Explore the tremendous impact of the King James Bible on the social and culture life of the United States from the colonial period to the present day. Brian Wilson, Professor of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University, will explain why this particular translation came to be so prominent in the life of the nation, influencing such figures as Herman Melville, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr. He will also discuss the special status of the King James Bible today, even as it competes with a galaxy of new Bible translations.

This is the third and last in a series of lectures intended to complement the annual Bible Exhibit, which this year celebrates 400 years of the King James Bible.