Loren
L. Johns
Associate
Professor of New Testament, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
514
North Greene Road
Goshen, Indiana 46526-1310
Home: 574 535-0410
Office: 574 295-3726
Email: LJOHNS@AMBS.EDU
or LLJ215@YAHOO.COM
Web Presence: http://www.AMBS.edu/LJohns
EDUCATION
Doctor of
Philosophy (magna cum
laude), Princeton Theological Seminary, 1998
Area:
Biblical Studies, New Testament, with concentration in the Apocalypse of John
Dissertation:
“The Origins and
Rhetorical Force of the Lamb Christology of the Apocalypse of John“
Master
of Divinity, Goshen Biblical
Seminary, now Associated Mennonite
Biblical Seminary, 1984
Concentration: Pastoral Ministry
Bachelor
of Arts, Goshen
College, 1977
Major: Bible, Religion,
and Philosophy
Who’s Who
Among America’s Teachers (1998, 1996).
Bluffton University Study Center
research grant: “A Comparative
Analysis of Symbolism in the Apocalypse of John and in the Dead Sea Scrolls”
(1997).
Bluffton University Study Center
research grant: “The Lamb
in the Apocalypse of John” (1994).
American Bible
Society award for outstanding graduate in
biblical studies. Awarded by Associated Mennonite
Biblical Seminaries, 1984.
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
Society of Biblical Literature
Mennonite Historical Society
Princeton Scrolls
Society
Princeton-Prague
Symposium on the Historical Jesus
Associated Mennonite Biblical
Seminary.
Position: Associate Professor of New Testament (2000–present).
Courses Taught: BIB500: Reading the Bible, BIB502: Beginning Greek: 1
John, BIB522: The Gospel and Epistles of John, BIB525: The Revelation to John, BIB603:
Canon and Community, BIB604: Greek Exegesis: Gospel of Mark, INT501: Formation
in Ministry, INT601: Growth in Ministry; INT603: M.A. Colloquium.
Associated Mennonite Biblical
Seminary.
Position: Academic Dean (2000–2007).
Bluffton University. Position: Assistant Professor of Religion and Associate Professor
of Religion (1993–2000). Courses Taught: Bible
Survey; Biblical and Christian Teachings on War and Peace; Exegetical Studies
in ... (The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Gospel of John, The Letters of Paul, The
Prophets, The Psalms, The Revelation to John, Women in the New Testament, Women
in the Old Testament); Faith and Community (part of adult degree completion
program); Introduction to Biblical Literature; Jesus (with an exegetical focus
on one of the synoptic Gospels); Journey to Jerusalem (a study tour to
Jerusalem, Israel, and Palestine); Methods in Biblical Interpretation; New
Testament Greek; Power, Poverty, and Peace in Washington, D.C. New Courses
Developed: Exegetical Studies in ... the Dead Sea Scrolls, in Women in the
New Testament, in Women in the Old Testament; Faith and Community (part of
adult degree completion program); Introduction to Biblical Literature; Methods
in Biblical Interpretation. Cross-Cultural Courses: Helped to develop
and lead Bluffton College’s first cross-cultural trip and course to Washington,
D.C., in 1995. Helped to developed and lead Bluffton College’s
first cross-cultural trip to Jerusalem in 1996 (and its related course).
Related Involvements: Co-leader (with my wife Rachel) of a B.A.S.I.C.
group (1993–2000); Chair of History, Religion, and Political Science Department
(1999–2000); Coordinator of Bluffton College Peace and Conflict Studies Program
(1998–2000); Member of Faculty Executive Committee (1996–2000); Conference
Coordinator for “Apocalypticism and Millennialism: Shaping a Believers Church
Eschatology for the 21st Century” (1999); Faculty Chair (1998–1999); Member of
Steering Committee for NCA Review (1997–1999); Chair of Subcommittee on
Constituency Relations (for NCA Review; 1997–1999); Member of Task Force on Programs
for Superior Students (1998); Chair of Student Affairs Committee (1996–1998); Member
of Council for Strategic Planning (1996–1997); Member of Congregational
Leadership Conference Planning Committee (1993–1996); Member of Religious Life
Subcommittee (1993–1996); Member of Academic Affairs Committee (1994–1995); Member
of General Education Subcommittee (1994–1995); Member of Cross-Cultural
Education Subcommittee (1993–1995); Member of Academic Affairs Subcommittee on
Curriculum Revision (1993–1994); Faculty Adviser to student Peace Club
(1993–1994).
Books
Close Enough: From Joseph Schantz, Founder of
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to the Descendants of Ira S. Johns and Elizabeth
Rickert (Goshen, Ind.: Loren Johns, 2008).
Even the Demons Submit: Continuing
Jesus’ Ministry of Deliverance, coedited with James R. Krabill (Elkhart, Ind.: Institute of Mennonite
Studies and Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2006).
