The Legacy of John Paul II: An Evangelical Assessment, Edited by Tim Perry
The Legacy of John Paul II
paperback
  • Length: 327 pages
  • Published: October 16, 2007
  • Imprint: IVP Academic
  • Item Code: 2595
  • ISBN: 9780830825950

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The papacy of John Paul II was phenomenal, and not least for the fact that many evangelicals came to honor and respect him. Running parallel with this pope's ministry was an unprecedented level of conversation between Protestant evangelicals and Roman Catholics. In the West, at least, there was a growing sense that in a post-Christian society it was time for Christians of orthodox faith to explore their common commitments and to make common cause in the great moral and social issues of the day. Tim Perry calls on some of the best evangelical minds to offer their assessments of the thought of John Paul II as expressed in his major encyclicals.

"John Paul II was one of the most significant witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ in recent times and a teacher of the church whose influence will extend far into the future. Here prominent evangelical thinkers assess his legacy with insight and appreciation through an engagement with the major encyclicals of his papacy. This is an outstanding collection of essays that bears witness to the vitality of both Roman Catholic and evangelical thought in service to our common Lord."

John R. Franke, professor of theology, Biblical Seminary

"Vigorous, comprehensive and thoroughly evangelical, The Legacy of John Paul II makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of one of the great Christian leaders of the last century, and advances the cause of Christian unity."

R. R. Reno, professor of theology, Creighton University

"In the sixteenth century--a time when Protestants were not inclined to say nice things about Catholic leaders--the Reformer Theodore Beza addressed one of his treatises to 'the more sensible part of those who call themselves Roman Catholics.' This fine book of essays is a testimony to a Catholic pope whom many of us in the evangelical world revered, not only as a 'sensible' spiritual leader, but as someone who on various occasions and on various subjects spoke words of godly wisdom, both to us and for us."

Richard J. Mouw, president and professor of Christian philosophy, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Of the many legacies of the twenty-six--year pontificate of John Paul II is the astonishing attentiveness of non-Catholics to his teaching ministry, as is demonstrated in this informative and provocative book. Such attentiveness does not always mean agreement, but it is a genuinely new thing in the world Christian movement."

The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of First Things

"A remarkable book. At one and the same time, it is an excellent guide both to the religious and ethical thought of this highly influential pope and to the growing evangelical willingness to engage with it. Highly recommended."

Alister McGrath, professor of historical theology, Oxford University

"An excellent commentary on the thought of JP2, providing helpful perspectives, criticism, and reflection on the state of evangelical thought today. . . The book will appeal to all interested in the thought of John Paul II as well as those encouraged by the Catholic-evangelical dialogue. It should also be helpful to anyone interested in the role of the Church in the modern world and insightful summaries of some of the best arguments for a theocentric humanism."

John P. Hittinger, Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

"If someone were to begin a study course in Catholic teaching, they could hardly do better than a careful reading of The Legacy of John Paul II, a collection of essays by a fine roster of evangelical writers who reflect on the important encyclicals of the late Polish pope."

Harold Jantz, Mennonite Brethren Herald, June 2009

"A shining example of current openness and theological debate among Christians."

Arnold Rzepecki, Catholic Library World, June 2009

". . . Dramatically enhances the global enterprise of interpretation of John Paul II. A great gift to clergy, ecumenists, scholars, and advanced students, the book sheds new light on an unforgettable doctor of the church."

Peter A. Huff, Anglican Theological Review, issue 90:4

"An excellent book. It shows evangelical theologians reading and drawing on John Paul's philosophy and social teaching with remarkable sympathy."

Thomas P. Rausch, S.J., Theological Studies Book Reviews, June 2008

". . . Sheds the light of evangelical theological scholarship on John Paul?s efforts to remind the world that human beings can indeed grasp the truth of things, including the moral truths of things."

George Weigel for Denver Catholic Register, December 12, 2007
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CONTENTS

Foreword by J. I. Packer

Foreword by Avery Cardinal Dulles

Introduction: For Such a Time as This: Living With(in) the Legacy of John Paul II
Tim Perry

Part 1: Setting the Scene

1. Evangelicals and John Paul II
Mark Noll

2. A deep amazement at man?s worth and dignity: Technology and the Person in Redemptor hominis
Derek S. Jeffreys

Part 2: Witnessing to Truthful Doctrine

3. Fides et ratio, The Role of Philosophy and the Christian University
Michael Beaty and C. Stephen Evans

4. Dominum et vivificantem, The Breath of Divine Life
Clark Pinnock

5. Redemptoris mater, A Bridge Too Far?
Tim Perry

6. Ecclesia de eucharistia, Locus of Doctrine, Way of Life
Mark Noll

7. Ut unum sint and Papal Infallibility: A Response
William J. Abraham

8. Veritatis splendor, Human Freedom and the Splendor of Truth
Andrew J. Goddard

Part 3: Witnessing to Truthful Practice

9. Evangelium vitae, John Paul II Meets Francis Schaeffer
Nancy Pearcey

10. Dives in misericordia and Sollicitudo rei socialis, Mercy and Justice
Mark Charlton

11. Centesimus annus and Laborem exercens, Work and Economics
Ronald J. Sider

12. Redemptoris missio, Into All the World
Terrance L. Tiessen

13. Slavorum apostoli, The Enduring Legacy of Cyril and Methodius
Peter Kuzmi

14. Ex corde ecclesia and the Trouble with Truth
David Lyle Jeffrey

Epilogue: Our Common Teacher
Timothy George

Contributors

Name Index

Subject Index

Scripture Index

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Tim Perry

Tim Perry, PhD, was formerly an associate professor of theology at Providence College, Otterburne, Manitoba, Canada. He is the author of Mary for Evangelicals, Pope John Paul II: An Evangelical Assessment, (both InterVarsity Press), Blessed Is She (Morehouse), and Radical Difference: A Defense of Hendrik Kraemer's Theology of Religions (Wilfrid Laurier University Press).