I was born in 1958 in Peoria, Illinois, to a German-Lutheran family in Richard Pryor's neighborhood. My education (large urban high school to University of Michigan) was strong on the liberal arts, and led to a PhD in econometrics and the history of economic thought. I have taught mainly in New York and Michigan, but also in London, Budapest, and Oslo. After teaching for several decades, I completed a Master of Divinity degree (think of Fred Rogers or Desmond Tutu).
Most of my writing has been for scholarly journals, doing economic analysis of international trade or gender-pay differentials or poverty policy or economic thought in classical civilizations. I've directed a social research center and led an internship/seminar program on nonprofit leadership for liberal arts students. I do quite a bit of speaking at college chapel services and other church-related venues, and I am the parish accordionist (!) in my religious congregation. I definitely have the best spouse and children in the universe. As time allows, I also enjoy sailing, walking, and cooking.
“Summary: In contrast to many biblical scholars who argue that the “household codes” of scripture do indeed, for various reasons, affirm cultural role expectations, this work argues that Peter’s version is actually a subtle satire that opposes the cultural norms of Greco-Roman culture.”
“I think the strength of this work is the extensive cultural background work on household codes that serves as the basis for showing how 1 Peter parodies these codes as a form of dissent from them rather than support for them. His approach of setting 1 Peter and Aristotle side by side is instructive for showing how Peter’s vision of the household of God (1 Peter 2:5; 4:17) contrasts with the Aristotelian household. This reading removes the stumbling block of these texts’ implicit support for slavery and the subordination of women without treating the texts as anachronisms or accommodations. It also reminds us that it is possible for biblical writers to use satire and wit in their writing, something we may overlook in our seriousness about biblical authority.”
---Bob Trube, Bob on Books Blog
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