John N. Jonsson

John N. Jonsson, emeritus professor of religion and former director of African Studies at Baylor, died May 26 at his home in South Africa. Jonsson was a South African Baptist pastor and scholar. Actively involved in protesting apartheid, in 1977 he ran as an anti-apartheid candidate for the South African parliament. In 1985, he was the only Baptist minister to sign the Kairos Document, which called on all churches to demand that the government give equal rights to all South Africans. For more than two decades, Jonsson served in the Baptist World Alliance as a member of the Human Rights Commission. Jonsson served at Baylor from 1992-2002. Before that he taught missions and world religions at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In remembrance, Baylor has named a lecture series after him, entitled The John N. Jonsson Peace and Justice Lecture Series.