By Nick Valentin
On Monday, February 19th, 2024, the students at King University welcomed Pete Ward to the Memorial Chapel for Convocation. Mr. Ward is a professor specializing in Theology at The University of Durham in England, where he has taught since 2014. He also runs a doctoral program in Theology and Ministry. During his visit, he discussed “Theology and Bluegrass.” Here is a full breakdown of what he had to say.
He began his lecture by stating that he is currently working on a project on Bluegrass and Religion for a book. Bluegrass is a subset of country music typically played on acoustic instruments like banjo, guitar, fiddle, and bass. He continued by saying that this project started because of “jamming.” He also shared that he began a survey about Bluegrass songs and what the songs meant to people, and he got 200 to 250 responses. He built on Bluegrass throughout his speech as he dove deep into the Theology of the music. Something unique about his speech was when he presented a specific bluegrass song, and the Memorial Chapel band would then play the song so that those attending could get a taste of the bluegrass world. The Memorial Chapel band played four Bluegrass songs in total.
Mr. Ward’s lecture conveyed the rich history of bluegrass music and how it ties into religion. Moreover, the Theology of Bluegrass is complex, and Ward did a fine job introducing it to some who may not have been aware of the genre. The students and faculty can undoubtedly walk away with a newfound knowledge as well as interest in the genre of Bluegrass music, and we owe that to Mr. Pete Ward. We wish him safe travels back to England and are thankful for his time with us at King!
