Customer Reviews

Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(6)

 

 

When I discovered that Elizabeth Johnson had just written a new theology of God I knew I was in for a treat. EJ's "She Who Is" has become one of my most cherished books of theology on the nature of God and wonderfully "Quest for the Living God" is of similar high quality.

While "She Who Is" is an articulation of EJ's feminist perspective on the mystery of God and of a bit more scholarly tone, QFTLG is more popularly written presenting not only God from a feminist perspective but also from liberation, black, hispanic, interreligious, ecological and trinitarian perspectives.

In her multi-perspective approach, EJ attempts to harvest the fruit of more creative contemporary theologies that can open up our understanding of God in fresh ways that foster renewed worship, mystery and reverence. While many theologians write academically and very dryly, EJ sets before us a rich feast for not only the mind but the heart as well. She has something of the poet in her and her writing is a treat to read.

I couldn't imagine a better book to be used for a group book discussion for those of a more progressive Christian orientation. For the student, EJ also includes very helpful book recommendations at the end of each chapter for further reading.

The discussion of God, I believe, is the most pressing concern for Christians today in light of the many fundamentalist distortions highlighted in much of today's media. But more than this, the greatest privilege for God lovers of all stripes and perspectives, is to forever contemplate the limitless grandeur and majesty of our God. To that end, this book admirably succeeds in stimulating contemplative reflection and will be a source of inspiration I suspect I'll be turning to repeatedly over the years.

The most recent Amazon reviews of Sr. Elizabeth Johnson's marvelous book on the God who is everywhere are little more than a spate of ringers planted here after a group of Catholic Bishops attacked the work. The attack did not allege any heresy or theological error. It simply states that it is ill at ease with Sr. Elizabeth's insistence that our God is truly everywhere, especially in the poor, the vulnerable, and the oppressed. Their miserly condemnation does not stand up well at all beside Sr. Elizabeth's bracing generosity.

If you want God-talk that has a traditional Catholic lilt, check out the authorized Catholic Catechism. It doesn't need to be rewritten; it's there trussed up in all its medieval busks, corsets, mantles, and surcoats, and nothing Sr. Elizabeth writes contradicts any of it. She simply knows that our God is not bound by any era's intellectual corsets, and THAT's pure Catholic doctrine (Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, 1a, 13.

Her book will not mislead Catholics about God; it simply won't bore them to death. Yes, God is eternal; he doesn't need updating. But we humans do need updating. Just as Augustine used the Platonic lingo current in his time (and NOT in scripture) to bring the Triune God to the people of the 5th century and Aquinas cribbed from Aristotle (NOT in scripture) and the medieval philosophers to square God with 13th century ways of thinking, so Sr. Elizabeth finds the same immutable God in the fabulously mutable world of 21st century humanity.

I think she committed the cardinal sin of Catholic teaching: being interesting.

She (Sr. E, not God) is following in a 2,000 year old tradition that started with Jesus's rather noted update in the 1st century: "You have heard it said...but I say to you..."

Quest for the Living God is the kind of excellent, inspiring, illuminating writing we have come to expect from Elizabeth Johnson! A wonderful book that merits a slow, reflective read and, ideally, discussion with others.

I am a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, a diocese in the Bible Belt that has one of the lowest percentages of Catholics of any diocese in our country. I like books about our faith that challenge me, that get me thinking, that push at the boundaries and frontiers as to how we view God interacting in our lives. Sister Elizabeth Johnson's writings are a gift to us all. While this book has generated great controversy,especially from those approaching it from an academic or doctrinal perspective, I think it is important to see this book not as a statement of official doctrine, but from the perspective of how people experience God in their lives in our modern world. The author does not take a formal scholarly approach, but rather writes a book that will be accessible to the people in the pews. Having ministered in many different places and settings, including to the descendants of escaped slaves in the jungles of Ecuador, to prostitutes and street people in an inner city soup kitchen, to the people located in the rural areas of the Mississippi Delta, to the inmates in the federal and state prisons, I can see the many different ways that God speaks to us. We see God in the midst of our lived reality. By sharing our reality of God with others, I believe that we enrich our Church and enrich our understanding of God. I myself believe in liberation theology, as God speaks to the poor and liberates them in a very special way. My work in liberation theology in the jungles of South America helped liberate me from many things that were weighing me down. I believe in the God of fiesta that is also mentioned in this book, of how God has spoken to the people of Latin America in the midst of their cultural heritage. I also see God speaking to us in the dialogue that we have with the different religions of the world. The book addresses the real way that God is experienced in the lives of the people, in the nitty-gritty reality that they face each day. To deny this is to deny the many ways God is present to us in the world today. A great book by a great author.

This book takes the challenge of the modern age to traditional Christianity head on. The author begins from the stance that in many ways we live in a post-relious period; from there, she proceeds to explore several contemporary currents of theological thought, from Rahner's sense of God as Mystery, through the young German's perception of God as the Crucified God of Compassion, to such approaches as liberation theology and gender neutrality. The book is well structured, with a uniform sequence that brings order to this complex subject. The writing is not aimed at theologeons so much as the intellegent, interested seeker - this is after all about the 'quest for the living God'! The book is, above all, honest, so much so that even unbelievers (the author not among them) will get a lot out of this timely discussion. Highly recommended!

Similar to her earlier works, Elizabeth Johnson provides us with an inspiring read with a wide sweep of theological insight - literally from every part of the Christian world. I found the Chapters on the Trinity and the Holy Spirit particulary insightful. A work of scholarly wisdom, yet very accessible for an average reader.

A tour through contemporary currents in the doctrine of God which highlights the context from which each vision emerged, the theological rationale behind it, and the practical implications this vision has for everyday life. It is well worth the money and is accessible for the average interested reader.

I love this book! I am using this text for a grad school class in systematic theology, and found it informative and inspiring. The author explains technical aspects of theology with clarity and interest. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is searching for a deeper understanding of God.

Johnson offers multiple ways in which peoples and cultures are taking the Christian story and adapting it to their time, place and culture. She brings life to the many ways in which Christian faith is being lived out as a life affirming, inclusive religion

This is a wonderfully written book, easy to read while packed with ideas. I am at the end of two years' training on Spiritual Guidance and this gives me so much rich theology in a beautiful manner that I am deeply grateful. I never studied Rahner, for example, yet here I feel that I am part of his glorious depths. God is even more real to me, as I continue to bathe in this lovely book. Thank you Elizabeth!