# Leonard Sweet > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Leonard_Sweet > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Leonard_Sweet.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Sweet > Source revision: 1339716112 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American theologian, semiotician, church historian, pastor, and author}} {{BLP sources|date=May 2019}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2013}} {{Infobox person | name = Leonard Sweet | image = Leonard Sweet at Orcas Advance (cropped).jpg | caption = Leonard Sweet in 2019 | birth_name = Leonard I. Sweet | birth_date = | birth_place = Gloversville, New York | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | other_names = | known_for = | education = BA, [University of Richmond](/source/University_of_Richmond), [Master of Divinity](/source/Master_of_Divinity) [Colgate/Rochester/Bexley Hall/Crozer](/source/Colgate_Rochester_Divinity_School) and PhD [University of Rochester](/source/University_of_Rochester) | employer = [Drew University](/source/Drew_University) | occupation = {{Hlist | Theologian | [semiotician](/source/semiotician) | [church historian](/source/church_historian) | pastor | author}} | title = Professor | spouse = Tia Nicole Sweet | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | signature = | website = {{URL|leonardsweet.com}} }} '''Leonard I. Sweet''' is an American theologian, [semiotician](/source/semiotician), [church historian](/source/church_historian), pastor, and author. Sweet currently serves as the E. Stanley Jones Professor Emeritus at Drew Theological School at [Drew University](/source/Drew_University), in [Madison, New Jersey](/source/Madison%2C_New_Jersey); Charles Wesley Distinguished Professor of Doctoral Studies at Evangelical Seminary; distinguished visiting professor at Tabor College; and visiting distinguished professor at [George Fox University](/source/George_Fox_University) in [Portland, Oregon](/source/Portland%2C_Oregon). Sweet is ordained in the [United Methodist Church](/source/United_Methodist_Church).{{Cite web|url=http://leonardsweet.com/about/|title=About|access-date=December 8, 2015|archive-date=March 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328002037/https://leonardsweet.com/about/|url-status=live}} ==Early life== Leonard Sweet was raised in the [Wesleyan] tradition. His mother Mabel Boggs Sweet was ordained in the Pilgrim Holiness Church, then the [Free Methodist Church](/source/Free_Methodist_Church).{{cite book |last1=Sweet |first1=Leonard |title=The Well-Played Life |date=2014-02-21 |publisher=[Tyndale House Publishers](/source/Tyndale_House_Publishers) |isbn=978-1-4143-9080-2 |page=62 |language=English}} Growing up, the Sweet family always attended holiness camp-meetings and Methodist [watchnight service](/source/watchnight_service)s on New Year's Eve. ==Academic engagements== Before his current seminary positions, Sweet had been E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and [Dean](/source/Dean_(education)) of the Theological School at Drew from 1995 to 2015. Prior to his appointments at [Drew University](/source/Drew_University), he served as President and Professor of Church History at [United Theological Seminary](/source/United_Theological_Seminary), [Dayton, Ohio](/source/Dayton%2C_Ohio). His first academic administration position was as [Provost](/source/Provost_(education)) and Associate Professor of Church History at [Colgate Rochester Divinity School/Bexley Hall/Crozer Theological Seminary](/source/Colgate_Rochester_Divinity_School). Sweet is founder and President of ''SpiritVenture Ministries'' and owner of the preaching resource website www.preachthestory.com. He also founded in 2020 a new publishing company called The Salish Sea Press. His writings focus on the study of [Semiotics](/source/Semiotics). He is the author of more than sixty books, hundreds of articles (many of a scholarly and technical nature), and over 80 prefaces/forewords to others' books. He has published over 1500 sermons in the journal ''Homiletics'', Preachingplus.com, sermons.com and preachthestory.com. In 2005, Sweet created the first open-source preaching website called Wikiletics.com. Sweet posts weekly podcasts on [iTunes](/source/iTunes) entitled ''Napkin Scribbles'' and posts on YouTube a weekly LenTalk. Sweet has served a term on the council of the American Society of Church History and was an associate editor of the Journal of the [American Academy of Religion](/source/American_Academy_of_Religion) for ten years. An honors and [Phi Beta Kappa](/source/Phi_Beta_Kappa) graduate of the [University of Richmond](/source/University_of_Richmond), he earned his [Master of