The New Evangelization: Faith, People, Context and Practice

Date added: 19/12/2016

The New Evangelization: Faith, People, Context and Practice

Volume editor: Kirsteen Kim, Paul Grogan

Published: August 2016

Published by: Bloomsbury T & T Clark

Available to buy here: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-new-evangelization-9780567671851/ 

The Second Vatican Council endorsed an engagement with the modern and secularized world through a renewed proclamation of the Gospel. John Paul II described this as the New Evangelization, and in 2010, Benedict XVI confirmed this priority by creating the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization to 're-propose the perennial truth of the Gospel.' The New Evangelization was the subject of the Synod of Bishops in 2012 and in 2014 Pope Francis gave his reflections on the topic in Evangelii Gaudium.

The New Evangelization draws on material presented and discussed at the conference 'Vatican II, 50 Years On: The New Evangelization' organised by Leeds Trinity University on 26-29th June 2012. Part I traces the historical and theological links between the Council and the New Evangelization. Part II examines the renewed understanding of the Church as a result of the Council and the extent to which it is shaped by civilization. Part III analyzes the nature of the New Evangelization and its outworking in today's multifarious context of cultures, religions and societies. Part IV deals with the implementation of the New Evangelization by different communities and organizations and the issues this raises. In the Introduction and Conclusion, the editors reflect on the New Evangelization in the light of significant developments since 2012. 

“The perspectives in The New Evangelization: Faith, People, Context and Practice are very diverse; the essays come from Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Belgium. The breadth of perspectives shows that the New Evangelization is not a neatly-packaged program that a local church can unveil and be guaranteed success by following the formula. … The text gives much clearer a sense to what the New Evangelization actually is.” –  Francis X. Klose, Cabrini College, USA, Catholic Books Review

“This book is suffused with realism, serenity and hope. It helps us to see the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit in the Church in the decades after the Council. It charts how profoundly encouraging Papal teachings, increasingly effective catechesis, imaginative pastoral initiatives and a renewed spirit of engagement with the world have all contributed to a rediscovery of the Church's primary identity, namely that she "exists in order to evangelize" (Blessed Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 14).” –  Archbishop Roche Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, Italy

“Professor Kirsteen Kim and Msgr. Paul Grogan have offered in this volume an impressive collection of reflections on evangelization today. These reflections throw light on the New Evangelization, but also link it with other more traditional aspects of the church's evangelization mission, often in fresh and creative ways. This is a truly important work for anyone engaged in mission and mission studies today.” –  Stephen Bevans, Catholic Theological Union, USA

“The New Evangelisation is a priority for the Church that is widely commended but little understood. This book opens it up for reflection and roots it not only in the Second Vatican Council but also in the movements that preceded it. Too few English speaking Catholics realise that France was declared to be a mission country in 1943. This book shows that during the Council the Church adapted to its already diminished position in the developed world and its growing role in the developing world, seeing dialogue with other faiths and cultures as integral to its mission in both these worlds” –  Christopher Jamison, National Office for Vocation, UK

“This anthology aims to offer a bird's-eye view of recent trends in reflection upon the new evangelization by authors with an eye for the centrality of the council's influence upon the church's mission. … The book's strength is in taking the long-term view.” –  Susanna L. Cantu Gregory, Clarke University, Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology Society