Benton Johnson

Benton Johnson (born in 1928) is an American sociologist and professor emeritus of the University of Oregon's Sociology Department.

Life
Benton Johnson is the son of Guy Benton Johnson and Guion Griffis Johnson. He was named Guy Benton Johnson, Jr., after his father, but was called "Benny" and continued to use "Benton" in adulthood.

His father was a sociologist and anthropologist, and his mother a noted historian. While in college, he met Miriam Massey and they were married on 21 July 1951. Miriam also pursued a successful career in sociology, focusing on family issues and gender roles. Together they had two children.

Academic career
Johnson is best known for his work related to theory and typology related to religious movements.

He received a bachelor of arts degree from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and went on to obtain his doctorate in Sociology from Harvard University in 1954. While at Harvard, he was a student of Talcott Parsons.

Johnson taught at Guilford College and the University of Texas at Austin prior to joining the faculty of the Department of Sociology at the University of Oregon. He has chaired both the University of Oregon's Sociology Department and its Department of Religious Studies.

From 1972 through 1974, Johnson was Editor for the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. From 1980 through 1981, he served as president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. He was president of the Association for the Sociology of Religion in 1987, and served as president for the Religious Research Association during 1995 and 1996.

Awards
His book Vanishing Boundaries: the Religion of Protestant Baby Boomers received the annual book award from Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in 1994.