On a Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Andrew Johnson, well-known as “Dru,” sits at his computer in a room at his home in New Jersey. He leans back in his chair while sipping his coffee and sharing stories about his past and how that has impacted his understanding of the Bible.

Johnson is the associate professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at The King’s College in New York City. He has been a member of the King’s faculty since 2011 teaching about Biblical literature and interpretation, as well as theology. He teaches Literature of Hebrew Scripture which is a required class for King’s students. Johnson also leads the Center for Hebraic Thought, which launched in 2019. However, his upbringing is far different than the life of a teacher and scholar that he leads now.

Born in 1974, Johnson describes himself as a “typical latchkey kid.” As a 9-year-old, his parents divorced and his father moved states. By age 11 he found his place among other boys whose fathers were not present in their lives, either emotionally or physically. This led him to find his place among a group he calls the “rejects,” identifying with a population called Skinheads. Skinheads are historically identified as having a working-class mentality and politics, and very identifiable look: close-cropped or shaved hair, work boots (Dr. Martens) as well as a penchant for all kinds of punk music. This Hebrew Literature professor was a drummer in a punk-rock band from his teen years called, “American Waste Control.”

Johnson plays the drums with his band, a screengrab from “Oil Capital Underground” documentary|| Photo courtesy of Johnson

Johnson left school before finishing at the age of 16. After dropping out, he went to live with his father who is a Christian. Johnson was eventually softened to the idea of considering Christianity.

At the age of 17, he joined the military, which he does not recommend, but he believed it was clear that the path he was going down would lead him to jail.

“The only reason I’m not in prison is because I got set on a road in which I became a Christian,” he said.

Johnson joined the U.S. Air Force, where he spent seven years as a Staff Sergeant and worked as a radar repairman in a Forward Air Command Post (FACP) unit. Most of Johnson’s combat rotations were in FACP’s in various classified locations in the Colombian Amazon.

During his time in the military, Johnson said he saw many things that made him question the basic goodness of humanity. This produced a questioning of whether there was something more to humanity than what he was seeing.

Christians in these areas, that he interacted with, showed him a group of genuine people with confidence in their faith. This combination of events eventually led him to find his faith. He said this shift produced a day and night effect in his life, a complete difference.

With his background, Johnson tends to gravitate toward students who question the basis of Kingsian ideas and the basis of Christianity as a whole. He details that he is not trying to convince students to find faith but to give students a reason to consider faith.

Juliana Payton, a freshman in the House of Truth, is in Johnson’s Intro to the Literature of Hebrew Scripture class this semester and finds the way he teaches the Bible interesting.

“I like the way Johnson approaches the reading, starting from the beginning and looking at what the Biblical authors are trying to convey,” she said. “It makes reading scripture easier to understand and shows how they [the passages] don’t contradict each other.”

The introduction class focuses on giving students a better understanding of what is going on in the actual time frame of the Bible and helps students focus on what the Biblical authors are trying to make the reader see. Johnson’s teaching has given students who grew up in traditional Christian homes a new perspective on the Bible.

Ana Doval, also a freshman of the House of Truth, said this teaching has impacted her view of scripture.

“In the class, I realized that there is more to the text than just emotional pull,” she said. “The context is important and necessary to understand why things are written in a certain way for the people at the time.”

Johnson focuses on linguistic and conceptual thought behind theological arguments. The emphasis is on what ideas are being expressed in the scriptures, not just around the language that is being used.

He has spent time overseas in Scotland, Israel, Kenya, and many more. When discussing the difference between churches in America and those overseas, Johnson said that there is a “radical dissonance” in how the churches care for the community. Current American political ideas have emphasized the idea that people in need should be able to pull themselves up through poverty.

Johnson emphasizes the importance of doing a job to serve people, not just to gain self-glory. He says there are things to be learned through serving others in a way that glorifies the Lord.

“Find menial jobs to serve people,” he said. “You can actually learn about the world through serving other people.”

From Punk Band Drummer to Theology Professor at King’s