at St. Andrews United Church, Halifax on June 22, 2024.