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Do Bishops Make Good Book Publicists?

April 6, 2011, 3:00 pm

By Nina Ayoub

Censured—and selling briskly.

As has been widely reported, Elizabeth A. Johnson, author, distinguished professor of theology at Fordham University, and religious sister of the Congregation of St. Joseph, has run afoul of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In a press release issued on March 31, the USCCB called attention to a 21-page statement by its Committee on Doctrine accusing Johnson of “misrepresentations, ambiguities, and errors” in Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God, a book released in 2007 by Continuum.

(Yes, it seems that bishops can take even longer than scholarly journals to review a title.)

“The basic problem with Quest for the Living God as a work of Catholic theology is that the book does not take the faith of the Church as its starting point,” wrote the Committee. Instead, Sister Johnson “employs standards from outside the faith to criticize and to revise in a radical fashion the conception of God revealed in Scripture and taught by the Magisterium.” Among the varied charges are that Johnson neglects divine revelation as a basis for theology, and casts the “names of God” as mere “metaphors” of human construction.

Why now? Well the Committee suggests a heightened concern because Quest is “directed primarily to an audience of non-specialist readers and is being used as a textbook for study of the doctrine of God…”

The Chronicle reached Johnson’s UK-based editor, Robin Baird-Smith, to find out how the bishops’ disapproval is affecting sales. At the time of this posting, the book was ranked 974 on Amazon—pretty good for a scholarly title four-years old.

Baird-Smith confirms there has been a sharp increase in sales, particularly in the United States. How was it doing before? “The book had sold in excess of 13,000 before the censure,” he says, “and has sold a few thousand more already.” Continuum is “rushing through a sizable reprint.” He cites “3,000 immediately.” That reprint is of the cloth edition. The press will also release the book in paperback in July with a new cover design.

“What was a serious but quiet book with a long life as a backlist title has rocketed,” says the editor, “and all those people the Church wished not to read the book or ignore it will now of course read it.” He recalls the attention given a previous Continuum title, Woman at the Altar, by Sister Lavinia Byrne, “when there was a threat to burn the book publicly.”

Says Baird-Smith: “I do not understand why the Church authorities do not grasp that the best way to send the sales of a book rocketing is to ban it.”—Nina Ayoub

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  • 22082943

    To my surprise, I noticed recently that on the Wikis that report academic job searches, recently hired candidates share a lot of salary information, including start up packages. That is a good source, as it goes into things other than salary per se, and gives young scholars a little more knowledge about what they can ask for. A great service, although not as verifiable as a state budget, and maybe it won’t impress a Dean, but useful for the scholars on the market in the early stages of their careers.

  • sanjoaquin

    This is also helpful…although it is only as strong as its responding organizations:
    http://www.cupahr.org/surveys/results.asp

    Good wishes to everyone on searches…both sides!

  • william_barnett

    Ah, yes. The Catholic hierarchy seems to want to control what cannot be controlled. What’s next? An attempt to prohibit Prof. Johnson from teaching at Fordham University?

  • greeneyeshade

    I don’t think the bishops are ignorant of what happens when they censure a book, just as Christ wasn’t unaware that he was giving a boost to pubs through the ages by having a drink with the sinners of his time.

    I would think the bishops would still see it as their calling to counter error where they find it, particularly when it comes from a religious sister vowed to uphold the doctrines of the Church and teaching at a well-known Jesuit university. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised that the readers will be other theologians and otherwise faithful Catholics who want to read for themselves what the bishops have objected to.

    Godly rubbernecking, perhaps?

  • farmboy

    This book was used in a Divinity Class which I took at a Catholic University in the Southeast. The book was Great and It was made better by the creative teaching of the Professor who taught the class. I would encourage Catholics to read it. It sends a message that we all must hear.

  • creditto

    Has Prof. Johnson had the opportunity to defend her positions? As a Fordham alum, I would hope that the Jesuit community would support that. As to the bishops’ apparent late response to her book, it seems that they have been busy dealing with, and in some instances minimizing, the real “cancer” within the Catholic Church.

