Dr. Bill J. Leonard (STH’75, GRS’75) Serves as Guest Lecturer for 2023 Davis Lectures Series
The following is an excerpt from the Iredell Free News article “Davis Lecture Series to feature discussion about future of religion in America” featuring alum Dr. Bill J. Leonard (STH’75, GRS’75), published on October 5, 2023.
“Bill Leonard is one of our best teachers of American Religious History and astute theological observers of religion in 
America today,” said Dr. Steve Shoemaker, pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “His two lectures will be a stimulating and provocative survey of where we are today as American Christians, and his Sunday morning sermon will be a fascinating introduction to the lectures.”
Leonard is the author of 25 books and a regular columnist and speaker on church history and the changing shape of religion in America. He holds a B.A. from Texas Wesleyan College, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Boston University. He previously served on the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Samford University.
In addition, Leonard is an ordained Baptist minister, serving as interim pastor of over 25 congregations. His specialization in American and Southern studies makes him a frequent commentator on popular religion in the U.S., with numerous interviews in newspapers, magazines, radio and television.
His books include “Christianity in Appalachia”; “Baptist Ways: A History”; “The Challenge of Being Baptist”; “A Sense of the Heart: Christian Religious Experience in the U.S.”; and “The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Church History: Flaming Heretics and Heavy Drinkers”. His newest book, “Appalachian Mountain Christianity: The Spirituality of Otherness,” will be published by University of Georgia Press in 2024.