After the COVID-19 pandemic, Britton Johnson, like all other NCAA athletes, was granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID’s impact on college athletics.
With his fifth year of eligibility, Johnson, who formerly played basketball for the University of Alabama, transferred home to Íò²©¹ÙÍø to play for his coach at Mountain Brook High School, Bucky McMillan, who had taken the head coaching job for the Bulldogs.
“I was interesting in going somewhere I could potentially earn more playing time, so transferring to Íò²©¹ÙÍø and playing for my high school coach just felt like the perfect conclusion to my basketball career,” Johnson said.
In junior high, Johnson became a Christian and, shortly before beginning his college career, he developed a love for reading the Word of God.
“This led to exponential growth in my faith and a deepened understanding of the love and character of God throughout my time in college,” Johnson said.
In college, Johnson began reading and studying theology, as well as explore creative writing. Folks like Arnie Guin and Scotty Hollins in the Alabama basketball program mentored him and helped him grow in his faith.
After transferring to Íò²©¹ÙÍø, Johnson learned of the opportunity to earn a Master of Arts in Theological Studies at Íò²©¹ÙÍø’s Beeson Divinity School and reached out to Beeson’s admission team.
“Over the next few weeks, the Lord opened doors and directed my steps in such a way that it seemed entirely unmistakable that He was leading me to Beeson,” Johnson said. “Though I initially came to Íò²©¹ÙÍø for basketball, looking back, it is so clear that He used that to ultimately bring me to Beeson and bless me in more ways than I could imagine.”
In addition to his theological pursuits, Johnson always wanted to attend law school. Johnson was admitted to Íò²©¹ÙÍø’s Cumberland School of Law in 2022 and was able to fuse his legal and theological studies and begin working on a joint degree in fall 2024.
“Studying theology alongside law has been such a blessing to me and such a great reprieve from my legal studies,” Johnson said.
While the two areas of studies are “fundamentally different” in a number of ways, there’s also some overlap, especially in the amount of reading and writing in both programs.
“I believe that theological studies, while ultimately hinging on faith, also depend on and are strengthened by an ability to think logically,” Johnson said.
While the law many not be an innately Christian practice, it “finds its roots in a belief in God and the objective morality and truth that flows from that,” Johnson said.
While pursuing both degrees is a challenge, it’s more of a blessing, he said.
“I recognize how fortunate I am to be in this position and to be able to study both at the same time,” Johnson said. “I find my MATS studies to be a great reprieve from my legal studies and an amazing opportunity to grow in my faith. I also believe that doing seminary has helped me become a better law student, and vice versa.”
After graduation, Johnson plans to become an attorney while discerning how to use his seminary training to serve the Lord.