Josef Luki Hromadka

1889-1969. Czech Reformed theologian. Born in Hodslavice, Moravia, he was educated at several universities and in 1912 became pastor of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. From 1920 to 1939 he was professor of systematic theology at the Jan Hus Theological Faculty in Prague, and during the war he taught at Princeton Theological Seminary. On his return home in 1947, he became a controversial figure for urging reconciliation between Christians and Communists. He was a founder of the World Council of Churches and served on its central committee. He was also founder and chairman of the Christian Peace Conference, an organization which served as a vehicle for Christian-Marxist dialogue and communication between Christians in the East and West, and he received the Lenin Peace Prize in 1958. Because of his protest against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, he was forced to resign as chairman of the CPC in November 1969. He died six weeks later.