Keith Johnson, Ph.D.

Biography

Dr. Johnson teaches introductory courses in theology along with advanced electives on major doctrines and figures. In 2022, he received the Senior Teaching Achievement Award in recognition of sustained excellence in teaching as a faculty member at Wheaton College. The author and editor of several books, Dr. Johnson’s research focuses on modern and contemporary theology, the Protestant dogmatic tradition, and theological pedagogy. He currently is writing a monograph on Karl Barth and the challenge of Christian nationalism.

Education

Princeton Theological Seminary
Ph.D., 2008

Duke Divinity School
Th.M., 2004

Baylor University
M.Div., 2002

Baylor University
B.A., 1999

Areas of Expertise

• Modern and Contemporary Systematic Theology
• Major Christian doctrines, including the Trinity and Christology
• Protestant dogmatics in the 19^th and 20^th centuries
• Key figures including Athanasius, Aquinas, Calvin, Barth, Bonhoeffer, and Cone
• Dialogues between the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions

Professional Affiliations

• American Academy of Religion
• Karl Barth Society of North America
• International Bonhoeffer Society

Links

• http://keithljohnson.com
• Amazon.com Author Profile

Research

Dr. Johnson’s research has included a focus on theological pedagogy, as shown in his publication of the textbook Theology as Discipleship, which is used in courses at Wheaton College. He also has published widely on the theology of Karl Barth, including most recently The Essential Karl Barth. In his current book project, he is examining Barth’s engagement with German Christian nationalism from 1932-1935 and drawing out its implications for the contemporary American context.

Courses

• BITH 111 Gospel, Church, and Culture
• BITH 315 Christian Thought
• BITH 374 Systematic Theology
• BITH 375 Christian Ethics
• BITH 377 Contemporary Theology
• BITH 385 The Doctrine of the Triune God
• BITH 391 Doctrine of Salvation
• BITH 392 Doctrine of Scripture
• BITH 398 Eastern Orthodox Theology
• BITH 399 Readings in Eastern Orthodox Theology
• BITH 484/558 The Theology of Thomas Aquinas
• BITH 486 Theology of John Calvin
• BITH 488/558 Theology of Karl Barth
• BITH 565 Christian Theology (online)
• BITH 656 Modern Theology
• BITH 675 Advanced Systematic Theology: Nature and Grace
• CORE 101 First Year Seminar

Select Publications

• “Karl Barth and the Purification of Divine Simplicity,” Modern Theology35:3 (July 2019), pp. 531-541.“
• “Compatibilism and Continuity in Katherine Sonderegger’s Systematic Theology,” International Journal of Systematic Theology19:2 (April 2017), pp. 175-187.
• “Discovering Theology as Grace,” Chicago Studies54:1 (Spring 2015), pp. 39-58.
• “He Descended into Hell,” in Christian Reflection: A Series in Faith and Ethics, vol. 50 (Spring 2014), pp. 27-34.
• “A Reappraisal of Karl Barth’s Theological Development and His Dialogue with Catholicism,” International Journal of Systematic Theology14:1 (January 2012), pp. 1-23.
• “When Nature Presupposes Grace: A Response to Thomas Joseph White, O.P.,” Pro Ecclesia20:3 (Summer 2011), pp. 264-282.
• “Reconsidering Barth’s Rejection of Przywara’s analogia entis,” Modern Theology26:4 (October 2010), pp. 632-650.
• “Erich Przywara’s Early Version of the analogia entis,” in The Princeton Theological ReviewXV:1 (Spring 2009), pp. 7-19.
• “Kenosis and Divine Continuity,” in Kenosis: The Self-Emptying of Christ in Scripture and Theology, eds. Keith L. Johnson and Paul Nimmo (Grand Rapids: Williams B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2022, pp. 249-266).
• “Doubt,” in Life Questions Every Student Asks, ed. Gary Burge and David Lauber (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2020), pp. 127-144.
• “Karl Barth and Natural Theology,” in The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Karl Barth, 2 vols., eds George Hunsinger and Keith L. Johnson (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2020), pp. 95-107.
• “Karl Barth and Roman Catholicism,” in TheOxford Handbook to Karl Barth, ed. Paul Dafydd Jones and Paul Nimmo (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), pp. 147-161.
• “The Metaphysics of Marilynne Robinson,” in Balm in Gilead: A Theological Dialogue with Marilynne Robinson, ed. Keith L. Johnson and Timothy Larsen (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2019), pp. 66-84.
• “Karl Barth’s Reading of Paul’s Union with Christ,” in “In Christ” in Paul: Explorations in Paul’s Theology of Union and Participation, Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament II, ed. Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Constantine R. Campbell, and Michael J. Thate (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014), pp. 453-474.
• “What is Salvation?,” in Theology Questions Everyone Asks: Christian Faith in Plain Language, ed. Gary Burge and David Lauber (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014), pp. 111-126.
• “Natural Revelation in Creation and Covenant,” in Karl Barth and Thomas Aquinas: An Unofficial Ecumenical Dialogue, ed. Bruce L. McCormack and Thomas Joseph White, O.P. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2013), pp. 129-156.
• “Depravity and Hope in the City,” in Corners in the City of God: The Wire and Theology, ed. Jonathan Tran and Myles Werntz (Eugene, OR: Cascade Press, 2013), pp. 191-209.
• “Bonhoeffer and the End of the Christian Academy,” in Bonhoeffer, Christ and Culture, ed. Keith L. Johnson and Timothy Larsen (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2013), pp. 153-173.
• “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.

Videos

Books

• The Essential Karl Barth: A Reader and Commentary
• Theology as Discipleship
• Karl Barth and the Analogia Entis (T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology)
• Kenosis: The Self-Emptying of Christ in Scripture and Theology (co-edited with Paul Nimmo)
• The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Karl Barth (co-edited with George Hunsinger)
• Balm in Gilead: A Theological Dialogue in Marilynne Robinson (co-edited with Timothy Larsen)
• Bonhoeffer, Christ, and Culture (co-edited with Timothy Larsen)
• T&T Clark Companion to the Doctrine of Sin (co-edited with David Lauber)

TowerTalk

How Should We Face Death?

Death stands against us as a hostile enemy. Yet, as Dr. Keith Johnson unpacks in this TowerTalk, we do not fear death because we also remember that death has been defeated by Jesus Christ who awaits us on the other side.