Dead Sea
Scrolls: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Texts with English Translations. Volume 3:
Damascus Document Fragments, the Torah, and Related Documents, ed. James H. Charlesworth, with Henry W.M. Rietz,
along with J. M. Baumgarten, C. Claussen, D. A. Hume, J. B. F. Miller, L.
Novakovic, S. Pfann, E. Qimron, and L. L. Johns. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006.
The Lamb
Christology of the Apocalypse of John: An Investigation into Its Origin and
Rhetorical Force Wissenschaftliche
Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 2. Reihe (Band 167) (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck,
2003.
Pesharim, Other Commentaries, and Related Documents,
ed.
James H. Charlesworth, with Loren L. Johns, assistant editor. The Dead Sea Scrolls: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek
Texts with English Translations, Vol. 6B. (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck; Louisville: Westminster
John Knox Press, 2002).
Apocalypticism
and Millennialism: Shaping a Believers Church Eschatology for the 21st Century, ed. Loren L. Johns (Kitchener, Ont.: Pandora
Press; and Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2000).
Peace and Justice Shall Embrace: Power and Theopolitics in the Bible [Festschrift for Millard Lind], ed. Ted Grimsrud and
Loren L. Johns (Telford, Pa.: Pandora Press; and Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press,
2000).
Hillel and Jesus: Comparative Studies of Two Major Religious Leaders, ed. James H. Charlesworth and Loren L. Johns (Minneapolis:
Fortress Press, 1997).
The Bible
Story: A Short Summary, by Loren
L. Johns and Burton G. Yost (Bluffton, Ohio: Bluffton University, 1997).
Believing in Christ. Adult Bible Study Guide (Scottdale, Pa.: Mennonite
Publishing House, 1993).
Articles and Essays
“Atonement and Sacrifice in
the Book of Revelation,” in The Work of Jesus Christ in Anabaptist Perspective
[Festschrift for J. Denny Weaver], ed. Alain Epp-Weaver and Gerald Mast
(Telford, Pa.: Cascadia Publishing House, 2008), pp. 124–146.
“Identity and Resistance: The Varieties of Competing Models in Early
Judaism,” in
Qumran Studies: New Approaches, New Questions [Festschrift for James H. Charlesworth], ed. Michael Thomas
Davis and Brent A. Strawn (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), pp. 254–277.
“The
Mennonite Church,” in Encyclopedia
of Religion and Homosexuality, ed. Jeffrey S. Siker (Westport, Conn.:
Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006), pp. 149–155.
“The Dead Sea Scrolls and the
Apocalypse of John,” in The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls: The
Princeton Symposium on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Volume
3: The Scrolls and
Christian Origins, ed.
James H. Charlesworth (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006), pp. 255–279.
“Homosexuality and the Bible: A Case
Study in the Use of the Bible for Ethics” in DreamSeeker Magazine 6/1 (Winter
2006): 9–11. Reprinted in Stumbling Toward a Genuine
Conversation on Homosexuality, ed. Michael A. King. Living Issues Discussion
Series (Telford, Pa.: Cascadia, 2007), pp. 35–38.
“Conceiving Violence: The Apocalypse of John and the Left
Behind Series,” in Direction:
A Mennonite Brethren Forum 34/2
(Fall 2005): 194–214.
“Christian Zionism and Biblical Interpretation,” in Peace Office
Newsletter [Mennonite Central Committee] 35/3
(July–December 2005): 7–10.
“Ordination and Pastoral Leadership: A
Response to John E. Toews,” in Conrad
Grebel Review 22/1 (Winter 2004): 26–39.
“Introduction” and “Ordination in the King James Version of the Bible”
in The Heart of the Matter: Pastoral Ministry in Anabaptist Perspective,
ed. Erick
Sawatzky (Telford, Pa.: Cascadia Publishing House; and Scottdale, Pa.: Herald
Press, 2004), pp. 1–14 and 105–117.
“Love and Hospitality in Mennonite Higher Education: Negotiating Culture
in a Competitive World,” in Mennonite Life 58/1
(March 2003): online.
“Leaning
Toward Consummation: Mission and Peace in the Rhetoric of Revelation,” in Beautiful Upon the Mountains:
Biblical Essays on Mission, Peace, and the Reign of God, ed. Mary Schertz (Elkhart, Ind.:
Institute of Mennonite Studies; and Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2003), pp.
“God’s Reign is Present: Opportunities Facing the
Church at the Edge of History,” in The Mennonite (October 9, 2001).
