My Review of "The Gospel of Joy"

Pope Francis' Gospel of Joy was a book was I excited to read.  I've looked forward to this book for a long time.  Given the Pope's recent popularity, and his global vision of a classic Christianity, this book gives us a first-hand view into what and how the Pope thinks.

The Joy of the Gospel is the English translation of Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.  Francis' main thrust throughout this exhortation is to call Christians to the "joy of the Gospel"; this he does superbly while drawing in a number of topics to his primary discussion.  For Francis, the true joy of the Gospel centers on the proclamation of Christ's life, death, resurrection, and coming return (p. 5).  Francis calls the faithful to a "renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ" which transcends personal concerns and leads to a life of transformation.  This transformative joy should invigorate faith, center our life of Christ and his Church, and lead us to gladly evangelize and engage our world.

It's the Pope's vision of evangelization that I find so compelling.  It has nothing to do with proselytizing.  Instead, he emphasizes relationship and the transformation of existing institutions and systems.  In order to address the challenges of the present age and transform cultures, Francis is not afraid to change the tactics of the Church.

His criticism of rampant consumerism, greed and waste are an important part of what that transformation must look like in our culture.  And one I find absolutely compelling.

This is a book that anyone who cares about Christianity needs to read.

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I received this book free, from the Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.