Elizabeth A. Johnson | |
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Born | December 6, 1941 |
Nationality | American |
Education | Brentwood College (BS) Manhattan College (MA) Catholic University of America (PhD) |
Occupation(s) | Catholic Woman Religious, Professor Emerita of Theology |
Elizabeth A. Johnson CSJ (born December 7, 1941) is a Roman Catholic feminist theologian.[1] She is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Theology at Fordham University, a Jesuit institution in New York City and a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood. The National Catholic Reporter has called Johnson "one of the country's most prominent and respected theologians."[2]
Johnson has served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and is "one of its most well known members."[3] The New York Times has described Johnson as "a highly respected theologian whose books are widely used in theology classes."[4]
Her book Quest for the Living God (2007) became popular in churches and was adopted as a text for many university religion courses, but in 2011 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine issued a doctrinal evaluation of the book that concluded it did not correspond with "authentic Catholic teaching." The public criticism by the bishops created "a substantial boon in sales of Quest,"[5] and frayed already strained relations between the church hierarchy and Catholic theologians.[6]
The New York Times also notes that Johnson has been criticized by other Catholic groups, such as the conservative educational advocacy group, the Cardinal Newman Society.