NIELS CHRISTIAN NIELSEN, JR.

1921-2018

Niels Christian Nielsen, Jr., Rice University Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Religious Thought, beloved husband, father, and grandfather passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at the age of 96.

Born on June 2, 1921 to Niels and Frances Nielsen, Niels grew up in Long Beach, California. He graduated from George Pepperdine University in 1942. Soon thereafter, he attended the Yale Divinity School and graduated in 1946. He became an ordained Methodist minister in 1946 and was the pastor of Woodbury Methodist Church in Connecticut. Professor Nielsen received his Doctor of Philosophy from Yale University in 1951. From Yale, Dr. Nielsen moved to Houston, where he taught at Rice University from 1951 until 1991. In 1968, Dr. Nielsen founded the Department of Religious Studies. He was given the Rice University George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching in 1969. He was the AMAX Presidential Professor of Humanities at the Colorado School of Mines in 1982-1983. Professor Nielsen authored numerous books, essays, and reviews, and his work was translated into several languages. His books include The Crisis in Human Rights (1978), Revolutions in Eastern Europe: The Religious Roots (1991), and Fundamentalism, Mythos, and World Religions (1993). Dr. Nielsen took great pleasure in travel. His research work took him to India, Japan, China, Russia, Africa, Australia, and to most of Europe.

Professor Nielsen is survived by his wife of sixty years, Dr. Erika Nielsen; his son, Niels Albrecht Nielsen of Houston; his daughter, Camilla Regina Nielsen of Vienna, Austria; grandsons, Niels Christian Francis Nielsen and George Matthew James Nielsen of Houston; a sister, Margaret Davidson of Kapolei, Hawaii.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 25, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church with a reception to follow the service. Memorial donations in his honor may be made to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church Foundation or sent to the charity of your choice.