Joseph A. Johnson Jr.

Joseph A. 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.

Joseph A. Johnson Jr.
Born1914
Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedSeptember 29, 1979
Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Resting placeLincoln Memorial Park, Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
EducationMonroe Colored High School
Vanderbilt University
Iliff School of Theology
OccupationTheologian
Spouse(s)Grace Johnson
Children2 sons, 1 daughter

Early life

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 Tyler 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 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

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] In The 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]

The Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt University.

Personal life, death and legacy

With his wife Grace, Johnson had two sons and a daughter.[4]

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.[9]

Selected works
  • 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
  1. "Bishop Johnson's Rites Conducted; VU's First Black Grad". The Tennessean. September 30, 1979. p. 10. Retrieved October 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Southern Churches Leader Dies". The Daily Herald. Provo, Utah. September 27, 1979. p. 4. Retrieved December 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Coffey, Kathie (July 15, 1979). "Bishop Joseph Johnson. 'Dirt-floor baby' motivates". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. Retrieved October 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Bishop Dies In Louisiana". The Daily News. Huntington, Pennsylvania. September 27, 1979. p. 2. Retrieved October 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Bishop Joseph Johnson". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. September 28, 1979. p. 3. Retrieved December 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Vanderbilt lauds late CME leader". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. October 7, 1984. p. 42. Retrieved October 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Nelsen, Hart M. (Winter 1973). "Reviewed Work: The Soul of the Black Preacher by Joseph A. Johnson, Jr". Review of Religious Research. 14 (2): 134–135. doi:10.2307/3509795 – via JSTOR.
  8. Reed, W. A. (April 12, 1984). "VU To Dedicate Joseph Johnson Center Tomorrow". The Tennessean. p. 18. Retrieved December 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Bratten, Clare (November 15, 2018). "Vanderbilt Examines its Past With Honors for Black Alumni/Faculty". The Tennessee Tribune. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
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