Dr. Johnny Hill

The Leon W. Watts II Visiting Scholar in Black Theology and the Black Church

Dr. Johnny Bernard Hill is Founder and President of The World House Forum based in Raleigh, NC, and Senior Pastor of the historic Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church. He served as Dean of the historic Shaw University Divinity School and Professor of Theology in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Hill is a leading scholar, theological educator, author, activist, and preacher. Author of Prophetic Rage: A Postcolonial Theology of Liberation (Eerdmans Publishers, 2013) and The First Black President: Barack Obama, Race, Politics, and the American Dream (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), Dr. Hill is a passionate advocate for justice, reconciliation, peace and human rights in America and abroad. As Dean, Dr. Hill led a historic fundraising effort of over $4 Million Dollars in restricted and unrestricted gifts and grants in three years and increased enrollment by over 30%. With the support of the Lilly Endowment, he established the Black Church Leadership Academy and led the Awakening Campaign initiative for transformative engagement with the Church and community. He was also founder and inaugural Director of the Center for Racial and Social Justice at Shaw University as well. Dr. Hill served as Department Chair and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. He held the position as Special Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar and Dean of The Baptist School of Theology at The Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He also served as Visiting Scholar at the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College. After finishing Morehouse, he completed his Master of Divinity degree and Master of Theology degree at Duke Divinity School; and later his PhD in Philosophical Theology from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University. Dr. Hill is also author of The Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Desmond Mpilo Tutu, and Multidimensional Ministry to Today's Black Family. In addition to leading his congregation, he is building The World House Forum as a network of activists, faith leaders, policy makers, and freedom fighters in continuing Dr. King’s vision of the beloved community. He is the proud father of two wonderful children, his daughter (Regan) and son (Jonathan).