Karen J. Johnson
Thinking historically about the past, thinking wisely in the present.
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Karen's Books
Click on the book cover for purchasing options.
Karen J. Johnson's books explore the past to provide insights and inspiration for a better future.
Her books include: One in Christ: Chicago Catholics and the Quest for Interracial Justice (Oxford, 2018), Understanding and Teaching Religion in US History (co-edited with Jonathan Yeager, U Wisconsin Press, 2024), and Ordinary Heroes of Racial Justice: A History of Christians in Action (InterVarsity Press Academic, 2025)
Reviews of Karen's Books
Ordinary Heroes of Racial Justice
"A book for such a time as this. From the opening sentence--'Race has mattered throughout American and American church history, and it continues to shape our lives in ways we may not even see'--Karen Johnson shines a light on this truth through the stories of twentieth-century Christians who humbly lived as though race matters."
-Bren Dubay, director of Koinonia Farm
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"This thought provoking, self-revealing, challenging book chronicles a beautiful and painful time in history that is well worth your time to read."
-Rev. Scottye Holloway, director of The Mendenhall Ministries
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"In this bewildering moment for church and society, Karen Johnson's book is not just timely but a breath of fresh air. With all the care of a great historian and the wisdom of a committed believer, she recounts true stories about imperfect people who nevertheless did the small faithful things right in front of them--and to remarkable effect. Readers will find here not only a trustworthy window into the past, but also sparks of inspiration toward a more faithful future."
-Dr. Heath W. Carter, Princeton Theological Seminary
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"Karen Johnson's new book . . . plays the mind of a historian, the heart of a teacher, the spirit of a disciple, and the credibility of someone who has practiced the life she commends."
-Dr. Stephen R. Haynes, Rhodes College and Idlewild Presbyterian Church, Christianity Today.
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Understanding and Teaching Religion in US History
One in Christ
“A tour de force. One in Christ takes us into the streets and parishes of Catholic Chicago, richly exploring the much understudied work of the laity-particularly women-in shaping, defining, and acting for interracial unity and justice. In a delightfully engaging text, Johnson draws us into the messiness of human interaction for change and resistance during the long civil rights movement of the 1930s to the 1960s. Her findings and interpretations have deep meaning for our current times. A must read for anyone wanting to understand civil rights and racial change.”
- Michael O. Emerson, author of Divided by Faith, United by Faith, and Transcending Racial Barriers
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"Karen J. Johnson has made a remarkable contribution to scholarship on interracial civil rights activism in the Northern United States. One in Christ is balanced in its attention to clergy and laity, and innovative in its intersectional placement of religion, race, gender, sexuality, class, and place at the heart of its analysis. Rigorous and passionate in its research and presentation, One in Christ will be appreciated as a cornerstone achievement in the history of the Catholic interracial justice movement."
- Omar M. McRoberts, author of Streets of Glory: Church and Community in a Black Urban Neighborhood
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“With warmheartedness and clarity, Karen J. Johnson explores conundrums about race and morality in the
United States in One in Christ:
Chicago Catholics and the Quest for
Interracial Justice.”
- Benjamin Ivry, American Magazine
“Exceptional and unreservedly recommended.”
-Midwest Book Review
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“Will be useful for anyone teaching US history.”
-Choice Reviews
“A terrific combination of teaching pedagogy and pragmatic ideas of how to incorporate American religious history in the classroom. I wish this book existed when I first started teaching. Highly recommended!"
-Evan Jasper, high school teacher at Wheaton Academy
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“An important contribution. Engagingly written and effectively organized, Understanding and Teaching Religion in US History provides especially useful frameworks for educators seeking ways to thoughtfully integrate religion throughout US survey courses.”
-Dr. William S. Cossen, Teacher of the Year at the top-ranked Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
