Biblical and Theological Studies Department
Education
Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary, 2008
Th.M., Duke Divinity School, 2004
M.Div., Baylor University, 2002
B.A. Baylor University, 1999
About Keith Johnson
“The transformation of the human mind and its renewal through assimilation to the mind of Christ is something that has to go on throughout the whole of our life—it is a never-ending discipleship in repentant rethinking as we take up the cross and follow Christ. That is why we cannot be theologians without the incessant prayer in offering ourselves daily to God through the reconciling and atoning mediation of Christ; and that is also why we cannot be evangelists without being theologians whose minds are constantly schooled in obedience to Christ.” –T.F. Torrance
At its best, theology is a discipline that leads to the transformation and renewal of our minds in Jesus Christ. Yet in the same way that Paul linked the renewal of our minds with the offering of our bodies as “living sacrifices,” the best theology also leads to a life of active discipleship and obedience. It prompts us to read Scripture faithfully, to pray deeply, and to live as witnesses of the Gospel in a fallen world. This is the kind of theology I am interested in, and I am glad to be a part of the Wheaton community because this is the kind of theology we are pursuing.
As an evangelical theologian, I am interested in bringing the insights and commitments of the evangelical tradition into conversation with thinkers and ideas from around the world and across the centuries. I am especially interested in learning from theologians currently working in the developing world. Other research interests include traditional and contemporary debates between Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians, as well as recent debates about the doctrines of the Trinity and Christology.
I'm an ordained Baptist minister, and my wife Julie and I are members of College Church in Wheaton. When we're not working, we enjoy working around our house, attending Wheaton College sporting events, and taking our beagle, Jasper, on regular walks.
Courses Taught
- BITH 315/316 Christian Thought
- BITH 374 Systematic Theology
- BITH 385 The Doctrine of the Triune God
- BITH 398 Eastern Orthodox Theology
- BITH 391 Doctrine of Salvation
- BITH 399 Readings in Eastern Orthodox Theology
- BITH 484/558 The Theology of Thomas Aquinas
- BITH 488/558 Theology of Karl Barth
- BITH 675 Advanced Systematic Theology: Nature and Grace
Membership in Professional Societies
- American Academy of Religion
- Evangelical Theological Society
Research
- The theology of the Reformers, especially Calvin
- American evangelical theology in relationship to theology in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
- Recent work involving the doctrines of the Trinity and Christology
- Modern theology, particularly in the Reformed tradition
- The relationship between Protestant and Roman Catholic theology
Publications
Thinking After God: The Method and Practice of Theology (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, forthcoming).
Karl Barth and the Analogia Entis (London: T&T Clark, 2010).
“When Nature Presupposes Grace,” Pro Ecclesia 20:3 (Summer 2011), forthcoming.
“Reconsidering Barth’s Rejection of Przywara’s analogia entis,” Modern Theology 26:4 (October 2010), pp. 632-650.
“The Being and Act of the Church: Karl Barth and the Future of Evangelical Ecclesiology,” in Karl Barth and American Evangelicalism, ed. Clifford B. Anderson and Bruce L. McCormack (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2011), pp. 201-226.
“Baptists, Barmen, and the Confessing University,” in Tradition and the Baptist Academy, Studies in Baptist History and Thought, ed. Philip E. Thompson and Roger Ward ( Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 2010), pp. 144-166.
“Under the Same Lord: Evangelicals and the Church Fathers,” paper presented at the “Evangelicals and the Early Church” conference at Wheaton College, March 19, 2010.
“Evangelicals and Race: A Christological Perspective,” paper presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, November 20, 2009.
“Erich Przywara’s Early Version of the analogia entis,” in The Princeton Theological Review XV:1 (Spring 2009), pp. 7-19.
“The Invention of the Anti-Christ? A Reconsideration of Barth’s Rejection of the Analogia Entis,” paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, October 31, 2008.
“The Ecclesiological Determination of Friendship: A Question of Vocation,” paper presented at the Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture: “ Friendship: Quests for Character, Community, and Truth,” Baylor University, October 25-27, 2007.