Pope Francis, Conscience of the World: Building Needed Bridges in a Troubled World

About the Book

Why is it that Pope Francis is admired by so many? What gives him the uncanny ability to speak with young people in language familiar to them? In this book, John Raymaker and Gerry Gruzden explore the life and writings of Pope Francis which have a prophetic, visionary ability to speak to important issues of the day.

The authors evaluate how Pope Francis’ encounters with religious leaders of other faiths have broken new ground to help unite mankind. They reach back into Christian history to explore the teachings of such Catholic mystics as Thomas Merton while also delving into the beliefs of Islamic and Buddhist mystics to demonstrate how well the pope is in touch with a spirituality that can speak to those seeking the truth. In its final chapters, the book examines how the pope endorses the work of Christians who live their faith in small Christian communities and reveals how such communities can strengthen parish life in various parts of the world.

Like St. Francis, his namesake, and like Teilhard de Chardin before him, the pope has an appropriate vision to rebuild God’s Church in a transitional age. His writings have focused on caring for the earth and preaching the good news of the gospels in a way that and allows him to reach young people in need of joy as they face an uncertain future. He is the Conscience of the World.

Table of Contents:

Foreword

Introduction

PART1: Rebuilding the Earth and the Church on the Model of Prophetic Visionaries

Chapter 1: Building New Foundational-Missionary Bridges in a Divided World

Chapter 2: How Pope Francis Has Given New Foci to the Church's Mission

Chapter 3: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955) and Pope Francis: Catholic Visionaries

PART 2: The Transformative Roles of Religion Across the Planet

Chapter 4: Transitional Glocal Issues

Chapter 5: Pope Francis's Glocal Engagements with the Middle East and Africa

Chapter 6: The Church in Latin America

Chapter 7: Compassionate Ways to Heal and Create in Asia

PART 3: Pioneering Effective Christian Ministries in a Divided, Conflicted World

Chapter 8: New Forms of Community and Ministries in the Age of Pope Francis

Chapter 9: A Global by Divided Christianity Needs Glocal Initiative to Cope with the Future

Selected Bibliography

Index

About the Author :

John Raymaker spent twenty-five years as a missionary in Japan where he worked at the Tokyo Oriens Institute for Religious Research. He taught cultural anthropology and biblical studies at Junshin and Hosei Universities in Tokyo.



Gerald Grudzen is the founder and president of Global Ministries University. He has worked on educational and development projects in Bangladesh, Turkey, Egypt and now in Kenya for the past eight years in addition to his teaching in the United States.

Review :
The authors, Gerald Gruden and John Raymaker vividly portray God as a missionary God. The book shows how Pope Francis inspires us by his witness. When Pope Francis visited Latin America, he apologized as the leader of the Catholic Faith for the “grave colonial sins” committed against Indigenous Peoples by the church, particularly during the colonial rule. This book underscores how Pope Francis’ presence and reflections during his visits to Latin America, lead to the long-awaited healing as well as affirmation of the values, culture and nature-based spirituality of the people. The juxtaposition of Pope Francis’ pioneering work of Teilhard on the theology of evolution and Pope Francis’ unique moral voice pushing for just political and economic actions for the necessity of saving our planet earth is an impassioned invitation to each one of us. We are being made aware of how to become the church of the earth and regain our responsibilities toward a global community that is about equity and equality because of the power of love.