Terrence L. Johnson holds the distinguished title of Charles G. Adams Professor of African American Religious Studies. His multifaceted research interests encompass African American political thought, ethics, American religions, and the intricate role religion plays in the public sphere. Adopting a historical, critical, and constructive approach, Johnson intertwines African American religions, political theory, and American history, crafting broad conceptual frameworks to envision religion, democracy, ethics, liberalism, justice, and freedom.

Johnson has authored several notable works, including "Blacks and Jews in America: An Invitation to Dialogue" (2022, with Jacques Berlinerblau), "We Testify with Our Lives: How Religion Transformed Radical Thought from Black Power to Black Lives Matter" (2021), and "Tragic Soul-Life: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Moral Crisis Facing American Democracy" (2012). In addition to his authored works, he serves as co-editor of the Duke University Press Series "Religious Cultures of African and African Diaspora People." Presently, he is working on a manuscript titled "The Law of Race and Public Religions: Talking Book Traditions and the Limits of Originalism," contracted with Columbia University Press.

In addition to his scholarly work, Johnson is affiliated with the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics as a faculty associate and holds membership in the Corporation at Haverford College. His interdisciplinary approach to studying the intersections of religion, ethics, and political thought contributes to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the impact of religion on societal structures and individual identities.