King University’s Institute for Faith & Culture (IFC) speaker series, “Equipped for Every Good Work,” continues on March 26th and March 27th, 2026, with two lectures by historian James P. Byrd, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Byrd serves as Professor of American Religious History, Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair of Wesleyan Studies, and Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research at the Vanderbilt University Divinity School.

Byrd will speak at State Street Methodist Church in Bristol, Virginia, at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, on “Sacred Scripture, Sacred War: The Bible and the American Revolution.” Copies of his book of the same title will be available for purchase, and a book signing will follow the lecture. Then on Friday, March 27, at 9.15 a.m. in King University’s Memorial Chapel, he will present “Faith and the Founding: Religion and the American Revolution.” Both events are free and open to the public.

Byrd holds the M.Div. from Duke Divinity School, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. His publications include “Sacred Scripture, Sacred War: The Bible and the American Revolution,” “A Holy Baptism of Fire and Blood: The Bible and the American Civil War,” and “The Story of Religion in America: An Introduction,” co-authored with James Hudnut-Beumler.

He is currently writing a book on the assassination and sacred legacy of Abraham Lincoln, under contract with Oxford University Press.

“We are delighted to partner with the Bristol Historical Society and Rocky Mount State Historic Site to honor the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution,” said Martin Dotterweich, Director of the King Institute for Faith & Culture. “The Revolution was connected closely with the faith of American colonists, and we are especially pleased that Dr James Byrd will help us consider the role of Scripture and belief in early formation of the United States. As an historian as well an educator of pastors, he has a particularly nuanced understanding of this field, and we hope that many folks can join us for these lectures.”

The Thursday evening lecture is a joint venture with the Bristol Historical Association, and Byrd will speak at Rocky Mount at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 27.

The IFC spring speaker series continues on March 30th with theologian Keith Johnson speaking on Karl Barth and the rise of Nazism, then King’s own Abigail Cutter, writer Christina Bieber Lake, and a final event with Amy Peeler and Jessica Hooten Wilson.

Since 2007, the King University Institute for Faith & Culture has welcomed widely recognized thinkers, authors, musicians, scholars, and philosophers to interact with students and a regional audience in a welcoming environment that catalyzes growth and understanding. The Institute serves as the standard bearer of the University’s Christ-animated exploration of the liberal arts, in conjunction with King’s mission of equipping students to answer the call of service and character inherent in the Christian faith.

For more information, visit our event page.