  • 11144703

    I don’t get it–a committee decides to write what is essentially a negatively critical book review. Then some people who don’t care for the committee / book reviewers decide to buy the book. So what else is new? Should the bishops muzzle their own freedom of speech? Where is the word “censure” used in the document? This is a snarky word with which to begin the article because censure sounds like censor. Indeed, Baird-Smith raises the specter of the U.S. bishops as censors when he uses the word “ban,” although the bishops merely criticize the book. Baird-Smith’s claim that “there was a threat to burn the book publicly” has all the veracity of a birther statement. Why didn’t Nina check these absurd quotes? This piece betrays CHE’s usually superlative journalistic standards.

    While Nina’s essay (disguised as journalism) is a poke in the eye of some Catholic bishops for the very act of expressing their opinion, Laurie Essig in a separate column in CHE agrees with murderers (and nonmurderers) who call for banning the desecration of the Koran. Go figure…

  • nina_ayoub

    There appears to be some confusion. The reference Mr. Baird-Smith made about a threat to burn a book was about a *previous* Continuum title, Woman at the Altar, not Quest for a Living God. That claim about Woman at the Altar was also made by that book’s author, Sister Lavinia Byrne. See, for example, among other sources:

    http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jan/15/local/me-54171

    To censure is not the same as to censor. To censure is to express emphatic disapproval, often in a formal statement. While there has been extensive discussion of the 21-page statement, I think it is safe to say the bishops disapprove of Sister Johnson’s book. I would urge readers to read the PDF linked to in the post. The report in itself is an interesting theological document, and definitely opens debate.

    Continuum’s Baird-Smith did indeed use the word “ban,” as did the New York Times in its article on the case http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/nyregion/31fordham.html?scp=1&sq=%22living%20god%22&st=cse , as was their choice. However to be clear, a spokesman for the bishops’ committee has stated it has no authority to mandate the book be removed from Catholic educational institutions.

  • 11144703

    Nina, I was indeed referring to Woman at the Altar (although I didn’t make it initially clear), where the references to “burning” is either made in a hazy passive voice or, as in your example, is self-reported by the author. I don’t buy it, and the journalist in you shouldn’t buy it without specific confirmation.

    Of course censure is different from censor, but the word censure (as you rightly suggest) is used in a formal sense by official bodies as Congress or a religious group. I was expecting to see the word in the bishops’ letter, but of course it wasn’t there. I agree the bishops expressed “emphatic disapproval,” and I wouldn’t have criticized the article so much if you had originally used that phraseology.

    So the bishops disapproved and sales went up–should they have kept silent in the face (in their view) of serious misperceptions of the book?

    I must say that even your use of the word “well” suggests a breezy style not appropriate to a serious topic.

    On a positive note: thank you for your last paragraph. Whoever wrote the term ”ban” in the New York Times article title is totally irresponsible in that paper of record. Moreover, I hope to read more of your articles in the future.

  • http://www.bloomsburyreview.com Webster

    In case the good Bishops haven’t noticed, perhaps they might want to spend a little more time on the pedophilia/child abuse scandal boiling up all around the country and take care of *that* little problem rather than wasting their time on nit-picking (and therefore promoting) a good, sensible, scholarly book.

    Or is this just another red-herring the Catholic Church is dragging across the path in its effort to deny the problem and the cover-up of Bishops’ complicity in the scandal by moving priests around the country one step ahead of the law?

  • vatican

    It’s always convenient to muzzle any bishop/priest who has an opinion that is different to yours with the child abuse scandals, isn’t it? If you haven’t noticed, child abuses happen more often in schools. This is not to mitigate those pathetic priests/bishops who committed those crimes. However, I’m always left wondering what the intention behind muzzling priests/bishops with “Oh you should clean up your backyard first” comment. Given that substantially more teachers happened to be perverts, does that mean that we shouldn’t trust our kids with teachers now? Where’s the consistency in people’s conscience?

  • http://www.bloomsburyreview.com Webster

    Lovely dissembling, “Vatican,” (appropriate nom de thread). Schools don’t have a tendency to move pedophile teachers around the country at the behest of the “Superintendent,” now do they? No, they remove them and prosecute them. Read the papers from Philadelphia lately? How many priests were just moved to another position where they had access to children? And it still would be going on if the government hadn’t stepped in to stop it.

