Rajkumar Boaz Johnson

Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Rajkumar Boaz Johnson
Professor of Hebrew Bible and Theological Studies
North Park University, Chicago, Illinois 60625, USA

1. My Personal Faith Journey
   My search for the meaning of life began very early. I was not raised in luxury. I grew up in one of the slums of New Delhi. Around me, I saw poverty and filth. I witnessed how upper-caste Hindus would enslave poor outcasts—sexual slavery, carpet industry slavery, and so on. To escape this reality, my parents sent me to a Hindu grammar school far from the slum. At this school, I was taught Sanskrit and the monistic Hindu texts of the Upanishads. I learned the skills of *Jnana Marga*, “the path of Hindu Gnostic knowledge.” (You might recognize a kindergarten version of it in the yoga classes that are common in the West today.)
   When I moved from a slum neighborhood to this school, I found myself at a crossroads—confronted with two contrasting realities. One was the reality of poverty and injustice; the other, the reality shaped by upper-caste Hindu education. (My father came from a clerical family, and my mother from an outcaste background. My father strongly instructed me never to disclose my mother’s family identity.) As I began to question how these realities could be reconciled, my instructors told me that the ultimate goal of learning was to understand that life is *sunyata*—emptiness, nothingness—and that “apparent life” is an illusion, *maya*. On the one hand, I was being educated in the realities of science and literature; on the other, in classes on *jnana marga*, I was taught that life is *maya*, an illusion. “If humanity and the world are nothing—*sunyata*—then what is reality?” I asked myself. This question took on deeper dimensions when I witnessed the inhumanity and suffering I encountered each day upon returning home. My teacher explained that human beings living within this realm of *maya* must bear the consequences of their karma. My questions then evolved further: Should I disregard everything I was learning in the arts and sciences, since people would inevitably suffer the consequences of their karma? Was the purpose of life merely that the upper castes, the “haves,” should benefit from education, while the outcastes, the “have-nots,” endure the results of their karma? These were among the many questions that shaped my quest to understand the meaning of life and the purpose of learning.
   In search of answers, I went to the Ramakrishna Ashram, an institution founded by Swami Vivekananda, the guru who introduced Hinduism to the United States at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. I began an intensive quest to find answers within the world’s major religions—Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, and others. These centers of worship and learning were all around me. Eventually, I encountered the writings of Pandita Ramabai, a high-caste Hindu woman who passed away in 1922. Prior to her death, she had carried out remarkable work in India. She rescued temple prostitutes; she saved young girls who were being forced into prostitution in the harems of Bombay; she sheltered young widows who were treated as untouchables in society; and she protected infant girls who were on the verge of being killed. I realized that these were not merely people “suffering the consequences of karma.” I came to understand that she accomplished all of this after a transformative encounter with Jesus in John 4—the account that changed the life of the outcast Samaritan woman and her entire community. This same Jesus had transformed the lives of many other marginalized men, women, and children. I also spent considerable time with a Sikh guru named Bakht Singh, who had become a follower of Jesus. The life of this former extremist had been radically changed by Jesus, the Prince of Peace. I began reading the Gospel of John and encountered the Christ of Pandita Ramabai and Bakht Singh. This was the same incarnation whom my paternal grandfather—himself a Hindu priest—had also encountered on many occasions.
   2
   Years ago, during a similar existential crisis in his life. He was severely harassed and died young. This was the same incarnation that my maternal grandfather – a Dalit and untouchable – had encountered long ago. The philosophy of life taught and supported by Jesus Christ, as seen in the Gospels, captivated my mind and imagination. I realized that in this person lies the answer to the questions that trouble my mind. Life was real, the universe was real. Humanity was real, suffering was real, and yes, salvation from the complexities of suffering thru Jesus Christ was also real.
   That year was 1973. Since then, I have traveled a long and winding road. However, that initial encounter with Jesus in the Gospels still captivates me and occupies my mind and imagination.
   I have taught in various parts of the world before and after obtaining my doctorate. I have taught the Hebrew Bible, Hebrew language, world religions, and an interdisciplinary course called Conflict and Reconciliation at North Park University.
2. I teach these courses on conflict situations in India, the Middle East, South Africa, and Chicago. Students are forced to engage with real-life issues that Jesus and the prophets faced years ago.
3. In light of my research and experiences, my passion is to develop materials and educate on eradicating evils such as human trafficking in the world and creating peace in conditions of war and the current refugee crisis.
4. Education:
5. 1997: Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible / Theological Studies.
