Francis Johnson and the English Separatist Influence

Francis Johnson and the English Separatist Influence is the first thorough treatment of Francis Johnson as the central focus of an academic work. Johnson (1562-1618) was the pastor of the English Separatist Ancient Church in London and Amsterdam from 1592-1618. Once referred to as the "Bishop of Brownism" by one of his contemporaries, Johnson's theological and practical influence on Christian traditions as diverse as the Baptists, Congregationalists, and English Independents demonstrated the wide breadth of English Separatism's formative influence. This very human English Separatist leader influenced a number of Christian movements in the dynamic context of early seventeenth century Amsterdam. His example encouraged John Smyth, Johnson's Cambridge pupil, and Smyth's associate John Robinson, pastor to the Pilgrims, to separate from the Established Church and seek sanctuary in Amsterdam.