English and Welsh ARC has sponsored the Joy of the Gospel study guide by Dr Paula Gooder based on Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium reflections. The study guide was the 2016 Lent Course from Church House Publishing, but is intended for small groups to use at any time of the year, and by Christians in all traditions.
Written by Dr Paula Gooder (Theologian in Residence at The Bible Society) The Joy of the Gospel is a six-part course for parishes and small groups. A short film has been produced and released this week to promote the study guide and is now available to watch online (see below).
Widely recognised as offering wisdom and vision for all Christians in a culture that can be hostile to the Church, Evangelii Gaudium offers a positive and realistic approach to sharing faith in the modern world. Paula Gooder introduces its key themes to readers in all denominations and challenges them to consider its application in their own contexts.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, The Most Reverend Bernard Longley and the Bishop of Truro, The Right Reverend Tim Thornton, Co-chairs of the English Anglican-Roman Catholic Committee, both write in the preface of the study guide about the impact it will have on deepening relationships between Catholics and Anglicans.
The film
In the study-guide’s introductory video, Archbishop Bernard says: “Paula’s background, her scriptural expertise, the way in which she’s presented this material; I think is going to enable groups to really get to the heart of what Pope Francis is setting out, and I think we’ll see some fruits from this, particularly in coming together with a joint understanding of the churches mission and enabling us to look for practical ways of reaching out with the truth of the Gospel, into the societies where we live and that we’ve been called to serve together.”
This video is also available on YouTube.
Audio files
Free audio files accompanying each session are also available on SoundCloud or iTunes.
Notes
Paula Gooder is an internationally known writer, speaker, educator and broadcaster. She is a member of ARCIC III and is closely involved with Anglican-Roman Catholic relations at the international level.
The study guide is available to purchase online as a book or ebook from Church House Publishing.