BRISTOL, Tenn., Aug. 21, 2019 — King University’s Institute for Faith & Culture will launch its 2019-2020 speaker series, “The Beauty of Art, the Holiness of Saints,” with nationally acclaimed essayist and commentator Frederica Mathewes-Green on Wednesday, Aug. 28.

A wide-ranging author and speaker, Mathewes-Green will present “A Golden Bell and a Pomegranate” at 9:15 a.m. in King’s Memorial Chapel on the Bristol campus, and “The Story of Icons: Prayer and Practice” at 7 p.m. at Central Presbyterian Church in Bristol, Virginia. Both events are free and open to the public.

Mathewes-Green’s work has appeared in such diverse publications as the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Smithsonian, the Los Angeles Times, Sojourners, and the Wall Street Journal. She has been a regular commentator for National Public Radio (NPR), on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She is the author of 10 books, most recently “Welcome to the Orthodox Church” and “The Jesus Prayer,” as well as more than 700 essays. Past speaking events have included appearances at Yale, Harvard, Princeton, the Smithsonian Institute, and the National Cathedral, among many others.

“The theme for this year’s speaker series calls us to consider the beauty inherent in acts of charity and works of art, and no one can start us on this journey better than Frederica Mathewes-Green,” said Martin Dotterweich, Ph.D., director of the Institute. “In these discussions, she will consider the intersection of faith and culture, a point where the saints and art meet — particularly in the ancient tradition of icons. We are delighted to welcome her back to campus and to the King Institute.”

Additional speakers in the series include James K.A. Smith, editor-in-chief of Image journal and professor of philosophy at Calvin College; Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Ministries and author of “Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion,” a New York Times bestseller; and Anne C. Bailey, professor of history at the State University of New York at Binghampton and author of “The Weeping Time: Memory of the Largest Slave Auction in American History.”

The full list features discussions of:

• Iconography with Frederica Mathewes-Green, author and commentator — Aug. 28
• Medicine and Christianity with Farr Curlin, Duke Divinity School, for the King Institute Medical Lecture — Sept. 16
• Sinners and saints with Karen Wright Marsh, co-founder, Theological Horizons — Sept. 30
• The beauty of songwriting with Jason Harrod, songwriter and performer — Oct. 14
• Martyrdom and redemption with Kathryn Long, author — Oct. 21
• Racial reconciliation and Christian witness with Anne C. Bailey, State University of New York — Nov. 4
• Pilgrimage and spiritual devotion with James K.A. Smith, Calvin University, for the Frederick Buechner Lecture — Nov. 18
• Redemption and change with Father Gregory Boyle, Homeboy Industries, for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Lecture — Jan. 20-21
• Reclaiming voice through music and art with Shawn Okpebholo, composer ― Jan. 27
• The power and beauty of home with S.J. Dahlman, Milligan College, for the King Institute Appalachian Lecture — Feb. 10
• Biblical interpretation and social transformation with Anne Blue Wills, Davidson College — Feb. 24
• Guests from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum — March 23
• Creativity and form with Bill Linderman, composer and associate dean, King University — March 29-30; and
• Visual theology with Matthew Milliner, art historian, Wheaton College — Apr. 6

All events are free and open to the public.