Elizabeth Johnson (theologian)

For other people named Elizabeth Johnson, see Elizabeth Johnson (disambiguation).
Elizabeth A. Johnson
CSJ
Born (1941-12-06) December 6, 1941 (age 82)
NationalityAmerican
EducationBrentwood 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.

  1. ^  This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC-BY. Text taken from Rakoczy, Susan (2008). "The theological vision of Elizabeth A Johnson" (PDF). Scriptura. 98 (98). Stellenbosch, ZA: Stellenbosch University: 137–155. doi:10.7833/98-0-701. ISSN 0254-1807. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  2. ^ [1] Wuerl Resigns, Ending Influential Tenure in Wake of Abuse Report, October 12, 2018, National Catholic Reporter
  3. ^ Fox, Thomas C. (2011-05-13). "Bishops' committee reaches out to Catholic scholars". ncronline.org. Kansas City, MO: National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16.
  4. ^ Vitello, Paul (2011-04-12) [Published in print 2011-04-11]. "After bishops attack book, gauging bounds of debate". The New York Times. New York. Archived from the original on 2011-04-15. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  5. ^ Manson, Jamie (2014-02-13). "With book on God and Darwin, Elizabeth Johnson gets her voice back". ncronline.org (blog). Kansas City, MO: National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
  6. ^ Gibson, David (2011-10-28). " 'Quest for the Living God,' book by Sister Elizabeth Johnson blasted by Catholic bishops". huffingtonpost.com. Religion News Service. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19.