Elizabeth Johnson

Friends of God and Prophets : A Feminist Theological Reading of the Communion of Saints Elizabeth Johnson

How can we develop attitudes which promote community and further the struggle for justice? One way, this book argues, is by practising the communion of saints. However, not only has devotion to the saints suffered an extraordinary decline wherever Western secular culture has gained a foothold, but surprisingly, the communion of saints is one of the least developed symbols in all theology. Here now is ethnology of the communion of saints, seeking to counterbalance the fact that the official list of saints is largely dominated by men.

The first part of the book gleans clues from the past for an understanding of the communion of saints which is both faithful to tradition and promises liberation. The second offers a systematic interpretation of the symbol, linking insights from history to insights from women's practices today, and linking both with radical hope in God.