Joseph A. Johnson Jr.
Born
Joseph Andrew Johnson Jr.

1914
Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedSeptember 29, 1979(1979-09-29) (aged 64–65)
Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Resting placeLincoln Memorial Park, Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
EducationMonroe Colored High School
Vanderbilt University
Iliff School of Theology
OccupationTheologian
SpouseGrace Johnson
Children2 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

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

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] 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

  • 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "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. 1 2 3 4 "Southern Churches Leader Dies". The Daily Herald. Provo, Utah. September 27, 1979. p. 4. Retrieved December 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Coffey, Kathie (July 15, 1979). "Bishop Joseph Johnson. 'Dirt-floor baby' motivates". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. Retrieved October 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bishop Dies In Louisiana". The Daily News. Huntington, Pennsylvania. September 27, 1979. p. 2. Retrieved October 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 "Bishop Joseph Johnson". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. September 28, 1979. p. 3. Retrieved December 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 "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. JSTOR 3509795.
  8. 1 2 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. ↑ Johnson-Oliver, Cynthia (28 June 2017). "In Memoriam: Dr. Joseph A. Johnson III (1940-2017) | Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project". Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  10. ↑ 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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