Lerone A. Martin is the Associate Professor of Religion and Politics in the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in Saint Louis. The youngest child of Larry and Rose Martin he grew up with his four siblings in Fostoria, Ohio. He now lives in Saint Louis, Missouri.  
His research focuses on the intersection of religious broadcasting and politics in the twentieth century US.  Martin is the author of the award winning Preaching on Wax: The Phonograph and the Making of Modern African American Religion (New York University Press, 2014). The book was the 2015 recipient of the prestigious Frank S. and Elizabeth Prize for outstanding scholarship in religious history by a first time author by the American Society of Church History. 
In support of his research, Martin has received a number of nationally recognized fellowships, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, The American Council of Learned Societies, The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the Louisville Institute for the Study of American Religion, and the Forum for Theological Exploration. His commentary and writing have been featured in the New York Times, Boston Globe,  Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as CNN  He is currently writing a book on the relationship between religion and national security in American history. The book will be published by Princeton University Press.