Dr. Steven Harmon Recognized with Gardner-Webb Faculty Scholarship Award

Since 2003, Professor of Historical Theology Has Authored or Edited Seven Books

By Avery Copeland, Intern for University Communications

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.— During the 2023-2024 academic year alone, Dr. Steven Harmon, professor of historical theology at Gardner-Webb, wrote five research publications and presented four pieces of his scholarly research. Since 2003, he has authored five books and edited two multi-author books, and two more volumes will be available soon. He is co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Baptist Studies from Oxford University Press, and his solo-authored book, Vision Over Visibility: U2’s Theological Imagination, is under contract with Cascade Books.

Harmon was recently recognized with the Faculty Scholarship Award at the University’s 2024 Faculty Assembly for his diligent pursuit of research and publication opportunities. One nominator described him as “one of the leading Baptist theologians alive and working today, and his name and work are recognized throughout the Baptist academic and ecclesial world.”

Commenting on the award, Harmon reflected, “I have long believed that having an active research and publishing agenda is essential to my classroom teaching. Being a writing theologian contributing to theological scholarship informs and enhances my teaching in ways that would not be true if I were only introducing students to the theological proposals of others. I am grateful that the Scholarship Faculty Award recognizes what I believe is essential to my work of theological education.”

In 2010, after 10 years on the faculty of Campbell University Divinity School in Buies Creek, N.C., and two years teaching at the Beeson Divinity School of Samford University in Homewood, Ala., Harmon joined Gardner-Webb as an adjunct professor. In 2015, he became a full-time faculty member.

Raised in West and Central Texas, Harmon experienced a calling to the ministry in high school and thought he would become a pastor. He did go on to serve as pastor of churches in Texas and North Carolina. However, his pastor suggested that when he attended college and seminary, he might discover that his gifts might be best utilized in a ministry of theological education. Harmon attended Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, where he majored in Christian studies and minored in Greek. During his first semester at Howard Payne, he realized his pastor was right.

Following graduation, he pursued his Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also earned his Ph.D. in theology. During his studies, Harmon served as a pastor of three Baptist churches in Texas, and he continues to serve as interim pastor in various congregations today.

During his Master of Divinity studies, Harmon focused on second-century early Christian theologians after the New Testament period. “That awakened in me a fascination with the world beyond the New Testament that few Baptists had explored,” Harmon stated. “I changed my field of doctoral studies to theology and focused my coursework on the theology of the fathers and mothers of the church in the first few centuries after the New Testament.”

His studies eventually led him to his more recent focus on ecumenical theology, which addresses divisions among Christian denominations and works toward the unity of the church. “In my work in ecumenical theology, I hope to help Baptists appreciate what they share in common with other Christian traditions and what they can learn from them,” Harmon explained. “I also hope to help other Christian traditions understand Baptists more fully and recognize their gifts.”

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.

Writer Avery Copeland, of Atlanta, Ga., is a senior English major.