Scot Loyd is a scholar, storyteller, and cultural thinker whose work traces the intersections of race, religion, communication, and identity. Raised in rural Arkansas within classical Pentecostalism, he learned to pray before he learned to question. Those questions eventually led him beyond the confines of fundamentalism and into a lifelong exploration of faith, doubt, and the stories that shape us.
His writing examines belief outside institutional walls, critiques cultural and religious systems, and reflects on what remains when inherited doctrines fall away. He is the author of The God I Was Given: Looking for Faith After Losing My Religion, a memoir that follows his journey toward a more honest and expansive spirituality.
Scot holds a PhD from Arkansas State University and serves as the Oral History Manager at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Library. He and his wife are devoted grandparents who find joy in the stories unfolding in their own family.