Autobiographical Reflections
by Ronald L. Farmer

Born and raised in a rural, county seat town in Oklahoma, my rather idyllic childhood centered on three interests: the arts, science, and animals. In addition to playing several instruments (piano, trumpet, and guitar), I was selected for the All-State Chorus. My artistic side also manifested itself a love of literature; I even tried my hand at poetry and short stories. (Fortunately, all extant manuscripts of my childhood and adolescent forays into the literary realm are in my possession, so they can’t be used to embarrass me!) Unlike some with an artistic bent, I also found the sciences fascinating, so much so that I enrolled in every science course my high school offered. In addition to a love for the arts and an attraction to science, my world view was profoundly shaped by caring for my family’s menagerie of cats, dogs, birds, fish, horses, cattle, and even a goat. Yes, my childhood was well-rounded.

During my collegiate years, my fascination with science initially trumped my love for the arts and humanities. As a pre-med student, I devoted my undergraduate career to the study of psychology, chemistry, and mathematics. During my senior year, however, I experienced a spiritual awakening that altered my academic plans. Rather than attending medical school, as everyone expected me to do, I pursued a masters degree in religious studies (M.Div. with ordination), followed by a Ph.D. in New Testament studies.

Following graduate school, I embarked on a career with twin foci: the academic study of religion and its lived expression. For a decade I taught at the University of Missouri, where I also began my writing career. The next five years found me serving with my wife, Patricia, as co-ministers of a progressive congregation, The Walnut Hills Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), while I taught part-time at the University of Cincinnati. In 1997 I moved to Chapman University where the twin foci merged in the creation of a visionary academic position: Dean of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel and Associate Professor of Religious Studies.

Given the contours my autobiographical sketch, it’s not surprising that I have written books and articles for both the academic and the general reader. My first book, Beyond the Impasse: The Promise of a Process Hermeneutic (1997), is a scholarly exposition of this promising interpretive strategy, intended for scholars and graduate students. My second book, Revelation (2005), a commentary on the Bible’s most notorious book, targets undergraduate students and general readers.

In the publication of Awakening (2009), I merged my academic studies with my earlier interest in the arts. The novel should especially appeal to fans of the late Michael Crichton, Daniel Hecht, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, and similar writers who combine science and philosophy in a suspenseful setting with significant ethical consequences.

I am currently working on two projects: co-editing a collection of essays on contemporary ethical issues from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim perspectives; and writing my second novel which I intend to be a progressive Christian response (i.e., antithesis!) to the Left Behind series.

A Debt of Gratitude: My Mentors

Each of us is the product of our many relationships, but in reflecting back over the course of my intellectual development, certain people stand out as having had special influence. These are my mentors.



I was not fortunate enough to know two of these mentors personally, but the intellectual legacies of these giants are key to understanding the world view I have embraced: Alfred North Whitehead, for his seminal work in process philosophy, and Albert Schweitzer, for his Reverence for Life ethic.

Others who have profoundly “gifted” me with their writings, lectures, and friendship include: the late William A. Beardslee (hermeneutics and New Testament), John B. Cobb, Jr. (theology), David Ray Griffin (philosophy), Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki (theology), Russell Pregeant (hermeneutics and New Testament), David Lull (hermeneutics and New Testament), and J. W. MacGorman (New Testament). I also owe a special debt to my colleagues over the past quarter century in the various manifestations of the Society of Biblical Literature’s seminars and sections devoted to the study of apocalyptic literature in general, and the Revelation to John in particular. For most of those years two individuals have graciously given of their time to chair the groups, David L. Barr and Paul B. Duff.

For my full Academic CV, click here.