The Most Famous Methodist in the World: Frances Willard

This lecture, titled “The Most Famous Methodist in the World: Recovering the Legacy of Frances Willard,” will be centered on Dr. Christopher Evans’ recent book, Do Everything: The Biography of Frances Willard (Oxford University Press, 2022).

As President of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), Willard led the largest women’s rights organization in the world in the late 19th century. With her slogan, “Do Everything,” Willard challenged women to tackle every major social issue of the era, including temperance, economic justice and women’s suffrage.

Central to her success was her Methodist faith which drove her reform efforts and contributed to making her one of the most iconic figures of the Gilded Age/Progressive Era.

This lecture will highlight key components of Willard’s career and assess her importance for today.

Dr. Christopher Evans is a Professor of the History of Christianity and Methodist Studies at Boston University School of Theology. Previously, he was a Professor of Church History/Director of United Methodist Studies at the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.

Evans earned a PhD in religious and theological studies from Northwestern University, which was a joint doctoral program with Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He also earned a Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology, cum laude and a Artium Baccalaureus from Syracuse University graduating magna cum laude.

His research includes American religious history, history of evangelicalism, Methodist studies, history of social Christianity, religion and American politics, religious history of New England, global Christianity, religion and American culture.

Evans has written numerous books, articles and is a National Research Fellow, Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture. He is the recipient of an Award of Merit for outstanding book in history/biography from Christianity Today magazine and recipient of the Jesse Lee Prize awarded every four years by the General Commission of Archives and History of the United Methodist Church for best monograph in American Methodist History.