The Theology of the Body Explained by Christopher West

If Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body is a “theological time bomb set to go off” (George Weigel), Christopher West has lit the fuse in this book. With clarity and precision he unpacks the pope’s weighty talks and translates them into a language that everyone can understand. This book makes the perfect companion to the Pope’s text. For the first time ever, readers will have a commentary that follows the complete series of general audiences, explained in an appealing way. Both scholars and everyday readers will benefit from this easy-to-read commentary.

This book will be of enormous pastoral value to those seeking to put forth the Church's liberating teachings on sexuality. Reading John Paul's text directly can be quite daunting for those without a background in philosophy and theology. This is what makes this book so exciting--it succeeds in "translating" the Holy Father's insights into a much more accessible language.

-- Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete

Founding Professor, John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage & Family, Washington D.C.

Christopher West makes John Paul's theology of the body available for the first time to people at all levels within the Christian community. Love, sexuality and human flourishing are inseparable. Those who have doubted this will find West's book a transforming experience, and those who have been wounded will find in it liberation, healing and peace.

-- George Pell

Archbishop of Sydney

This is a book rich in substance for the serious scholar, but accessible and rewarding for the average reader as well--an excellent resource from one of our most insightful and committed Catholic authors.

-- Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Archbishop of Denver

Christopher West has done a splendid job in providing an intelligent and accurate explanation of John Paul II's theology of the body.

-- William E. May

Professor of Moral Theology, John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family

The vibrancy of Christopher West, his infectious enthusiasm and penetrating understanding of the thought of Pope John Paul II is well-known to those who have heard his lectures and tapes. This lucid explanation of the Pope's theology of the body conveys the same enthusiasm and intelligence.

-- Janet E. Smith, Professor of Life Issues, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit

Christopher West teaches the theology of the body and sexual ethics at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. He is also a visiting faculty member of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Melbourne, Australia. His extensive lecturing, numerous tapes, and his best-selling book Good News About Sex & Marriage have sparked an international groundswell of interest in John Paul II’s theology of the body.