Ronald Johnson (MDiv '06)
Ronald Angelo Johnson (M.Div., STH 2006) chose BUSTH because of the spiritual impact the writings of alumnus Martin Luther King, Jr. had on his life. A native of rural East Texas, he expected the diversity of theological thought among faculty and classmates to challenge his views. And did it ever! His experience equipped him to provide pastoral leadership for theologically diverse, cross-cultural congregations in Boston, New Hampshire, and Indiana. He holds degrees from Texas State University (B.A.), the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University (M.A.), Purdue University (Ph.D.) and is the author of the forthcoming book Diplomacy in Black and White: John Adams, Toussaint Louverture, and Their Atlantic World Alliance (January 2014). He is an assistant professor of history at Texas State University and an associate minister at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Austin. His research and teaching are informed by his Christian ministry, and his previous work as a chapel manager in the Air Force, as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, and as a U.S. diplomat in Luxembourg and Gabon.