Andre E. Johnson, PhD.

Dr. Andre E. Johnson serves in the department of Christianity and Culture as the Dr. James L. Netters Associate Professor of Rhetoric & Religion and African American Studies at Memphis Theological Seminary. He teaches classes in contextualized ministry, prophetic rhetoric, black church, African American theology, rhetoric and religion, pulpit rhetoric, race, and hip hop theology. In addition to his work at Memphis Theology Seminary, Dr. Johnson also serves as an instructor in Communications and African American Studies at the University of Memphis. Along with his academic titles, he is currently Senior Pastor of Gifts of Life Ministries an inner city church built upon the servant leadership philosophy and is married to a wonderful woman—Lisa Jones Johnson.

Dr. Johnson was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee and after graduation; he attended the University of Tennessee at Martin where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Communications. He graduated from Memphis Theological Seminary where he took the Masters of Divinity degree and completed the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Communications at the University of Memphis. Dr. Johnson's dissertation, The Prophetic Oratory of Henry McNeal Turner, was under the direction of Michael C. Leff. He is currently editing the works of AME Church Bishop Henry McNeal Turner under the title The Literary Archive of Henry McNeal Turner (Edwin Mellen Press). He has already published the first three volumes, "An African American Pastor Before and During the American Civil War" (2010), "The Chaplain Letters," (2012), and "American Reconstruction," 2013. The fourth volume, is set for publication in 2014.

In addition to collecting the writings of Bishop Turner, Dr Johnson is also the author of The Forgotten Prophet: Bishop Henry McNeal Turner and the African American Prophetic Tradition, (2012) that won the 2013 African American Communication and Culture Division Outstanding Book Award. He is the editor of Urban God Talk: Constructing a Hip Hip Spirituality (2013) both with Lexington Books. He also serves as editor of the popular Rhetoric Race and Religion Blog.

Dr. Johnson has presented academic papers at national, regional, and state conferences winning awards at each level and have published essays in the Memphis Theological Seminary Journal and the Black Theology Journal. He also serves as president of the African American Communication and Culture Division of the National Commun