Divinity](/source/Master_of_Divinity) degree from [Colgate/Rochester/Bexley Hall/Crozer](/source/Colgate_Rochester_Divinity_School) and PhD from the [University of Rochester](/source/University_of_Rochester). Sweet is the recipient of honorary [Doctorates of Divinity](/source/Doctor_of_Divinity) from [University of Richmond](/source/University_of_Richmond), [Baker University](/source/Baker_University), [Lebanon Valley College](/source/Lebanon_Valley_College), Coe College, and [Otterbein College](/source/Otterbein_College). ==Selected bibliography== *''Soul Tsunami'' (Zondervan, 1999) ({{ISBN|0310227623}}) *''The Three Hardest Words In The World To Get Right'' (WaterBrook Press, 2006) ({{ISBN|1-57856-648-7}}) *''The Gospel According to Starbucks'' (WaterBrook Press, 2007) *''The Voice from on High'' (Thomas Nelson, 2007) *''The Voice: Genesis'' (Thomas Nelson, 2008) *''The Church of the Perfect Storm'' (Abingdon, 2008) *''11: Indispensable Relationships You Can't Be Without'' (Cook Communications, 2008) *''Postmodern and Wesleyan?: Exploring the Boundaries and Possibilities'' (Beacon Hill Press, 2009) ({{ISBN|978-0834124585}}) *''So Beautiful'' (David C Cook, 2009) (978-1434799791) *''Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ'' (with [Frank Viola](/source/Frank_Viola_(author))) (Thomas Nelson, 2010) ({{ISBN|978-0849946011}}) *''Nudge: Awakening Each Other to the God Who’s Already There'' (David C. Cook, 2010) ({{ISBN|1434764745}}) *''The Seraph Seal'' (with Lori Wagner) (Thomas Nelson, 2011) ({{ISBN|978-0849920776}}) *''Real Church in a Social Network World: From Facebook to Face-to-Face Faith'' (WaterBrook Press, 2011) (e-book) (ASIN B004Y89RKI) *''I Am a Follower: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus'' (Thomas Nelson, 2012) ({{ISBN|978-0849946387}}) *''Viral: How Social Networking is Poised to Ignite Revival'' (WaterBrook Press, 2012) ({{ISBN|978-0307459152}}) *''What Matters Most: How We Got the Point but Missed the Person'' (WaterBrook Press, 2012) ({{ISBN|978-0307730572}}) *''The Greatest Story Never Told: Revive Us Again'' (Abingdon Press, 2012) ({{ISBN|978-1426740329}}) *''Jesus: A Theography'' (with [Frank Viola](/source/Frank_Viola_(author))) (Thomas Nelson, 2012) ({{ISBN|978-0849947025}}) *''From Tablet to Table: Where Community is Found and Identity is Formed'' (NavPress, 2015) ({{ISBN|978-1612915814}}) *''Jesus Speaks'' (with [Frank Viola](/source/Frank_Viola_(author))) (Thomas Nelson, 2016) ({{ISBN|978-0718032203}}) *''The Well Played Life'' (Tyndale, 2014) ({{ISBN|978-1414373621}}) *''Giving Blood: A Fresh Paradigm for Preaching'' (Zondervan, 2014) ({{ISBN|978-0310515456}}) *''Me and We'' (Abingdon Press, 2014) ({{ISBN|142675776X}}) *''The Bad Habits of Jesus'' (Tyndale House, 2016) ''({{ISBN|978-1496417510}}'') *''Mother Tongue'' (NavPress, 2017) ({{ISBN|978-1612915821}}) *''Rings of Fire: Walking in Faith Through a Volcanic Future'' (NavPress, 2019) ({{ISBN|978-1631463945}}) *''St. Is'' with Lisa Samson (The Salish Sea Press, 2020). ==References== {{reflist}} == External links == * {{Official website|http://www.leonardsweet.com/}} *[http://www.preachthestory.com] *[https://salishsea.press] *[the-salish.com] *[http://www.theJesusManifesto.com A Jesus Manifesto for the 21st Century] *[http://frankviola.org/2010/09/20/interview-with-leonard-sweet-on-nudge/ A Candid Interview with Leonard Sweet] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20021123214049/http://www.epictivity.com/spiritventure.asp Spirit Venture Ministries] *[http://www.georgefox.edu/seminary/programs/dmin/sfs/index.html Lead Mentor, Semiotics & Future Studies DMin track at George Fox Evangelical Seminary] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20071202230633/http://www.leonardsweet.com/Quantum/quantum-ebook.pdf ''Quantum Spirituality''] e-book by Leonard Sweet *[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC2KF6 ''The Dawn Mistaken for Dusk: If God so Loved the World, Why Can't We?''] e-book by Leonard Sweet {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweet, Leonard}} Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Presidents of United Methodist seminaries Category:Methodist theologians Category:Drew University faculty Category:George Fox University faculty Category:American university and college faculty deans Category:Seminary academics Category:Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School faculty Category:American United Methodists --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Leonard Sweet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Sweet) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Sweet?action=history)). 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