6. Trinity International University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois 60015, United States of America.
7. Dissertation Title: *The Theological Concept of Land, the Creation of Land, and Intertextuality with Reference to Selected Late Antique Jewish Texts.*
8. 1988: Th.M. in Hebrew Bible and Semitic Languages.
9. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois 60015, United States of America.
10. 1984: M.Div. (B.D.), with a thesis on the Religions of the New Testament Period.
11. Union Biblical Seminary, Serampore University, Pune, India.
12. 1978 B. A. Honors in Economics, Hans Raj College,
13. University of Delhi, Delhi, India.
14. 1975: A.I.H.S., Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Hindu Vidyalaya, New Delhi, India.
15. Student honors:
16. 1993-94 Dorothy Robertson Brown Award for Outstanding International Scholarship.
17. 1990-1991 Who is among the students in American universities and colleges?
18. 3
19. Teaching experience:
20. 2008- Professor of Hebrew Bible and Theological Studies
21. North Park University, Chicago, Illinois 60625, USA
22. Biblical Hebrew Grammar.
23. Taught Introductory Courses: Introduction to the Bible.
24. Taught Advanced Courses:
25. The Torah: The Five Books and Their Relevance to Modern Society.
26. The Hebrew Prophets and Their Relevance to Global Issues.
27. Hebrew Poetry and Wisdom Literature: Their Significance and Relevance in Contemporary Intellectual Discourse
28. **Commentary on Genesis: Its Significance and Relevance to Contemporary Issues, Including Evolution and Creationism, Environmental Concerns, Slavery, and Related Topics**
29. World Religions in Light of Today’s Global Crises
30. (Advanced courses and World Religions courses typically enroll approximately 60 students per class.)
31. Global Christianity
32. **Interdisciplinary Course: Dialogue II. Assisted the Dialogue II faculty in shaping the curriculum around the topic of contemporary global slavery and ethical responses to it. Served as a member of the program planning subcommittee for the revision of *North Park Dialogue II* (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, …).
33. Interdisciplinary Course: Dialogue II – Environmental Ethics. Developed and co-taught the course with Professors Johnny Lynn and Carl Clifton Sundstrom (2007).
34. Interdisciplinary Course: Business as Mission. Developed and taught this course in collaboration with Professor Michael Oramovich from the School of Business and Nonprofit Management (Spring 2008).
35. Interdisciplinary Course Planning with the Philosophy Department on the Talmud and Postmodern Jewish Philosophers: Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas.
36. Senior seminar on Missio Dei in biblical studies and theology
    2021- Honorary Head of the Department
    Advanced Theological Studies Group (Doctorate in Christian Studies)
    The Faculty of Theology
    Shawts University
    Prayagraj, India
    2018 - External examiner for PhD program. Hebrew Bible, St. Paul University, Limuru, Kenya.
    1396 - External examiner for the doctoral program. Hebrew Bible, Institute of Advanced Christian Studies of South Asia, Bangalore, India.
    2011-15 Professor and Chair of the Department of Biblical and Theological Studies and Director of the Christian Life and Thot Program, North Park University, Chicago, Illinois, United States.
    4
    07-2005 Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Biblical and Theological Studies, and Director of the Christian Life and Thot Program, North Park University, Chicago, Illinois, United States.
    2003-05 Assistant Professor, Department of Biblical and Theological Studies, North Park University, Chicago, IL 60625
    2003-04 Assistant Professor, Christian Formation Department, Wheaton Graduate School, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
37. Courses taught: Jewish Thot and Prophesy. Islamic Thot and Prophecy.
    2001-03 Assistant Professor, Department of Religion and Philosophy, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
38. Lesson taught: Introduction to Religious Sciences.
    2000-01 Visiting Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Theology and Missions, Pasadena, California.
39. Courses taught: Jewish postmodern philosophers and the postmodern society. Rabbinic intertextuality and postmodern hermeneutics.
    1989-90 and
    1991-92 Teaching Fellow, Old Testament Studies Group, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois.
40. Course taught: Introduction and Theology of the Old Testament
    1986-1987 Assistant Professor, Old Testament and Hebrew Studies, Union Biblical Seminary, Serampore University, Pune, India.
41. Courses taught: Hebrew grammar. Theology of the Old Testament; History of the Old Testament.
    1984-1986 Assistant Professor, Bible Society of India, New Delhi, India.
42. Courses taught: Introduction to the Bible. Biblical Hermeneutics
    Administrative Responsibilities and Contributions at North Park University
    ▪ Chair, BTS Department,