Ray St John

Ray St. John received his BA in English from Bob Jones University (1963), his MA in Pastoral Studies from Bob Jones University (1965), his MA in English from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (1970), and his PhD in English from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (1975). He has taught freshman composition, American literature (undergraduate and graduate), business and technical writing, and short story and magazine writing. He has published approximately sixty freelance stories and articles in various Christian publications and has authored literature textbooks for Christian schools (Explorations in Literature and American Literature for Christian Schools). He has reviewed textbook submissions for Holt and Macmillan publishing companies and has provided on-site classes and served as writing coach in business and technical writing for various Southeast businesses and community colleges. 

Reared in Michigan in a godly Christian home environment that encouraged reading, further education, and practical service, he has had a strong bent toward ministry all his life. After serving on an undergrad evangelistic team that spent a summer evangelizing in the Scottish Borders, he extended his interests in helping train Christian leaders through university teaching by entering bi-vocational ministry in 1987 as pastor of a local church. Here he has the opportunity not only to teach God’s Word but also to enhance oral and written communication skills as well as to help mentor university students that assist with the church ministry.

In his commitment to Christian education, he has directed the BJU freshman English program (1965-91), chaired the English Department (1985-2002), and chaired the Division of English Language and Literature (2002-12). He and his wife have an active outreach to students, four married children, and thirteen grandchildren. When not preparing for classes or preaching, grading papers or reading for pleasure, he enjoys fishing with grandchildren and playing tennis.