Bethany College will welcome Dr. James L. Gorman as the speaker for this year’s Founder’s Day convocation. Gorman, a scholar in American religious history, will deliver a lecture titled “What Has Alexander Campbell to Do with Christian Nationalism?” which explores Campbell’s evolving views on Christian nationalism throughout his life.

Gorman is a professor of history at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tenn., with expertise in the history of Christianity, the Stone-Campbell Movement, and American religious history. He is the author of “Among the Early Evangelicals: The Transatlantic Origins of the Stone-Campbell Movement” (2017), and co-editor of “Slavery’s Long Shadow: Race and Reconciliation in American Christianity” (2019). His most recent work, co-authored with Richard T. Hughes, is the third edition of “Reviving the Ancient Faith: The Story of Churches of Christ in America” (2024). Gorman earned his doctorate in Religion from Baylor University, and a Master of Divinity from Abilene Christian University, and a Bachelor of Science from Kentucky Christian University.

Founder’s Day at Bethany College is observed on the first Thursday of March, commemorating the College’s official charter from the Legislature of Virginia on March 2, 1840. The charter was later affirmed by the newly formed state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. The event celebrates Alexander Campbell’s legacy as a pioneer in education and as one of the principal founders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).