Customer Reviews

Theology Of The Body For Beginners

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This book illustrates one of the reasons I have come to respect Christopher West so much. He has the gift of making this beautiful teaching from John Paul II accessible to the common person. I have read John Paul's original audiences and West's Theology of the Body explained, as well as several other books on this topic. For a simple, easy to read explanation that includes a fair attempt to convey all the important points, this is the best I have read so far. It has a very useful glossary at the end of the book that provides helpful definitions which also serve as summary points for the chapters, as well as a resource section to help with further study. I plan to use this book as a textbook to teach upper high school students this material.
If you are looking for an more in-depth explanation of the Theology of the Body, I would recommend West's TOTB Explained.
I like it better than West's Good News about Sex and Marriage, because it gives a more well-rounded explanation of the other issues covered by John Paul's original talks. It is not so narrowly focused on marriage and sexuality.
I think TOTB for Beginners is a good general introduction to the topic, and the best book to buy if you are looking for something simple and easy to digest.

Do you want to know how to love and be really loved by your spouse or future spouse? How does your body relate to that? What is sex for? Why did God make it? Believe it or not, the Church says that sex is a good thing - a really good thing - if it's done the way God intended it. Read this book (especially with your spouse or potential future spouse) to strengthen your relationship and/or understand what the Church teaches. Christopher West does an amazing job of describing John Paul II's teaching on human sexuality! Like my title says, I think everyone in the world should read this book. If people could understand the REAL way to have sex and how to fully express themselves, our world would be a better place.

Christopher West does a wonderful job explaining the "Theology of the Body" in terms that are easy to understand while still capturing the reverence and gravity of a concept revealed through Pope John Paul II. We live in an age of instant gratification and utilitarianism; this book is a helpful tool for exposing what God has always intended for humanity.
This book is a great start in educating yourself on Theology of the Body.

Prior to his elevation to Pope, Karol Wotija, wrote extensively on this subject (see "Love and Responsibility"). After he became Pope, the late Holy Father, John Paul II gave, over several years, a long series of talks on love, marriage, contraception, sex and the roles of men and women. These talks were collected into the book "Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body".

If anyone has read the late Holy Father's work, it becomes clear that he is an exceptionally intelligent man. These works are deep with meaning and it will take many decades to go through them. Most people will need an "interpreter" to understand them more fully.

What Christopher West tries to do with this book is cut to the chase. This book is not intended to be a scholarly review of the whole of John Paul II's mammoth work, but an introductory work, an "executive summary" if you will.

Theology of the Body has become controversial among some in the Church; especially theologians and traditionalists. The reasons are complicated, but they do not seem to be based on an honest and fair appraisal of facts. I have yet to see a critic of Theology of the Body fail to make false and misleading statements in their criticisms.

This book is intended to be a friendly and readable guide and invites people to study more *after* they finish it. It is inspiring and truly a wonderful introduction to this deep and profound subject. Not all of us are scholars, not all of us are theologians, not all of us have an IQ in the low 160s.

Does it cover everything the Pope talked about? No. Can someone with a less than a high school education understand this? Most assuredly yes. Is there better introductory material on Theology of the Body available for those unfamiliar with it? Not that I have seen.

In short, this is an excellent introductory work and I recommend it unreservedly.

I read it in one sitting. I have read the actual talks given by John Paul the Great on the Theology of the Body--they are tough (but worthwhile) reading. West gives an overview of the basic terms and concepts of the Theology of the Body that gets the reader ready to tackle John Paul's original talks. You get to see the whole forest first before entering the thicket. Like the late Pope, West is biblical in his approach. He also does justice to the radical, revolutionary daring of the Pope's theology of the body. The glossary is a very good summary of the whole book for those who are pressed for time. West presents an approach to Catholic morality that matches that of Servais Pinckaers, O.P., who emphasizes transforming our desires through the Holy Spirit as opposed to just repressing our desires with dismal results.

The the theology of the body is a look at sex to discover what we can learn about God. After all God created sex and we can learn about God by studying sex just as we might learn something about an artist by looking at a piece of art. The first thing we see is that God created us male and female. West shows that the union of man and woman in marriage is a picture of the union of God the Father and God the Son and just as the Holy spirit flows from the union of the Father and Son, children are produced from the union of man and woman. He also makes a clear distinction between love and lust. Love is giving of self while lust is taking for yourself. Marriage is a sacrament in that it is a earthly symbol of something spiritual just as the Eucharist is. These sacraments help us to grasp spiritial realities that we would otherwise have no hope of understanding. Marriage is also a symbol for our union with Christ in the Resurrection.

Not only did I understand JPIIs material on Theology of the Body made easy by Christopher West, but I BELIEVE it! Theology of the Body converted my heart! God Bless.

This is the best book yet I have read this year- simple, totally engaging, profound and provoking. And small! Christopher West, acknowledged as one of the most erudite interpreters of John Paul II's Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Bodyhas seeded his book with the "right questions" that lead to a deeper search for knowledge and challenge in knowing self, another, and the Word Incarnate. It is scholarly and practical, a rare and refreshing combination.
A Resource Section points out to further study, aid for ministry building and contacts. A Glossary of Terms, explaing some of the key theological expressions used in the book is itself a gem to stimulate individual or group conversations, research and meditation.
This is a book I definitely recommend for use in Adult Formation of couples, especially those preparing for the Sacrament of Matrimony, which I have started to do and have found very fruitful!

This book is fascinating. It has answered so many of my questions about God's love and true love. I recommend this book for all young Catholics, or even non-Catholics; it really made so much sense about why it is important to wait for marriage.

Christopher West writes about John Paul II's Theology of the body in a way that is easily accessible to most audiences. As an introductory book, it of course lacks some of the depth that can be found in other books on the same topic.

I find that this is a good book to give to friends to give them a low pressure way to access the Theology of the Body.