John T. Johnson (1788–1856) was an evangelist and unity activist and — with "Raccoon" John Smith — a pivotal figure in the 1832 merger of the Stone and Campbell movements.
A former United States congressman from Kentucky who left politics for preaching, Johnson provided the personal bridge between Barton Stone's Christians and Alexander Campbell's Reformers. He and Stone co-edited the Christian Messenger together before the union was formalized — two editors from the two movements sharing a masthead, which is one way of saying the union was practiced before it was ratified.
Johnson's career is a reminder of what the movement's leadership actually looked like on the frontier: a man who had sat in Congress and on the Kentucky bench, working as an unpaid itinerant among farmers, because in a church with no clergy caste there was no office for him to hold.
Relationships
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Co-edited the Christian Messenger with: Barton W. Stone
Johnson joined Stone as co-editor, embodying the union of Christians and Reformers before it was formally agreed. -
Brokered the 1832 union with: John "Raccoon" Smith
The two men were the principal movers of the Lexington meeting that united the Christians and the Disciples.