    You want to go worldwide with this? Yeah. I think it’s fair to tell Bishops to clean up their own moral messes before they try to take a high moral stance. And there’s a consistency in wanting kids to be safe wherever the heck they are–and particularly in churches where the there’s undue faith and trust in “Fathers.” You really ought to be ashamed of yourself with your pathetic–”but other perverts do it–why pick on Priest perverts and the bishops and Archbishops that enabled child abuse?”

    Dame Edith Sitwell said it best, “I am patient with stupidity, but not with those who are proud of it.”

  • vatican

    “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” – Edmund Burke. To claim that people should clean up their moral messes is one thing. To insinuate everyone to be the same is another thing. That’s right – muzzle the bishops and priests because they disagree with you. You are right – I’m not ashamed of supporting upright priests and bishops.

  • balancement

    Vatican,

    I’m glad to see you’re not letting your education get in the way of your ignorance.

  • fizmath

    They have spent time and they have done a superb job, surpassing any other institution. Read about it here: http://www.standardnewswire.com/news/905976148.html

  • http://www.bloomsburyreview.com Webster

    The Catholic League? Really? Why don’t you just post the latest from the Westboro Baptist Church? They have just as much credibility.

    The Catholic League. HA!

  • gohito

    Isn’t the the job of community colleges. Where does education come into it. Job training is not education. Seems to me that businesses don’t want partnerships with colleges, they want control of them so they can control the educational content. Can’t have workers thinking for themselves.

  • old nassau’67

    Observation: According to http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s0272.pdf,
    3,151,000 high school graduates (in 2008 – probably more now); 69% college enrolled (ditto, especially in a foundering economy) = 2,174,190 in college. The above conclusions are based on 2,000 students – less than 1 in 1,000. And how selected? I’d take these results with a shaker of salt.

  • vatican

    I agree with your comment about control of education but I beg to differ when it comes to partnership.  What’s the use of a program that generates jobless graduates?  

  • sand6432

    Even soap operas are keeping up with the times: Christina, on General Hospital, was wait-listed by Yale!

  • mrmars

    Actually a more accurate reflection of the trend at the we-used-to-have-some-pretense-of-being-somewhat-selective small public university where I work would play out more like this:  Christina, who has a 700 cumulative SAT score, is not only accepted, but her parents are promised a 10% coupon for a small appliance at the local Walmart if she matriculates (ok, just kidding about the coupon).

  • jring61

    Christina’s parents may not get a Walmart coupon, but Christina probably got a financial aid package that might even include a scholarship.  While some students scramble to get into the “right” school, many colleges and universities actively recruit, and provide scholarships for, students who would not have been admitted a generation ago.  

  • cottontails

    I thought that geography was one of the largest factors in a student’s decision about where to apply to college, at least. Curious as to what role it plays in the ultimate decision about attendance.

  • DarwinWeeps

    I wonder what information these students use to assess “the strength of their academic major.”

  • peters137r

    I also wonder how many of those students have yet to decide what their major will be.

  • crababby

    Many of the replies here have raised good issues.  As counselors, our advice to students (and their parents) is to find a good fit.  This may involve the perceived strength of the academic major, but the commonly quoted (although elusive) stat is that the average college student will change majors two and a half times. Even if this stat is inflated, many students may still be choosing a college based on something that is likely to change, rather than finding an academic and social environment that provides the best mix of comfort and challenge — and therefore, the most likely place for satisfaction and success.  The dramatic increase in cost, but also in “merit awards,” has affected students’ college decisions. Many colleges are now routinely discounting their tuition by 50% or more — and not just to top students. I’m a high school counselor (and former college admissions officer), and I’m intrigued by how many families will pat themselves on the back over a $10,000 “scholarship” and end up paying $15,000 for a college where the average Educational & General expenditure per student is $12,000.  In essence, they are paying $15,000 for a $12,000 education and thinking that they got a great deal!   

  • sand6432

    Since Christina’s mother on the show is a  lawyer and her father a mobster, I doubt financial aid would have been a factor. It would be interesting to know how Sonny Corinthos would fill out a financial aid application listing his assets.

  • sand6432

    And how would these students even know anything about what a major in fields like philosophy would be since this subject is not offered at very many secondary schools.

