William G. Johnsson (20 June 1934 – 11 March 2023) was an Australian

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventism, Adventist Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the Names of the days of the week#Numbered days of the week, seventh day of the ...

theologian, author, and editor of the ''

Adventist Review The General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Its headquarters is located in Silver Spring, Maryland and oversees the church in directing its various divisions and ...

''.

Early life and education

Born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, on 20 June 1934, Johnsson earned a

Bachelor of Technology A Bachelor of Technology (Latin ''Baccalaureus Technologiae'', commonly abbreviated as B.Tech. or BTech; with honours as B.Tech. (Hons.)) is an undergraduate academic degree conferred after the completion of a three to five-year program of studi ...

(BTech) degree in chemical technology from the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

(1954) before attending Avondale University, where he received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(BA) degree in theology (1959) and met his wife Noelene. His graduate education included:

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

(MA) in Systematic Theology from

Andrews University Andrews University is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists and is the flagship universit ...

(1966);

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

(BD) degree from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

(1969); and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(PhD) degree in Biblical Studies from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

(1973). His PhD dissertation, written under the direction of Leander Keck, was entitled "Defilement and Purgation in the Book of Hebrews."

Career

Johnsson was a missionary to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

at Vincent Hill School and

Spicer Memorial College Spicer Adventist University is a Seventh-day Adventist institution of higher learning in Aundh, Pune, India. It is considered the church's flagship provider of higher education in India. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education sy ...

(19601975). He served at

as Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Theology in the

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (SDATS) is the seminary located at Andrews University in Michigan, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's flagship university. Since 1970 the SDATS has been accredited by the Association of Theological Sc ...

(19751980) and associate seminary dean (19781980). In 1979 he was elected as the first president of the

Adventist Society for Religious Studies The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

. Johnsson served as editor of the ''

'', the weekly, flagship magazine of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

(19822006) and founding editor of ''

Adventist World The Review and Herald Publishing Association was the oldest of two Seventh-day Adventist publishing houses in North America. The organization published books, magazines, study guides, CDs, videos and games for Adventist churches, schools and ind ...

'' (20052006)''.'' For most of this time, he was also a trustee of the

Ellen G. White Estate Ellen Gould White ( née Harmon; November 26, 1827 – July 16, 1915) was an American woman author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with other Adventist leaders such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, she ...

. After retiring in 2006, he served for seven years as part-time assistant to the General Conference President for Interfaith Relations. Johnsson, who wrote more than forty books and 1,000 articles, received the following honorary degrees:

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

from

(2007) and

Doctor of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

from

Loma Linda University Loma Linda University (LLU) is a private Seventh-day Adventist health sciences university in Loma Linda, California. , the university comprises eight schools and a Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist educatio ...

(2016).

Death

Johnsson died in

Loma Linda, California Loma Linda (Spanish for "Beautiful Hill") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 24,791 at the 2020 census, up from 23,261 at the 2010 census. The central area of the c ...

on 11 March 2023, at the age of 88.

Books

*''Living in Love: Snapshots of a Happy Life (2022) *''Experiencing Romans'' (2021) *''Defilement and Purgation in the Book of Hebrews'' (2020) *''Authentic Adventism'' (2018) *''Jesus of Nazareth: His Life, His Message, His Passion'' (2018) *''Where Are We Headed? Adventism after San Antonio'' (2017)

References

External links

* John Thomas McLarty
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Speaks with ''Adventist Today'', Adventist Today" ''Adventist Today''. * William G. Johnsson,
Scenes from My Life
" ''Adventist Review''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnsson, William G. 1934 births 2023 deaths Seventh-day Adventist religious workers Australian Seventh-day Adventists Vanderbilt University alumni University of Adelaide alumni People educated at Avondale College Andrews University faculty Writers from Adelaide