Washington D.C., Oct 29, 2011 / 16:19 pm
The U.S. bishops have confirmed their criticism of a controversial theology book, after the author insisted they had “misunderstood” and “misrepresented” it.
In an October 11, 2011 statement made public yesterday, doctrinal authorities at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said their committee “finds itself confirmed in its judgments” about Sister Elizabeth Johnson's “Quest for the Living God,” which it previously criticized in March 2011.
After reviewing the Fordham University professor's defense of her work, the Committee on Doctrine said it “remains convinced that the book … does not sufficiently ground itself in the Catholic theological tradition as its starting point,” and “does not adequately express the faith of the Church.”
In her response to the bishops' first critique, Sr. Johnson sought to remind them that theology “does not simply reiterate received doctrinal formulas but probes and interprets them in order to deepen understanding.”