Johnson, Maxwell E. The Virgin of Guadalupe: Theological Reflections of an Anglo-Lutheran Liturgist. With a foreword by Virgil P. Elizondo. Celebrating Faith Series: Explorations in Latino Spirituality and Theology, 5. Series editor Virgil P. Elizondo. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. Pages, xi + 191. Paper, $46. ISBN: 0742522849

Reviewed by: Raúl Gómez-Ruiz, SDS

Not another book on Guadalupe! But wait. This one is by the renowned Lutheran liturgical theologian, Maxwell Johnson of the University of Notre Dame. This is truly different. What is a Lutheran doing writing on Guadalupe, after all there has been ample critique of the appropriation of Guadalupe and other symbols as ways to attract Catholics to Protestant and Evangelical churches?

Johnson gives four principal reasons why he has written this book. First, the joint statement by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Roman Catholics in the United States, The One Mediator, the Saints and Mary (1992), has opened the way for a Protestant reassessment of Marian doctrine and devotion. Furthermore, the official Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (1999) has raised the ecumenical conversation to a new level on this and other topics. Second, theological questions are raised by Guadalupe’s presence and role in the life of people which cannot be solved solely by using the historical-critical method. Third, history and the development of ecumenical dialogue have opened the way for a reconsideration of the anti-Protestant interpretations associated with Guadalupe. Fourth, and most importantly, in light of the changing social and cultural context in the United States where a truly multicultural, ethnically and racially diverse Christianity is forming, “not to pay wider and close theological attention to the image, narrative, and cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe would be a serious error, especially for those seeking to address or minister to a people whose very cultural and religious identity has been shaped to some extent by this phenomenon” (p.9).

Thus, Johnson makes an important foray into the nascent but growing area of Marian studies among Protestants. He does so from the perspective of a committed Lutheran and liturgical theologian. He is also a scholar who takes seriously the role of culture in the liturgical and faith-life of Christians, including cultural-religious symbols such as Guadalupe. He begins by offering an apologia in the introduction where he notes that there are good reasons why he should not be writing this book but as the adoptive father of two African American children, the image of a dark Virgin is a valuable iconographic symbol upon which to reflect. Furthermore, his work as a professor of liturgical studies has led him to think about Guadalupe critically, especially as his students have frequently chosen her as a subject of research papers. This has sparked his interest theologically and led him into this previously unknown area. Nonetheless, he judges his work to “tend more along the lines of theological musing rather than systematic reflections” (p. 14).

Johnson’s musings take shape in five chapters. First he presents the apparition narrative and an analysis of the image based to a large extent on Virgilio Elizondo’s Guadalupe: Mother of the New Creation (1997). Chapter two provides the major historical questions and critiques regarding the authenticity of the Guadalupan events, including the recent challenges of Msgr. Guillermo Schulenberg and Stafford Poole. The third chapter examines modern Roman Catholic theological interpretations for the Virgin of Guadalupe, especially the work of Elizondo as well as Jeanette Rodriquez, Orlando Espin, and other members of ACHTUS. He does a good job of placing these theologians into dialogue with Euro-American theologians such as Elizabeth Johnson and Jaroslav Pelikan as well as Orthodox pneumatology. Chapter four is where he applies the critical tools of liturgical theology to the question of the sensus fidelium and the role of Mary in Advent.

The final chapter is the most important in the book. Here Johnson gives an enlightening insight into the basis for a Protestant reflection on Guadalupe as well as on Mariology in general. He does so by addressing the concerns, critiques, polemics, and conflicts that have emerged over time regarding the Catholic and Reformation approaches to Mary. In doing so he examines the writings on Mary of Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli which have been forgotten or heretofore ignored by many Protestants. He also cites the work of contemporary Protestant theologians such as Harvey Cox, Daniel Migliore, Justo González and José David Rodriguez as well as pastors such as Alberto Pereyra and Ivis La Riviere-Mestre. The basis for this reflection is found in the application of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in which Mary’s Immaculate Conception and Assumption can be seen as an example of God’s grace freely given and Mary seen as the “passive recipient” of divine action (p. 153). In doing so Johnson recovers and applies a Protestant Mariology which can help build bridges between Catholics and Protestants in this sensitive area of ecumenical dialogue. As for the Guadalupan event, it can be seen as a parable of “justification by grace through faith for the sake of Christ” even if it speaks of an experience not characteristically Protestant in form or expression (p. 156).

Johnson’s argument stands on whether or not one accepts the centrality of culture and the necessity of the incultration of faith within a specific culture for Christian doctrines, such as Justification by Grace through Faith, to have any meaning or force. He says “I suspect that for most Protestants the category of contextual worship might be the more illuminating one to consider in this context” (p. 157). In my judgment, Johnson does a good job of constructing an effective argument for further ELCA-Roman Catholic dialogue and mutual understanding in this area. However, I suspect many Roman Catholic pastoralists will continue to see the appropriation of Guadalupe as an attempt to woo unsuspecting Latino-Hispanic Catholics away from Roman Catholicism. This will require much more dialogue, mutual understanding, and reflection on the part of all involved.