Published on October 25, 2017 by Sean Flynt  
Samford Religion Professor James R. Strange
Samford Religion Professor James R. Strange

Samford University religion professor James R. Strange will present a free public lecture on “Archaeology, the New Testament, and the Liberal Arts at Samford University” Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in Brock Forum, Dwight Beeson Hall.

In addition to his classroom teaching, Strange directs the collaborative Shikhin Excavation Project with Kinneret College colleague Mordechai Aviam. The project has produced a number of unique and important discoveries. In the Oct. 30 lecture, Strange will draw on his experiences both in the field and on campus to describe the rigorous application of rational methods at a school that maintains strong ties to Alabama Baptists and pursues a Christian mission.

The lecture is Strange’s first as Charles Jackson Granade and Elizabeth Donald Granade Chair of New Testament. The Rev. Charles Jackson Granade attended Samford (then Howard College) in Birmingham’s East Lake community, and was ordained to ministry at Ruhama Baptist Church in 1936. He went on to serve as pastor of many Alabama Baptist churches, finally at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Jackson, Alabama. He and Elizabeth Donald Granade established a charitable remainder unitrust through the Baptist Foundation of Alabama in 1984 for the creation of the chair. Samford announced Strange’s appointment to the chair in September, 2017.
 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.