Christopher West follow-up

The "Nightline" piece aired this month stirred up quite a controversy--among advocates of the Theology of the Body, of all people! Some very noteworthy persons spoke none to favorably of West's presentations, approach and style. Some of these persons even made those declarations simply on the basis of hearsay; others after having heard West's earliest efforts. More recently, two of the world's top TOB scholars defended West's work for its orthodoxy, addressing other criticisms as well.
If you have spent any time whatever worrying about the matter, please be sure to read Dr. Janet Smith and Dr. Michael Waldstein (translator of the Pope's work) as they weigh in on West.
This group is not advocating one approach or style over another: "Whoever is not against us is with us" was good enough for the Lord. We will applaud all efforts to bring the life-changing truth of the Theology of the Body to our culture.

Christopher West on Nightline

What started out as a call to Sr. Helena from an ABC writer who follows the "HellBurns" blog led to an eight hour interview with Christopher West and a spot on the May 7, 2009 edition of Nightline. Please add your comments about how Theology of the Body has changed your life!

Theology of the Body study group

Our study group will go on hiatus for the summer--starting early because we've just finished the book. We'll restart the group (and the book) in August, but with a change of day/time: from August-June, the group will meet here and online on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.

Join us!

Video streaming by Ustream

International Symposium

Do you need a vital, theologically enriching excuse for a trip to Ireland? It's the 2nd International TOB Symposium!

The 1st International Theology of the Body Symposium, held in Gaming, Austria, in 2007, brought together scholars and popular presenters and invited them to engage in a fruitful dialogue on the many approaches to this broad topic. This 2nd Symposium will present the Theology of the Body itself as a unified whole, approaching it from spiritual, theological, philosophical, anthropological, and ethical perspectives. The Speakers are invited to present individual sections of the work each according to their own expertise. These core talks are complemented by talks placing the Theology of the Body in its historical-cultural, political and medical context. Considering that the Theology of the Body is a pedagogy of the body, all the Speakers will seek to ground the more theological and philosophical reflections in experience, and will touch upon practical ways of teaching the Theology of the Body. The talks will be given in a language that is broadly accessible,that is, not accessible to scholars alone.

(Wish I could go! How about you?)

April 15: Humanae Vitae

On April 15, the TOB online study will address the prophetic encyclical "Humanae Vitae" (Of Human Life) issued by Pope Paul VI. Alone in the world, the Pope insisted that the Church could not change its teaching on what was then quaintly called "the regulation of births."
Feel free to put your questions in the comment box for Father Loya to address during this important session!

TOB Scriptwriting Contest

Family Theater Production announces:

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Theology of the Body Script Contest

Choose one or more of the following major lessons from Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body”, write a short film script 5 to 10 pages long that helps illustrate that point (or points) and submit it to us at tobscripts@gmail.com by April 1st, 2009.

The winner will receive $100... and fantastic food*. Runner ups and other finalists will receive cool prizes as well. Here are the major points...

1. The family is the fundamental building block of society. Hence, the way we treat marriage and procreation has a direct effect upon society (positive and negative). See October 22, 1980 audience and January 16th 1980 audience (section 5).

2. Earthly marriage and the conjugal union between a husband and a wife is meant to mirror the relationship between Christ and the Church. Hence it is a sign pointing us to heaven (i.e. God). Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the Church: selflessly. However, it is dangerous for us to get caught up in the sign (conjugal union in marriage) while not paying enough attention to where it is leading us (heaven). See August 11, 1982 audience

3. Christ not only calls us to avoid being lustful but to allow Him to change our ethos, or the inner desires of our heart in regards to lust. He wants us to follow his teachings out of love, not obligation or guilt. He wants us to find lustfulness unattractive. He wants us to attain the freedom that allows us to be in a relationship with God and away from the emptiness of sin. See September 10, 1980 audience.

4. Christ calls us to affirm the value of the person in "every" situation by never treating another human being as an object for our own selfish pleasure. We are called to always think of the dignity and welfare of others, before our own desires. See January 7, 1981 and January 14, 1981 audience.

5. The use of contraception is directly opposed to the free, total, faithful and fruitful love Christ calls us to in marriage. See August 22, 1984 audience.

6. The body has a "language" that is meant to proclaim the truth of God's love. However, if we are able to speak the truth with our bodies we are also capable of speaking lies. See August 22, 1984 audience (section 4 specifically).

Here are a couple good examples from movies...

Vanilla Sky: In the scene right before the car crash Cameron Diaz tells Tom Cruise "Your body makes a promise whether you say something or not!" The language of our bodies can speak the truth or it can speak lies.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: After using each other for selfish purposes Matt McConaughey and Kate Hudson's characters begin to openly insult each other during the diamond gala scene near the end of the film. The use of others (as opposed to selfless love) is empty and ultimately hurtful.

FINAL NOTE: Any genre is welcomed...Avoid being preachy, lean towards subtleness and most importantly be like Jesus...really, really cool.

Email your script to tobscripts@gmail.com by April 1st, 2009

Also check out and join our Facebook Group at this link... http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=97175405450

* presumably, you have to pay your own way to L.A. to take them up on the food part.