"I sense that the moment has come to commit all of the Church's energies to a new evangelization..." So wrote Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Redemptoris Missio at the beginning of this decade. Since then the Holy Father has returned to this theme again and again, and with good reason.
A relentless secularizing process has led many baptized Catholics to stop practicing their faith. This same secularization includes many who attend Church to think and act in ways that are indistinguishable from people who are not followers of Jesus Christ. Only true conversion, the fruit of evangelization, will enable the Catholic faithful to experience the joy of believing and of following Christ in all that He asks of us. The Holy Father is calling for a special commitment to evangelization in preparation for the year 2000. This book is for those who desire to answer the call of the Pope to fulfill the command of our Lord Jesus Christ to proclaim the good news to the whole creation.
In this book, Fr. Avery Dulles describes the evangelical shift in the Church since Vatican II as "one of the most dramatic developments in modern Catholicism," and explains what the Holy Father means by a "new evangelization." Fr. Tom Forrest, Archbishop Gabriel Ganaka, and Ralph Martin communicate a vision and show the theological foundations of Catholic evangelization today. Fr. Ken Boyack explains the American Bishops' National Plan for catholic Evangelization, "Go and Make Disciples." Bishop Sam Jacobs and Kilian McDonnell discuss the role of the Holy Spirit. Chuck Colson and Fr. Peter Hocken consider ecumenical implications. In addition, Leading Catholic evangelizers such as Susan Blum, Fr. Bruce Nieli, Peter Herbeck, Sr. Linda Koontz and others tackle practical topics like "How to Share Your Faith," "Evangelistic Homilies", "Employing Charisms in Evangelization", and more. Specific chapters offer strategies for evangelizing teenagers, married couples, Hispanic Americans, business people and the poor. Three full chapters are devoted to parish evangelization.
John Paul II and New Evangelization not only provides information, but imparts inspiration and encouragement to all who want to take their place in this work. It is an excellent resource for everyone concerned aabout Catholic evangelization at the individual, parish, or diocesan level.
"Here is sound instruction, practical and theoretical, on the why and the how of evangelism past, present, and future. A new millennium is eliciting a new clarity about the culture war and a new alignment of forces in it. This book is proof that Catholics are rediscovering the fact that the Catholic Church is as essentially 'evangelical' as any Protestant denomination."
-Peter Kreeft
Author, Christianity for Modern Pagans
"Timely, important, and comprehensive. Each chapter by a different author presents a dimension of the universal call to evangelization heralded by the Pope and by the Catholic bishops of the United States. Experienced and respected teachers and leaders cover the many aspects of evangelization and present a challenge to us all."
-Fr. Michael Scanlan, T.O.R.
