The theological vision of Elizabeth A Johnson

Abstract

Elizabeth Johnson is a very significant Catholic feminist theologian whose work has a world-wide influence. Analysis of the growing corpus of her work in the last twenty-five years demonstrates that she uses a very clear feminist methodology based on women's experience which is not univocal but very diverse. This methodology has three phases : Deconstruction, a search for alternative sources and reconstruction. Johnson applies this methodology to many aspects of the Christian tradition : God, Christ, Mary, the communion of saints and themes which are newer : Justice for women in the church and ecological concerns. Central to her re-working of the tradition from a feminist perspective is Sophia, or Wisdom. Her theological perspective joins theory and praxis in the call to do God's truth in justice and compassion.