  • mycantarella

    What is frustrating to me and is a significant chapter in my book (I CAN Finish College) is the lack of student awareness that majors and careers do not mesh in the long term. Building skills is key and job readiness through a variety of strategies including internships and other activities. I am distressed by the disparagement of the relevance of liberal arts though the liberal arts are a fine delivery mechanism for communications skills, critical thinking, finding information, and problem solving. Those are the skills we carry to work.

  • maguire_associates

    Thank you for your comment,  old nassau.  The sample for the research was provided by FastWeb.  Over 21,000 seniors participated in the initial survey in January 2011, and the 2,387 students who participated in the follow-up survey highlighted here are a subset of that larger group and were large enough to examine by various subgroups such as by region of the country, gender, ethnicity, standardized test scores, etc.  Our review of the representativeness revealed that one of the larger areas of deviation from the overall population of college-bound seniors is on the gender balance.  The over-representation of females is fairly typical in surveys and was considered when interpreting the results

  • maguire_associates

    Thanks for your question, cottontails.  Location is often revealed to be a top priority in students’ application and enrollment decision making.  When the seniors in this research were asked to indicate the most important reasons they choose their enrollment school, the top overall enrollment drivers include geographic location and distance from home in addition to perceived quality of major and academic reputation, scholarship or financial assistance/total costs, campus setting and environment, social life, and job prospects after graduation.

  • maguire_associates

    Thanks for your question, peters137r.  In the January 2011 survey of over 21,000 seniors, 7% were undecided regarding their intended major.  While it is true that many students will change their major once they have enrolled (something we often document in surveys of current college students), prospective students’ intended major is an important selection criteria for them.

  • old nassau’67

    Thank you for the clarification.
    oldnassau

  • crababby

    Amen!

  • sciencegrad

    Wow that story is crazy.  I think the whole FAFSA system needs to be fixed.  My biggest beef with it is that it appears that 50% of a student’s personal income automatically goes into the EFC.  My parents made about $70k when I was in college, but didn’t support me at all.  Therefore I had to work as much as I could so I could eat.  But because of the FAFSA, this means that I got less and less aid each year, forcing me to work more and more, causing me to get less aid, etc.  It’s not easy to maintain a decent GPA while working that much just to survive.

  • jesor

    I find myself having conversations about what need looks like all of the time.   It’s hard to explain to a family with a six figure income that “yes I understand you have very little extra money by the time you pay your expenses.  Have you thought about selling the ski boat and redirecting the payment money to your child’s tuition?”    The far more frequent conversation involves “the federal formula assumes that your child will be receiving support from you while going to school until they are at least 23″.  Many parents disagree with that philosophy and choose to express that disagreement by refusing to support their student.  It is their call, however do they really expect someone who was just able to start working a few years ago to actually come up with the cash for that expensive college they bragged to their friends at dinner parties about?  Not to say anyone’s parents are particularly selfish, but that’s how it tends to look on the other side of the desk.
    The one real problem though are folks in sole-proprietor businesses where all the business income shows up as personal income even though it’s not real income to the person (you have to re-purchase inventory, pay wages, etc. after all).   These are the folks that get hammered in the tax code and thus in the FAFSA.  

  • schmitzhaj

    The suggestion that “some colleges are changing their strategic use of wait lists” raises the question: what has been the typical use of waiting lists? Also, it’d be interesting to know how many wait-listed students delay decisions, hoping they will be picked, and the effect this has (e.g., do they lose their second or third choices while waiting for the top choice to move them off the waiting list). It seems that the use of wait lists could have many negative effects on prospective students. 

  • maguire_associates

    Great questions, Schmitzhaj. The volatility of the past couple of years has resulted in more wait list offers as colleges and universities try to gauge their yields to protect and ensure their classes. Part of the volatility is due to the 1 in 10 students who now admit to double- or triple-depositing at different institutions to hold places while they are making final decisions, negotiating scholarships or waiting to be offered acceptances from wait lists. When 10 percent or more of an institution’s deposits are fluid, institutions use the wait list to balance the class. This situation actually presents opportunities to interested students who remain active in a wait list pool.

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