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Joseph A. Johnson Jr.

American theologian

Joseph A. Johnson Jr.
Born	Joseph Andrew Johnson Jr. 1914 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	September 29, 1979(1979-09-29) (aged 64–65) Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Resting place	Lincoln Memorial Park, Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Education	Monroe Colored High School Vanderbilt University Iliff School of Theology
Occupation	Theologian
Spouse	Grace Johnson
Children	2 sons, 1 daughter

Joseph Andrew Johnson Jr. (1914 – September 29, 1979) was an African-American theologian. He was a professor of New Testament at the Interdenominational Theological Center and Fisk University, and a bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Early life[edit]

Johnson was born in 1914 in Shreveport, Louisiana.^[1][2] He grew up poor in a shotgun house.^[3]

Johnson was educated at the Monroe Colored High School.^[3] He attended Texas College in Tyler, Texas, followed by the Iliff School of Theology.^[3] He graduated from Vanderbilt University's Divinity School, where he earned a bachelor's degree (B.D.- bachelor of Divinity which today is a Masters of Divinity)in 1954 and a PhD in 1958, at age 44. He was the first African American to graduate from the university.^[1] He returned to the Iliff School of Theology, where he earned a master's degree and a second PhD.^[1]

Career[edit]

Johnson was a professor of New Testament at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.^[1][2] In 1969, he became a professor of New Testament at Fisk University.^[1][2] He later became a professor and eventually the president of the Phillips School of Theology in Jackson, Tennessee.^[1]

Johnson became a bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in 1966.^[3] By 1979, he was the presiding bishop of the Fourth Episcopal District in Mississippi and Louisiana.^[3][4][5] Johnson served on the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches.^[1] He was also the chairman of the commission on theology of the National Committee of Black Churchmen and the commission on worship of the Consultation on Church Union.^[1]

Johnson authored six books.^[6]InThe Soul of the Black Preacher, he argued that Christianity was a liberating factor for African Americans.^[7] Johnson worked on a new translation of the New Testament for two decades.^[2][4]

Johnson was the second African American to serve board of trust of his alma mater, Vanderbilt University, from 1971 to 1979.^[1][8] He also served on the boards of Tyler College and the Iliff School of Theology.^[4]

Personal life, death and legacy[edit]

With his wife Grace, Johnson had two sons and a daughter.^[4] One of his sons, Joseph Johnson III, was a physicist and Professor at the Florida A&M University.^[9]

Johnson died on September 29, 1979, in Shreveport, at age 65.^[4][5] He was buried in Lincoln Memorial Park, Shreveport.^[1][5] In 1984, the Afro House on the campus of Vanderbilt University was renamed in his honor.^[6][8] In 2018, his portrait by Simmie Knox was added to Kirkland Hall, the administration building.^[10]

Selected works[edit]

• Johnson, Joseph A. Jr. (1971). The Soul of the Black Preacher. Philadelphia: Pilgrim Press. ISBN 9780829801934. OCLC 489898582.
• Johnson, Joseph A. Jr. (1976). The Local Church and Lay Evangelism. Shreveport, Louisiana: Fourth Episcopal District Press. OCLC 7450555.
• Johnson, Joseph A. Jr. (1977). Proclamation Theology. Shreveport, Louisiana: Fourth Episcopal District Press. OCLC 3965982.
• Johnson, Joseph A. (1978). Basic Christian Methodist Beliefs. Shreveport, Louisiana: Fourth Episcopal District Press. OCLC 4570190.

References[edit]