Bill J. Leonard

Billy Jim Leonard (born 20 March 1946) is an American historian of religion.

Bill Leonard was born on 20 March 1946 in Decatur, Texas to a salesman, Marvin R. Leonard, and his wife Lavelle, who worked as a secretary.[1][2] After he turned ten, Leonard moved with his family to Fort Worth, Texas.[3] Leonard earned a bachelor of arts degree from Texas Wesleyan College in 1968, followed by a Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1971. He then obtained a doctorate at Boston University in 1975.[1][4] Leonard completed postdoctoral research at Yale University.[4]

He was raised a Baptist,[5] and became an ordained minister.[6] Between 1965 and 1972, Leonard was a youth minister at Northridge Baptist Church in Mesquite, Texas. He then led the First Community Church in Southborough, Massachusetts from 1971 to 1975.[1] He began teaching at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1975, was appointed William Walker Brookes Professor of American Christianity for 1990 and 1991, then left for Samford University in 1992.[1][4] Concurrently, Leonard was on the faculty of Berea College between 1989 and 1995, including a stint as dean from 1991 to 1992.[1] In May 1996, Leonard was appointed the founding dean of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity.[4] As dean, Leonard expressed support for LGBT students, and the schools inaugural class admitted in 1999 included a lesbian student.[7] He retired as dean effect 30 June 2010,[2] and was succeeded by Gail R. O'Day.

In September 2011, Wake Forest University announced the creation of the James and Marilyn Dunn Chair of Baptist Studies.[8][9] On 24 January 2012, Leonard formally assumed the named professorship.[10] Since assuming the role, he has spoken at several educational institutions.[11] He delivered Samford University's 2012 Ray Frank Robbins Lecture,[12] the 2015 William James Lecture at Harvard University,[13] as well as the 2017 William L. Self Preaching Lectures hosted by Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology.[14] Leonard retired from teaching in May 2018 and was named Professor of Divinity Emeritus.[6]

References
  1. "Leonard, Bill J. 1946–". Contemporary Authors. Gale. 2009.
  2. "Bill Leonard stepping down as dean of Wake Forest divinity school". Baptist News. 5 March 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. "Q & A with Bill Leonard". Baptists Today. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  4. Cox, Kevin (21 May 1996). "Leonard named dean of new Divinity School". Wake Forest University. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  5. Leonard, Bill (14 February 2017). "Bill Leonard: Splitting churches right and left". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  6. Dunn, Karen Richardson (10 April 2018). "A Legacy of Light". Wake Forest Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  7. Starnes, Todd (9 May 2000). "Leonard reiterates homosexual admissions to CBF-related Wake Forest divinity school". Baptist Press. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  8. "Endowed chair honors Baptist leaders". Wake Forest University. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  9. White, Jim (27 September 2011). "Leonard named to Wake's new chair of Baptist studies named for Dunns". Baptist News. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  10. "Leonard installed as Dunn Chair of Baptist Studies at Wake Forest". Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  11. Moore, Vince (1 April 2018). "Church historian Bill Leonard to speak April 3". Furman University. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  12. "Bill Leonard to Deliver Robbins Lecture at Samford". Samford University. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  13. "Video: William James and the Protestant Conversion Crisis". Harvard Divinity School. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  14. Sears, Kyle (31 January 2017). "Wake Forest Professor Dr. Bill J. Leonard to Deliver 2017 William L. Self Preaching Lectures at McAfee School of Theology". Mercer University. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
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