“Kill the Wicked, O God: Biblical Curses in the Life of the Church,” in Canadian
Mennonite 5/5 (March
12,
“‘A Better Sacrifice’ or
‘Better Than Sacrifice’? A
Response to Michael Hardin’s ‘Sacrificial Language in Hebrews’,” chap. 6 in Violence Renounced: Rene Girard,
Biblical Studies, and Peacemaking,
ed. Willard M. Swartley (Telford, Pa.: Pandora Press; and Scottdale, Pa.:
Herald Press, 2000), pp. 120–131.
“Introduction” and “Facing
Revelation’s Beasts: The Opportunities and Challenges of Pastoral Ministry at
the Edge of History,” in Apocalypticism and Millennialism:
Shaping a Believers Church Eschatology for the 21st Century, ed. Loren L. Johns (Kitchener, Ont.:
Pandora Press; and Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2000), pp. 364–379.
“The
Lamb in the Rhetorical Program of the Apocalypse of John,” in 1998 Seminar Papers (Society of Biblical
Literature) (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1998), pp. 762–784.
“Who
Do You Say that I Am?” in Gospel Herald
(June 3, 1997): 6–7.
“The
Signs as Witnesses in the Fourth Gospel: Reexamining the Evidence,” by Douglas
B. Miller and Loren L. Johns in The Catholic Biblical
Quarterly 56/3 (July 1994): 519–535.
“The Cross Is Our Symbol,” in
Gospel Herald (Jan. 29, 1985).
“Justice, Healing, and Peace,”
in Gospel Herald (Dec.
29, 1981).
Book Reviews
Revelation, by John R. Yeatts. Reviewed in Direction: A Mennonite Brethren
Forum 33/1 (Spring 2004): 113–114.
Footwashing in
John 13 and the Johannine Community, by John
Christopher Thomas. Reviewed in Mennonite Quarterly Review 73/4 (October 1999): 842–843.
The Gospel of Peace: A Scriptural Message for Today’s World,
by Ulrich W. Mauser. Reviewed in Koinonia
4/2 (Fall 1992): 239–242.
The Johannine
Question, by Martin Hengel.
Reviewed in Koinonia 3/1 (Spring 1991): 91–94.
The
Interpretation of the New Testament, 1961–1986, by
Stephen C. Neill and N. T. Wright. Reviewed in Koinonia 2/1 (Spring 1990): 76–80.
PRESENTATIONS
“Conceiving Violence: The Apocalypse of John and the
Left Behind Series.” Apocalypse
Section, Society of Biblical Literature, November 21, 2004.
“The Seven Cities of the Apocalypse and Rome,” study
tour of the sites of the seven cities of the Apocalypse in Turkey, Istanbul,
and Rome, co-led with Nelson Kraybill, May–June 2004.
“The Violence of Revelation as a Theological Problem,”
Apocalypse Section, Society of Biblical Literature, November
22, 2003.
“The Book of Revelation Today and the ‘Left Behind’
Series,” Workshop at Mennonite Church Canada General
Assembly, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, July 2002. I have given similar
presentations at Kern Road Mennonite Church, South Bend, Indiana (June 2002;
September 2004); Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Indiana (July
and October 2002; July 2004); Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kansas (February 2003);
Hesston College, Hesston, Kansas (February 2003); Bethel College, North Newton,
Kansas (February 2003); Eighth Street Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana (April
2003; October 2003; March 2005); Evangelical Anabaptist Seminary Program,
Winnipeg, Manitoba (May 2004); Prairie Street Mennonite Church, Elkhart,
Indiana (May 2004); First Mennonite Church, Middlebury, Indiana (October 2004);
Bluffton University, Bluffton, Ohio (November 2004); Lower Deer Creek Mennonite
Church, Kalona, Iowa (January 2005); Hively Avenue Mennonite Church, Elkhart,
Indiana (January 2005); Belmont Mennonite Church, Elkhart, Indiana (February
2005); and Mennonite Church of
Normal, Normal, Illinois (August 2005).
“How to Interpret the Bible
in the Life of the Congregation,” Workshop at
Mennonite Church General Assembly, Nashville, Tennessee, July 2001.
“The Lamb in the Rhetorical
Program of the Apocalypse of John.” Rhetoric and the New Testament Section, Society of Biblical
Literature annual meeting, San
Francisco, 1998.
“Introduction to the Book of Revelation,” Series
of four lectures on the Book of Revelation, Market Street Presbyterian Church,
Lima, Ohio, March 15–April 5, 1998.
“The Dead Sea Scrolls,”
Kiwanis Club, Bluffton, Ohio, February 5, 1998.
“The Dead Sea Scrolls on the Fiftieth Anniversary of
their Discovery,” Market Street Presbyterian Church, Lima,
Ohio, March 23,
“The Fiftieth Anniversary of
the Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls,” Bluffton, Ohio,
Lion’s Club, March 18,
“The Lamb in the Book of Revelation,”
Institute for Learning in Retirement (Bluffton, Ohio), October 9, 1996.
