Cain Hope Felder (June 9, 1943 – October 1, 2019)[1] was an American biblical scholar, serving as professor of New Testament language and literature and editor of The Journal of Religious Thought at the Howard University School of Divinity.[5] He also served as chair of the Doctor of Philosophy program and immediate past chair of the Doctor of Ministry program. He had been on Howard's faculty from 1981 until his retirement in 2016.

Cain Hope Felder
Felder in 2014
Born(1943-06-09)June 9, 1943
DiedOctober 1, 2019(2019-10-01) (aged 76)
Ecclesiastical career
ReligionChristianity (Methodist)
Church
Academic background
Alma mater
ThesisWisdom, Law and Social Concern in the Epistle of James[2] (1982)
InfluencesJames H. Cone[3]
Academic work
DisciplineBiblical studies
Sub-disciplineNew Testament studies
Institutions
Notable studentsBrian Blount[4]

Biography

edit

Prior to coming to Howard, he taught within the Department of Biblical Studies (1978–1981) at Princeton Theological Seminary. From 1969 to 1972, Felder worked as the first executive director of Black Methodists for Church Renewal, the black caucus of the United Methodist Church, which was headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church, he served as pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in New York City (1975–1977). Until his death, Felder served as an elder in the Second Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, where he was appointed by Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson as the resident biblical scholar for the district.

From 1998 to 2001, Felder served as chair of the implementation panel for the National Center for African American Heritage & Culture at Howard University. He was on Howard's faculty from 1981 to 2016, having come to Washington from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he taught as a member of the Department of Biblical Studies (1978–1981).

His publications include True to Our Native Land (Augsburg Fortress, May, 2007); Troubling Biblical Waters: Race, Class, and Family[6] (Orbis Books, 1989) – 16th printing; and The Original African Heritage Study Bible (Winston Publishing Company, 1993).

Felder held Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Philosophy degrees in biblical languages and literature from Columbia University in New York; a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York; a Diploma of Theology from Mansfield College at the University of Oxford in England; a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, Greek, and Latin from Howard University in Washington, D.C. He received his secondary education at the Boston Latin School.

Felder died on October 1, 2019, at his Mobile, Alabama, at the age of 76.[7]

Selected works

edit

Thesis

edit
  • Felder, Cain Hope (1982). Wisdom, law and social concern in the Epistle of James (Ph.D.). Columbia University. OCLC 9592965.

Books

edit

Edited by

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Myers, William H. (2015) [1991]. The Irresistible Urge to Preach: A Collection of African American "Call" Stories. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-4982-7835-5.
  2. ^ Felder, Cain Hope (1982). Wisdom, Law and Social Concern in the Epistle of James (PhD thesis). New York: Columbia University. OCLC 861103570.
  3. ^ "Dr. Cain Hope Felder". Washington: Destiny – Pride. July 2011. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  4. ^ Smith, Mitzi J. (2015). "Introduction". In Smith, Mitzi J. (ed.). I Found God in Me: A Womanist Biblical Hermeneutics Reader. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-62564-745-0.
  5. ^ "Interview with Dr. Cain Hope Felder of Howard University". Christian Post. November 7, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  6. ^ "Changing Attitudes in the Church". The Washington Post. July 17, 1989. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  7. ^ "Obituary: Dr. Cain Hope Felder". Legacy. October 1, 2019.