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.