Whenever good is being accomplished, often negativity starts to creep in to undo the good that’s being done.  Verbal destruction includes:

(1)  Negative Comments – unflattering or derogatory statements;

(2)  Divisive conversation – just plain gossip;

(3)  Caustic Remarks – verbal attacks that insight an angry response.

Sadly, we are all guilty at times of being the loose cannon.

What has prompted this message, deemed necessary by Holy Redeemer Gospel of Life Ministry, are the level (1), (2) or (3) remarks made since the Nightline coverage of Christopher West – the presenter of the Theology of the Body (TOB) Series.

Pope John Paul II devoted the first major teaching project of his pontificate – 129 short talks between September of 1979 and November of 1984 – to providing a profoundly beautiful vision of human embodiment and erotic love. He gave this project the working title “theology of the body.”

This is a statement released from the Theology of the Body Institute. Anyone who knows Christopher West will not believe the claims made by Nightline. Remember, the devil tries to profane what is most beautiful.  See the video at the end about what Christopher West actually said.

Regarding the connection between John Paul II and Hugh Hefner, Christopher often points out the interesting historical “coincidence” of the work of these two profoundly influential men. In the early 1950s, as Hefner was founding Playboy magazine, Karol Wojtyla began to lecture and write about the need for Christians to experience a redemption of their bodies and sexuality. In their respective work, both Hefner and John Paul II responded to a puritanical/Manichean approach to sexuality, but they offered completely different solutions to the problem. This is the historical “connection”, of which Christopher spoke in the Nightline interview. ABC latched onto this point, but they failed to provide the larger context Christopher offered in his extended interview with Nightline’s correspondent. This lack of proper context has led some to misinterpret Christopher’s remarks as somehow endorsing Hefner’s views.

The point Christopher made—but which wasn’t included in the Nightline piece—was that, as Catholics, we agree with Hugh Hefner’s diagnosis of the disease (i.e., a puritanical rejection of the body and sexuality is utterly contrary to Catholic faith), but we radically disagree with his cure. Christopher told the Nightline correspondent that the Theology of the Body is the true cure for the disease that Hefner diagnosed. These distinctions were lost in the seven-minute piece that ABC aired. Indeed, Nightline made it sound as if West considered Hefner a “hero” of his, which he certainly never said. West has dedicated his life to fighting the terrible distortions of pornography. West's “love” for Hugh Hefner is a Christian love—a hope that Hefner would come to discover the riches of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the profound insights of the Theology of the Body. To see the full context of what Christopher said visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqRKvNX4IKU.

Christopher West: “The Playboy and The Pope”

Source: www.youtube.com

Christopher West: An Introduction to the Theology of the Body
Available from Ascension Press   www.ascensionpress.com