Robert L Canfield Phd

Essays on Biblical Texts Robert L Canfield Phd

Robert L. Canfield is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis. In this collage of essays he examines passages of the Bible that have informed his understanding of himself and his life and career. Its narratives, proclamations, examples, enjoinders, claims and promises have shaped his priorities, thoughts, and concerns and so affected his approach to the deep questions that on a subliminal level vex everyone. In these Biblical passages he finds grounds for reflection into the nature of the human condition, the origins of the Christian movement, the practice of authentic faith (which, he stresses, requires creativity), the social implications of belief in Christ, the threats to the earth's ecosystem, and the wonder of the cosmos. Some of the passages examined here have received little notice in Christian circles. The chapters examine various texts in order to comment on diverse subjects: what Christianity is, rejection of slavery implied in two letters of Paul, the relation of envy and cowardice in public situations, the resurrection of Christ, suicide, political abuses of religious zeal, ways to live "non-religiously," Peter's insight into the state of those who have "never heard", the life of faith in an unpredictable world, the importance of prophetic social critique, the authority and significance of "twelve Jewish men" in the advance of the Christian movement, the marvel of the cosmos and nature's works, and, finally, a curious prediction of climate change.