Greg Johnson (pastor)

Greg Johnson, PhD is a Christian author and lead pastor of historic Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Louis. He is author of Still Time to Care: What We Can Learn from the Church's Failed Attempt to Cure Homosexuality (Zondervan, 2021).^[1]

Born in Fairfax, Virginia in 1972, Johnson was raised in a secular family. He writes in Christianity Today of his growing awareness of his sexuality and describes his conversion as a gay atheist to Christianity while studying architecture at the University of Virginia. Johnson reconciles his faith with his sexuality through intentional Christian celibacy.^[2]

Johnson was ordained in the conservative Presbyterian Church in America in 2003 and has served the church in St. Louis since that time. In 2015, he drew media attention advocating for local resettlement of Syrian refugees.^[3]

In 2018, Johnson's church hosted Revoice, a conference to support celibate gay Christians who hold to the traditional sexual ethic.^[4] Critics on the right attacked Johnson for arguing against sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) as ineffective. Johnson requested investigation by his regional presbytery, which exonerated him in 2019 and again in 2020. His exoneration is currently subject to an appeal before the denomination’s Standing Judicial Commission.^[5]

While Johnson has stated that he has never been sexually active, opposition on account of Johnson’s sexual orientation led the denomination in 2021 to propose changes to its constitution to hinder or prevent other celibate nonstraight people from ordination to ministry.^[6]

Johnson’s doctoral research focused on the historical and theological development of the Quiet Time^[7] in Protestant devotional practice between 1870 and 1950.^[8]

In 2021, Johnson published the first critical history of the ex-gay movement from a traditional Christian perspective. He writes and speaks on changing evangelical attitudes toward gay people and the LGBTQ+ community. Johnson has also written on Christian worldview and culture.^[9]