The Joy of the Gospel: A Group Reading Guide to Pope Francis' Evangelii Gaudium

by Bill Huebsch

This unique, in-plain-English study guide offers a paraphrased summary of every article in Pope Francis' latest groundbreaking document, with reflection and discussion questions for group or individual use.

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2014

About the author

Bill Huebsch holds a BA in Religious Studies from the University of North Dakota, and a Masters in Theological Studies from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. He is an author, an advocate for the poor, a gardener, and a husband. He lectures in pastoral theology and contemporary spirituality.

Bill has published more than 30 books and booklets on spirituality and pastoral ministry, along with half a dozen adult religious education resources in both English and Spanish. For many years, Bill has maintained a busy international lecture schedule, assisting people to understand how God speaks to us and grow spiritually in the encounter with the Holy One.

Reviews

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is simply a good reading guide to Pope Francis' "The Joy Of Gospel" - and perhaps one also for those who just want the summary of the text, though in my opinion it's better to just read the book: the author's voice and writing style, and some details, come across better. The guide's author is a scholar and theologian speaker. Although this is for group reading, it can be used for individual study also.

There are paraphrased summaries of each chapter, with discussion/prayer/action suggestions in between (action-wise the suggestions work best if one has a parish to be active in). The book starts with a guide of how to use it with a group (that could include people from other faith traditions), in 6 sessions (introduction and the chapters): this first part is very clear and helpful in planning.

You can read this guide pretty quickly, and it might be useful in understanding the book. Not necessarily essential if not doing group reading, yet it is interesting to see a good example like this.