Drawing on his background as a social anthropologist, and as a longtime professor at SUNY Brockport, Biola University and Fuller Theological Seminary, Sherwood Lingenfelter, PhD, has taught many courses through the Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning®


. His


classes are shaped by decades of teaching, cross-cultural work, and a deep interest in how ancient texts speak into real human experience.


D


uring the Spring 2026 semester, Sherwood is leading a course titled An Anthropologist Looks at the Bible: Case Study of the Biblical Prophets. Rather than focusing on doctrines or predictions about the future, the course invites participants to explore how these ancient voices addressed


real communities navigating social pressure, competing priorities, and moral choices. “I want the class to listen closely,” he explains, “not for predictions of the distant future, but for voices grounded firmly in human history and lived experience.”


Across these texts, Sherwood sees a consistent pattern: people then, much like people now, were driven by desires for security, prosperity, and control. Te prophetic writings confronted those impulses directly, challenging communities to reflect on their values and the consequences of their choices. When asked, “How might the wisdom of the prophets inform how we navigate challenges facing older adults today — such as meaning, legacy, and community?” Sherwood does not answer in abstract terms. Instead, he points to his own experience of facing serious illness.


For him, the value of these texts is not in solving suffering, but in helping re-center life when circumstances strip away illusions of control. Sherwood’s Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis sharpened his focus on daily purpose, attentiveness, and presence.


Tat perspective aligns closely with the mission of Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning®, which seeks to foster in persons 55+ a continuing quest for learning that enriches the mind and spirit in the pursuit of wisdom, service, and understanding. Te wide range of Pathways Institute programs are open both to those associated with Landis Communities and to individuals from the wider Lancaster community. Classes create a space where learning, reflection, and lived experience intersect.


“In later seasons of life,” Sherwood reflects, “meaning isn’t found in managing outcomes, but in recognizing that each day still holds intention and direction.”


For more information, go to www.thepathwaysinstitute.org/lancaster-county.


Landis.org | FLOURISH | Spring 2026 • 11


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