University of Detroit Mercy’s annual Cushing Distinguished Lecture Series in Religious Studies – Justin Kelly, S.J., Lecture in Theology will be on Wednesday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Genevieve Fisk Loranger Architecture Center of the Warren Loranger Architecture Building on our McNichols Campus. This year’s featured speaker is Fordham University Distinguished Professor of Theology Emerita Elizabeth Johnson.
Johnson’s presentation is titled, “Is God’s Charity Broad Enough for Bears?” This event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow this presentation.
Johnson earned her doctorate in theology from Catholic University of America and taught for 10 years before moving to Fordham University. She is a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the oldest and largest society of theologians in the world and a former president of the American Theological Society, an ecumenical association. Johnson has received 15 honorary doctorates, the John Courtney Murray Award for distinguished achievement in theology and numerous other accolades. Her book She Who Is garnered several honors, most notably the Grawemeyer Award in Religion.
Johnson serves on the editorial boards of the journals Theological Studies, Horizons: Journal of the College Theology Society and Theoforum. Her public service has included serving as a theologian on the national Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue (1984-91); a consultant to the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Women in Church and Society; a theologian on the Vatican-sponsored dialogue between science and religion and a core committee member of the Common Ground Initiative, started by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin (Chicago) to reconcile polarized groups in the Catholic Church.
For more information regarding the Cushing Distinguished Lecture Series – Justin Kelly, S.J., Lecture in Theology, please contact Todd Hibbard, chair and associate professor, Department of Religious Studies, at 313-993-1088 or via email at hibbarja@udmercy.edu.