Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion and the Crisis of Faith [Paperback]

C. John McCloskey (Author), Russell Shaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2007

Fr. John McCloskey has become a famous "convert maker" in the power corridors close to the White House and various government agencies. Having run the well-known Catholic Information Center in the heart of Washington, DC since 1998 and ending in the beginning of 2004, brought McCloskey in direct contact with numerous well-known and lesser known Washington figures who have been directly instructed, encouraged and assisted into the Catholic Church by this priest-evangelist.

This work is a joint effort of McCloskey and Russell Shaw, a well-known Catholic author and speaker who also works in the DC area. Based on the great success and influence that Father McCloskey has had in helping instruct many converts to Catholicism, especially numerous high profile DC figures, this book is a powerful combination of the methods, theology, and theories that McCloskey uses in his evangelization efforts.

In addition to his compelling insights on how to teach or share the faith in a winning, inspiring way, this work includes the contributions of several dozen converts of Fr. McCloskey who give their own moving testimonies of why they converted to Catholicism, and how that life-changing journey happened for each of them. Many of their writings reveal extraordinary perception regarding the workings of grace and the dynamics of the spiritual life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Good News gives Christians of today a clear guide on how to reach out to people and disseminate the truth about life. The many personal stories about how human beings opened their souls to the Lord's calling have one implicit element in common: McCloskey's extending himself to meet and understand human beings as they are. God does the conversion, but McCloskey has helped open minds and hearts by an apostleship based on prayer, knowledge about his faith, example and courage. -- Alejandro Antonio Chafuen

A great priest and a great writer combine on a great topic, the path to Rome - now that's a great idea! As one who tread that path some years ago, I can not think of a more important subject. Hopefully, this book will inspire others to follow that path. -- William L. Saunders

Fr. John McCloskey is an expert apologist and evangelist. With patience, wisdom, compassion and wit he has helped many people come into joyful full communion with the Catholic Church. Here he applies the same gifts to the task of teaching others the art of winning converts. Good News is a fresh, practical and readable manual for the New Evangelization, and should be devoured by all those involved in sharing their faith. -- Fr. Dwight Longnecker

In this tour de-force, one of America's foremost writers and a well known priest evangelist, provide a theologically rich and a pastorally wise guide for Catholics to fulfill the Lord's command "Make disciples of all nations" Mt. 28:19. The personal stories provide thrilling moments of how God works through the evangelizer and in the converted. For priests and laity this thoughtful, joyful and practical book is a must! -- Bernard Dobranski

There is no more articulate believer in the power and majesty of the Catholic Church than Fr. C. J. McClosky. Any sincere searcher for Truth who is attracted to Christian - particularly Catholic - faith, will want to read this book. Agree or disagree with Fr. McCloskey's unequivocal perspectives, his assertive witness provides much food for thought. -- Wesley J. Smith

Product Details

• Paperback: 134 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586171259
• ISBN-13: 978-1586171254
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #823,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The call of the laity, June 18, 2007

By 

Grazia Mangano - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion and the Crisis of Faith (Paperback)

Drawing on his vast pastoral experience, including his time as Director of the Catholic Information Center in downtown DC from 1998 to 2004, Father McCloskey has distilled in this book (written together with Russell Shaw) some pointed reflections on how best to serve as God's instruments in the conversion of others.
The book starts from a twofold premise. Firstly, in our "age of the laity", the specific call of lay people is to be apostles to the world rather than crowd the sanctuary. (Father McCloskey's "Sermon for Our Times", on page 58 of the book, is a forceful invitation to avoid the risk of "clericalizing" the lay person, a danger against which para. 45 of the 2004 Instruction "Redemptionis sacramentum" by the Roman Congregation for Divine Worship called to a sane relationship of complementarity between the cleric and the lay person, each one with his complementary gifts.) Secondly, effective apostolate is not a light endeavor but (as Father McCloskey writes on page 91) an investment into spiritual growth by the evangelizer himself/herself: it "must flow from prayer and mortification and participation in the sacraments - from one's own ongoing ascetical struggle to put on Jesus Christ."
On the basis of these premises, Father McCloskey shares his insights, with the help of actual stories by converts, into how best we can help others to have a personal encounter with Christ.
The book is enriched by an appendix containing the "Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan", a list of solid works for Christian formation compiled by Father McCloskey while a Director of the Catholic Information Center.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought, motive for hope, January 19, 2008

By 

David Carradini (Reston, VA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion and the Crisis of Faith (Paperback)

Good News, Bad News is a wonderful book for anyone seeking to share the Catholic faith, for it illustrates many reasons why non-Catholics become interested in, and ultimately convert to Catholicism. Fr. McCloskey is a gifted evangelist, but more: he is a gifted listener. Story after story illustrates that Catholic evangelization is not about coercion, but about listening to God in prayer, listening to others, then pointing them in the right direction based upon what God says and what they say. Readers will be inspired and challenged by one of McCloskey's central theses: Catholicism is about the Truth, the Truth makes demands, and when those demands are adhered to, life becomes more beautiful even if more challenging. Read this book, but only if you are ready to change your life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical advice for Christians trying to help friends, March 29, 2010

By 

J. Babendreier "Father Joe" (Nairobi) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion and the Crisis of Faith (Paperback)

I liked it. Lots of ideas in few chapters on how you can help your friends find Christ. None of the pushy stuff (knocking on the doors of strangers). The book explains the hunger people have living empty lives in a busy world. It's based on real life stories -- how some Christians have the right word at the right moment. It's a primer on how to be an apostle in the middle of the world.