By J. Brian Bransfield

What does it mean to be human?

In his theology of the body, John Paul II made an important contribution to answering this question. Here Brian Bransfield provides a systematic approach to his teaching, using it as a basis for an integrated moral theology/Christian anthropology that gives practical support in living the Christian life.

"Because readers who seek out the teaching of John Paul have varying backgrounds, this book explains even basic concepts in his teaching to allow the central teaching to be more easily understood. This book will clarify important concepts and terms, presenting them in slow motion. It will also relate these concepts to the wider teaching of John Paul and the teaching of the Church. John Paul's teaching is not a random topic that he simply chose to speak about when he became pope. His work is a strategic development that responds immediately to humanity in crisis.

"Pain fills the cry of the third millennium. The pain reverberates from a deeper place: the very identity of the human person. Every day, thousands of people in the United States have their personal information stolen and become victims of identity theft. The thieves steal identity for financial gain, and it can take years to repair the damage. Yet, a far more horrific identity theft has been under way for decades. The theft is not economic but cultural. Human nature is robbed of its dignity and reduced to a mere expression of instinct or business acumen. The anguish of people today flows from several factors. No simple diagnosis has sufficed from a sociological perspective to explain the predicament of humanity in the postmodern age. The prescription of a quick fix brings only further injury.

"In remedy, Church teaching and theology seek to reassert true human dignity." -From the Introduction

• Binding: Paperback
  Pages: 263

Reverend J. Brian Bransfield is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He currently serves at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as Assistant General Secretary and Executive Director of the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis. Fr. Bransfield received his doctorate in moral theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. Prior to his current appointment, he served as professor of Moral Theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He is a noted national speaker and retreat director.