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

<div>'Since the middle of the twentieth century,' writes Elizabeth Johnson, 'there has been a renaissance of new insights into God in the Christian tradition. On different continents, under pressure from historical events and social conditions, people of faith have glimpsed the living God in fresh ways. It is not that a wholly different God is discovered from the One believed in by previous generations. Christian faith does not believe in a new God but, finding itself in new situations, seeks the presence of God there. Aspects long-forgotten are brought into new relationships with current events, and the depths of divine compassion are appreciated in ways not previously imagined.'<br/><br/>This book sets out the fruit of these discoveries. The first chapter describes Johnson's point of departure and the rules of engagement, with each succeeding chapter distilling a discrete idea of God. Featured are transcendental, political, liberation, feminist, black, Hispanic, interreligious, and ecological theologies, ending with the particular Christian idea of the one God as Trinity. </div>>

Customer Reviews:

a new classic?

By H.E. Pennypacker - November 21, 2007

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... read more

Farewell to Christian Charity

By Mr. Orlando R. Barone - April 6, 2011

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... read more

experiential, challenging, and thought-provoking....

By Lincoln S. Dall - November 12, 2011

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... read more