Product Description

Now in paperback--"the best book of feminist theology to date" (Library Journal). Winner of the $150,000 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion. Commonweal praises this work as "the most substantial and sophisticated effort yet undertaken to connect feminist and classical wisdom in a synthesis at once bold and discerning." Illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #575597 in Books
• Published on: 1993-10-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

From Library Journal
As perhaps the best book of feminist theology to date, She Who Is is at once thoroughly orthodox, grounded in classical Christian thought, liberatingly contemporary, and rooted in women's experience. Johnson reviews the history of Christian language about God and explains the need for feminist language about God, thereby providing background for nontheologians. She then develops an inclusive and creative Christian spiritual doctrine. Highly recommended for all collections serving educated lay readers, theologians, and clergy.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Readers will find this incisive survey to be the finest yet written in the area of feminist theological discourse. -- Choice

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
(from the first chapter)

A small vignette from the late fourth century reveals how fascinating the Christian people of that time found the question of right speech about god. In a culture imbued with Greek philosophical notions, debate raged over the question of whether Jesus Christ was truly divine or whether he was a creature subordinate to God the Father. Rather than being an esoteric issue confined to theologians or bishops, this discussion engaged the participation of a broad range of people. One famous remark by Gregory of Nyssa caught the situation precisely: "Even the baker," he said, does not cease from discussing this, for if you ask the price of bread he will tell you that the Father is greater and the Son subject to him.

What is the right way to speak about God? This is a question of unsurpassed importance, for speech to and about the mystery that surrounds human lives and the universe itself is a key activity of a community of faith. In that speech the symbol of God functions as the primary symbol of the whole religious system, the ultimate point of reference for understanding experience, life, and the world. Hence the way in which a faith community shapes language about God implicitly represents what it takes to be the highest good, the profoundest truth, the most appealing beauty. ... A religion, for example, that would speak about a warlike god and extol the way he smashes his enemies to bits would promote aggressive group behavior. A community that would acclaim God as an arbitrary tyrant would inspire its members to acts of impatience and disrespect toward their fellow creatures. On the other hand, speech about a beneficent and loving God would forgives offenses would turn the fai! th community toward care for the neighbor and mutual forgiveness.

Customer Reviews

Thank you She Who Is
I was first introduced to this classic when I began researching my undergraduate thesis on women's oppression in Christianity. I was then, and still am, thoroughly impressed with Johnson's work. Her scholarship is impecable, reasoning very solid, and takes a well-rounded approach. This work is founded in tradition, yet manages to break from the aspects of tradition which are oppressive. Her philosophical background is also quite solid. You can't get any better than Elizabeth Johnson. She is masterful at weaving theological discourse and spirituality together. This is not a theological head-trip! The relevance of her work not only applies to theologians, it applies to laypersons as well. The sections on Sophia are particularly moving. Johnson also manages to address the issue of exclusive God-language in a subtle manner, which a reader would be hardpressed to take offense to, and presents new inclusive ways of speaking about God founded in biblical scholarship, All in all, this is a fantastic work of theology with elements of spirituality. I can't recommend it enough!

Interesting for both, men and women, lay-people and clerics.
An excellent book that one should take enough time to read slowly and thoroughly.
Elizabeth Johnson starts by looking for an appropriate word in order to refer to the Divine. It is common practice to say that God is Spirit. An interesting thing about this is that the word "Spirit" has gradually shifted from being feminine in Hebrew, to neutral in greek and ultimately masculine in latin. This is not much of a surprise in a male-dominated world. In itself this does not necessarily indicate an improvement in the adequacy of our concept of God. But if we consider this particular history of the word, it may suggest that in order to improve our image of God, we need at least to integrate all three aspects: the feminine, the neutral and the masculine.
This will help us take into consideration the fact that God transcends all categories. It will help us deepen our perception of God as mystery.
The important for all those who try to link with the Absolute is to know that God is, more than to know exactly what she, it, or he, is.
Another interesting fact that the author points out in the same perspective, is that the Spirit as such, has never been given a proper name.
Spirit is considered more often than not as an impersonal power, like a blowing wind or a breath in motion.
The title of the book is a clear indication that the author approaches the mystery of God from a feminine point of view.
This is done in a constructive way, without being too aggressive. Even when she suggests that Christ's ability to be savior does not reside in his maleness, but in his huge and steadfast capability to love.
More challenging are her comments on the suggestion made by a number of authors, that the Spirit was, at least for some time, hypostatically united to Mary.
To my view, this offers a good way of understanding the Christian creed when it claims that Christ was conceived from the Spirit and born from Mary.
Altogether, this book is a good incentive for women, but also a real challenge for men.
As a follow-up I would recommend the reading of her more recent book "Truly our sister". Quite logically, after dealing in the present book, with the feminine in God she focuses in the new one, on Mary as a major symbol of the feminine in humankind who also enjoyed a unique relationship to the feminine in God.

The world needs She Who Is
Johnson writes with an ultimate goal in mind, that of a transformation into new community. Her vision is one in which harmony with each other and with the earth are realized; an eschatological dream of a new heaven and a new earth where justice dwells and partnership reigns.
As a first step toward this vision her book offers theologicaly founded evidence for expanding our image of God. Language functions; selling a god of violence,or superiority based on maleness or color is not helping us to realize a vision of the kindom of God put forth by Jesus-one where all are included at God's loving banquet. Without this first step toward expanding God's image we humans will always be in violent dissonance with each other and with the earth.
I have read this book no less than six times, it has infomed my vision of the world and my personal goals in life. The language she uses is poetical and moves to the core of our being linking us with the holy.