Cain Hope Felder (June 9, 1943 – October 1, 2019) 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 Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

School of Divinity. He also served as chair of the

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

program and immediate past chair of the

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advance ...

program. He had been on Howard's faculty from 1981 until his retirement in 2016.

Biography

Prior to coming to Howard, he taught within the Department of Biblical Studies (1978–1981) at

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of t ...

. 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 The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

, which was headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally ordained as an elder in the

, 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 The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. The African Methodist Episcopal ...

, 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

. He was on Howard's faculty from 1981-2016, having come to Washington from

, 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'' (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 The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil ...

degrees in biblical languages and literature from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

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 , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in England; a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in philosophy, Greek, and Latin from

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. 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.

Selected works

Thesis

Books

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Edited by

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Felder, Cain Hope 1943 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Methodist ministers 20th-century scholars 21st-century Methodist ministers 21st-century scholars Academics from South Carolina African Americans in South Carolina African Methodist Episcopal Church clergy American biblical scholars American United Methodist clergy Christians from South Carolina Columbia University alumni Howard University alumni Howard University faculty New Testament scholars People from Aiken, South Carolina Princeton Theological Seminary faculty Religious leaders from South Carolina Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni Writers from South Carolina African-American biblical scholars