David O. Moberg Papers

SC-65
Moberg, David O.
18 Boxes (7 linear feet)
1949-1996 (bulk:1955-1981)

Introduction
The papers of David O. Moberg display the professional life of professor and researcher of sociology.

Provenance: David Moberg’s papers began coming to Wheaton College in 1994. As of 2007, published material by and about Dr. Moberg continues to be accessioned.

Restrictions: There are no restrictions on this collection. Duplication may be restricted if copying could cause damage to items.

Collection Description
The David Moberg papers are organized into five major manuscript series: Biographical, Correspondence, Activities, Media and Secondary Publications.

The largest portion of the collection is found in the Activities series which is divided into sub-series that straddle personal biographical and non-teaching professional and teaching files. These include: Officer Candidate School, Minnesota Boys Town, American Scientific Affiliation, Committee on Social Agencies of Welfare, St. Paul Conference on Human Rights, Community and Race, Bethel College Faculty Discussions, Faith in Life Dialogue, American Baptist Conference, Professional (with sub-sub-series: Teaching Materials and Publications) and Research. This portion of the collection spans a significant amount of space along with spanning decades of professional life.

The largest single series is the pamphlets series.

Additional accessions received in from 1999 to 2007 await processing.

Biographical/Historical Sketch
Born February 13, 1922 in Montevideo, Minnesota to Fred L. and Anna E. (Sundberg) Moberg, David attended Bethel Junior College (A.A., 1942) and the University of Minnesota. In 1942 Moberg was drafted into Army, where he remained until the end of World War II. In 1946 he married Helen H. Heitzman and together they had four children.

Now living in the Northwest, Moberg restarted his studies and graduated with a degree in history from Seattle Pacific College in 1947. He continued on at the University of Washington, doing graduate work in sociology. He received a Master of Arts degree in 1949.

Moberg returned to upper Midwest and began teaching at Bethel College in St. Paul. While teaching he completed his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota, writing his dissertation on religion and personal adjustment in old age—beginning his area of specialty. In 1968 Moberg accepted a position at Marquette University, a position he held until 1991 when he was granted emeritus status. In the year of his retirement Bethel College established the Moberg Lectureship in Christianity and Sociology. The following year his wife, Helen, died. He later married Marlys Taege, well-known for her publications and leadership contributions in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.

Moberg is a prolific author, writing and editing 28 books and hundreds of articles in professional journals. Moberg is well-known for his research on aging and faith. His books, The Church as a Social Institution: The Sociology of American Religion (1962) and The Great Reversal: Evangelism Versus Social Concern (1972), are especially regarded and have gone through several editions. Noted-psychologists Ellison and Paloutzian credit Moberg for the concepts behind the widely used spiritual well-being scale.

Moberg helped found the Christian Sociological Society and has fostered the work of the Association of Christians Teaching Sociology. He has also played significant roles in various professional associations, especially as an editor. He served in editorial capacities for the Review of Religious Research (Editor, 1969-1973), Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation (Editor, 1962-1964), and Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion (founding co-editor). One of Moberg’s more important contributions to the field of sociology was the the founding of the Association for the Development of Religious Information Systems (ADRIS), an organization dedicated to promoting a global network of religious information exchange.

Recognizing Moberg’s contributions he has been honored with two Fulbright Professorships and numerous lectureships, including the H. Paul Douglass Lecture of the Religious Research Association and the inaugural Kellogg Gerontology Lectures at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also was the Frederick A. Shippey Lecturer at Drew University.

Although retired from teaching, he continues to research, write, edit, among other professional work.

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