Sept. 20, 2010
For Immediate Release
By Caleb Harris, student news writer
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky.—Dr. Eric A. Johnson, pastor of Greater Galilee Church of Louisville, Ky., will speak to students, faculty, staff and coaches on Wednesday, Sept. 29 in Ransdell Chapel at 401 N. Hoskins Ave., Campbellsville.
This event will be open to the public.
Along with speaking at the chapel service, Johnson will also launch this year’s “Dialogue on Race.”
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| Dr. Eric A. Johnson |
“Dialogue on Race” is an annual event held in either late September or early October where a series of sessions take place around the campus. Dr. Mary Wilgus, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of history, serves as coordinator of “Dialogue on Race,” by scheduling the times, places and class locations that the discussions take place. Multiple groups led by various leaders collaborate and discuss issues of race, ethnicity and culture.
The Rev. John Chowning, a Baptist minister who is Campbellsville University’s vice president for church and external relations and executive assistant to the president, said, “The Dialogue” on Race was launched in the fall of ’99 as a means of facilitating better communication on the campus, and later in the community, among people of different backgrounds and experiences.
“While the term ‘race’ is used for the process, we really intend it to be a time when people from all walks of life and nations come together for a time of discussion.”
He said, “We live in a global village in 2010, and this annual dialogue has become a means of bringing understanding and reconciliation between students of different races, languages, ethnicities and economic status.”
Chowning said, “We are pleased to host Dr. Eric A. Johnson as our chapel speaker on Sept. 29 to launch our dialogue. He is an excellent speaker and preacher, has done adjunct teaching for CU at the Louisville Center, and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this day. We look forward to his visit.”
He has served as pastor of Greater Galilee Church since 1995. He has also served as an instructor at Simmons Bible College (now Simmons College of Kentucky).
Johnson graduated from the University of North Texas in 1990 with a degree in sociology. He went on to obtain his Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1995. Johnson also earned his Master of Theology degree in 2001 and Doctorate of Philosophy degree in 2005, both from SBTS. He has also done postgraduate work at Oxford University in 2009.
He is listed in the 1993-1994 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities; was elected to the National Minority Scholars of America in 1994; and served as the 1993-1994 spiritual life chairman of the Southern Seminary Student Government Association.
He is the author of Boyd Sunday School Commentary in 2008 and was the guest writer in the African-American Lectionary in 2008.
From a ministerial standpoint, Johnson has held many positions including: associate minister of New Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Terrell, Texas; assistant chaplain of Gainesville State School in Gainesville, Texas; associate minister of Mount Nebo Baptist Church in Victoria, Texas; associate minister of Canaan Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky.; interim pastor of Galilee Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky.; second vice- moderator of Central District Baptist Association in Louisville, Ky.; president of City Wide Revival in Louisville, Ky.; first vice-moderator of Central District Baptist Association in Louisville, Ky.; consultant of Georgetown College in Georgetown, Ky.; and moderator of the Central Baptist Association in Louisville, Ky.
He also belongs to multiple organizations including: Alpha Phi Alpha; Blue Grass State Baptist Convention; City Wide Revival Committee; the Louisville Crusade 2000; and the General Association of Baptists in Kentucky.
Johnson is the son of Ray A. and Ernestine Johnson. He is also the husband of Jan Lynette Wyatt and the father of three sons.
All chapels are open free of charge and are televised live on WLCU (Comcast cable channel 10) and are streamed live on the Internet. Go to Campbellsville.edu, click on the media tab, select WLCU-TV and follow the prompts to live video streaming.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,000 students offering 45 undergraduate programs, 16 master’s degrees and five postgraduate areas. The website for complete information is Campbellsville.edu.