In this interview, I sat down with Dr. Paul Schleifer, an English professor who specializes in English as a spoken language. I asked him various questions about Samuel Johnson and his influence in lexicography and the Oxford English Dictionary. In this video, I asked Dr. Schleifer how Samuel Johnson and other lexicographers incorporated their faith into their work and why it was so important to them. In his answer, Dr. Schleifer explains how Johnson became a Christian in college after reading a book, but he was a rationalist to an extent. He says that Samuel Johnson would not have been pleased with chapel at Southern Wesleyan University with the loud music, singing, and emotional response. Expressing your faith through the pursuit of truth makes sense as a Christian. Being precise with language, understanding the source of words, and doing the historical work to make it available for everyone to have access to is something that Johnson saw as his Christian mission. Johnson was moralistic in a sense that he wrote works that were designed to instruct people. With the dictionary, people would have a better understanding of language and morality and would behave and speak better because of it. Dr. Schleifer says that all of these things together give us a better understanding of Johnson’s Christian faith.