College Theology Society

The Board of the CollegeTheology Society wishes to express to our membership our sadness and graveconcern in response to the statement released on October 28, 2011 by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’Committee on Doctrine regarding the case of Professor Elizabeth Johnson.

The Committee on Doctrinehas chosen to publicly criticize and discredit—not once but twice—a work by oneof our most esteemed colleagues without entering into a process of dialoguewith her about the issues being raised. Dr. Johnson prepared a substantive response that repudiated thecriticisms of her work as unfounded, and requested that a formal dialogue beestablished between her and the Committee on Doctrine to discuss the range oftheological issues raised by their initial Statement issued March 24, 2011. Her request was not granted; instead the secondstatement not only repeated the previous characterization of her work withoutengaging the issues she raised in her response, but also raised new criticismsof Dr. Johnson’s retrieval of female metaphors and symbols of God as foundwithin both biblical texts and classic texts from our Catholic theological tradition.   

The course of action takenby the Committee on Doctrine represents a fundamental breach in the call fordialogue within the Church and in particular between theologians and bishops, acall that is one of the hallmarks of the documents of the Second VaticanCouncil.  The necessity of dialoguebetween bishops and theologians is delineated in the 1989 statement approved bythe U.S. Bishops, Doctrinal Responsibilities. It islikewise found in the Regulation for Doctrinal Examination (RatioAgendi), which specifies the procedures the Congregation for the Doctrineof the Faith is to follow in cases of doctrinal dispute, procedures that are inkeeping with the principles of canon law regarding due process and the rightsand responsibilities of members of the Church.

The action taken by theCommittee on Doctrine wounds not only Dr. Johnson, but the entire community ofCatholic theologians as well, who long to be in more constructive relationshipswith our bishops–in particular, to be in conversation with them about how theliving tradition of belief and practice of our Catholic faith can best speak tothe most pressing issues of our time. The vital working relationships among bishops, theologians, and theentire people of God can only be advanced by recognizing the dignity andvocation of theologians and indeed of all the faithful in the mission of theChurch, and by cultivating practices of dialogue that can promote ourcollaborative relationship.

Bradford Hinze, Ph.D.
Fordham University
New  York, NY
President

Anita Houck, Ph.D.
Saint Mary’s College
Notre Dame, IN
Vice President

Michael Barnes, Ph.D.
Dayton University
Dayton, OH
Past-President

David Gentry-Akin, Ph.D.
Saint Mary’s College of California
Moraga, CA
Executive Director, NationalConventions

William Collinge, Ph.D.
Mount Saint Mary’sUniversity
Emmitsburg, MD
Chairperson & Editor ofResearch & Publications

Christopher Denny, Ph.D.
Saint John's University
Queens, NY  

Brian Flanagan, Ph.D.
Marymount University
Arlington, VA
Treasurer

Anthony J. Godzieba, Ph.D.
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Editor, Horizons

Mark J. Allman, Ph.D.
Merrimack College
North  Andover, MA
Board Member

Colleen Mary Carpenter,Ph.D.
Saint Catherine University
St.  Paul, MN
Board Member

William Clark, Ph.D., S.J.
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA
Board Member

Mary Doak, Ph.D.
University of San Diego
San  Diego, CA
Board Member

Jayme Hennessy, Ph.D.
Salve Regina University
Newport, RI
Board Member

Tobias Winright, Ph.D.
Saint  Louis University
Saint  Louis, MO
Board Member