Theology of the Body

Common wisdom portrays sex and church to be at odds, yet studies show that Catholics have better sex, and more often. This witty, frank, and refreshingly orthodox book draws from the beautiful truths of Catholic teaching to show people of all faiths about rich and satisfying sexuality. Hailed by Christians across the spectrum from Christopher West and Janet E. Smith to John L. Allen, Jr., Holy Sex! includes dozens of questionnaires, quizzes, and valuable lessons from real-life stories.

Building on the legacy of Pope John Paul II, it is significant that the first encyclical letter of Pope Benedict XVI is dedicated to the topic God is Love. The Holy Father demonstrates that it is agape, the self-sacrificial love of God that empowers romantic love, eros, with life-giving and meaningful existence. In The Love That Satisfies, Christopher West draws from the Pope s letter a series of insightful and inspiring reflections on the nature of eros, agape, and the relationship between the two. He shows that it is through recognizing and embracing the beauty of God s self-sacrificial love that a person is able to truly be satisfied. In uniting the love of God to the love of spouse, the nuptial bond is fulfilled. Perhaps even more profound is the reality that God and the Bridegroom of the Church has a personal love for his Bride that may certainly be called eros (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, n. 9).

Broken families, abortion, AIDS, Internet pornography, sexual abuse scandals, homosexual marriage, our Church and our world are in the midst of a profound sexual crisis. Is there a way out? For such a time as this have we been given Pope John Paul IIs Theology of the Body. Based on the words of Jesus, John Paul II's famous reflections on the body and sex take us to the root of the modern crisis and chart the path to an authentic sexual liberation. Yet the Pope's dense scholarship often intimidates the average person. In his book, Theology of the Body Explained, Christopher West offered a more detailed, six-hundred page commentary on John Paul II's Theology of the Body. Here, he provides a short and popular summary of the Pope's revolutionary teaching. What is the meaning of life? Why did God create us male and female? Why is there evil in the world and how do we overcome it? How do we attain true happiness on earth? What kind of joys await us in heaven? How can we experience the love we long for in the depth of our hearts? The first edition of Theology of the Body for Beginners (2004) quickly became an international best-seller. This freshly revised and expanded edition is based on Dr. Michael Waldsteins much improved translation of John Paul IIs catechesis. New for this edition: All quotations have been updated with the new translation. Key insights discovered through Dr. Waldstein's access to the John Paul II archives have been incorporated. The outline of the text has been substantially reorganized to reflect the newly discovered outline of John Paul's original manuscript. John Paul's hidden and previously untranslated addresses are summarized.

Today's sexual confusion is not caused because the world glorifies sexuality, but because the world fails to see its glory.

Through his Theology of the Body, St. John Paul II unveiled the beauty of God's plan for human love. In 60 minutes, discover how the human bodyin its masculinity and femininityreveals who we are and how we are called to live.