“Learning from the Dead Sea Scrolls,”
Continuing Education Seminar for Findlay-Area United Methodist Clergy (FINDUMAC),
Findlay, Ohio, September 9, 1996.
“The Dead Sea Scrolls: An Introduction to Their
Discovery and Significance,” St. Michael’s Catholic Church
(Findlay area churches), Findlay, Ohio, March 18,
“The Significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for
Biblical Scholarship,” Lima (Ohio) Area Clergy Academy, Lima, Ohio, Nov. 28,
“Revisioning the Biblical
Traditions of the Divine Warrior for Life in the Believing Community Today: A Response
to Tremper Longman III & Daniel Reid’s God is a Warrior and Susan
Niditch’s War in the Hebrew Bible.” Study of Peace in Scripture Group, Society
of Biblical Literature, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 18, 1995.
“The
Dead Sea Scrolls Controversy” (Live Talk Show Guest), 1340 Talk Radio (WPBR
“Inclusive Language at Bluffton College and the
Intolerance of Exclusivism in Service of Community,” Friday
Colloquium Series, Bluffton University, May 5, 1995.
“The Moral Implications of
the Lamb Christology of the Apocalypse, or, Can Anything Good Come Out of the
Revelation to John?” Friday Colloquium Series, Bluffton University,
January 13, 1995.
“Lion and Lamb in
“How to Study the Bible
Inductively,” series of five lectures, Lancaster
Mennonite Conference’s School for Apostles, July 1994.
“End Without Closure: A Program for an Ethic of
Responsible Nonviolent Resistance?”a response
to “
“The Signs as Witnesses in the Fourth Gospel:
Reexamining the Evidence,” co-presented with Douglas B.
Miller, Johannine Literature Section, Society of Biblical Literature, November
1991.
Editorial Board of Advisers,
Cascadia Publishing House, 1999–present.
Assistant Editor, Princeton
Theological Seminary Dead Sea Scrolls Project,
Mohr-Siebeck (Tübingen, Germany) and Westminster/John Knox Press
(Louisville, Ky.), 1992–present.
Associate
Editor, Explorations, American Interfaith Institute,
1990–1993.
Executive Editor, Koinonia Journal, Princeton Theological Seminary.
Theology Book Editor, Herald Press
(Scottdale, Pa.), January 1985–August 1989.
Overseer, Allegheny
Mennonite Conference, 1983–1989
Responsibilities: Provide
general spiritual oversight of pastor and congregation, be liaison between conference
and congregations; meet regularly with conference overseer board; provide
consultation and assistance with pastoral review processes; meet regularly with
pastors
Pastor (part time, with David E. Mishler, and full
time), Blough Mennonite
Church, Hollsopple, Pennsylvania, 1977–1985.
Ordination Credentials held by
the Central District of Mennonite Church USA.
Preached
numerous sermons and led discussions at local (and more distant) congregations,
including Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, Goessel, Kansas; Assembly Mennonite,
Goshen, Indiana; Belmont Mennonite Church, Elkhart, Indiana; Benton Mennonite
Church, Benton, Indiana; Bethel Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Blough
Mennonite Church, Hollsopple, Pennsylvania; Bluffton Friends Meeting, Bluffton,
Ohio; Cincinnati Mennonite Fellowship, Cincinnati, Ohio; Clinton Frame
Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana; Eden Mennonite Church, Moundridge, Kansas; Eighth
Street Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana; First Mennonite Church, Bluffton,
Ohio; First Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Fort Garry Mennonite
Fellowship, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Grace Mennonite Church, Pandora, Ohio; Grace
United Methodist Church, South Bend, Indiana; Hively Avenue Mennonite Church,
Elkhart, Indiana; Home Street Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Kern Road
Mennonite Church, South Bend, Indiana; Kidron Mennonite Church, Kidron, Ohio; Lima
Mennonite Church, Lima, Ohio; Maplewood Mennonite Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Market
Street Presbyterian Church, Lima, Ohio; Neil Avenue Mennonite Church, Columbus,
Ohio; Prairie Street Mennonite Church, Elkhart, Indiana; Salem Mennonite
Church, Dalton, Ohio; Salem Mennonite Church, Elida, Ohio; Salem Presbyterian
Church, Venedocia, Ohio; Southside Fellowship, Elkhart, Indiana.
Central
District Conference representative on the Conference-Based Theological Education
Committee of Ohio (1997–2000)
Birth date: March 8,
Family: Married to
Rachel Ann Leaman Johns (certified nurse-midwife); two daughters, Kendra and
Jessica; four grandchildren, Eliott Nickel, Ethan Nickel, Benjamin Mast, and
Philip Mast.
Congregational Membership:
Eighth Street Mennonite, Goshen, Indiana.