The Urgency of the New Evangelization

Introduced by Blessed Pope John Paul II, then championed by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, the “New Evangelization” continues to be a concept urgently advocated by Pope Francis. But while the term has been around for years, many people still don’t know what it entails, exactly. In his new book The Urgency of the New Evangelization: Answering the Call, Ralph Martin, president of Renewal Ministries, an organization devoted to Catholic renewal and evangelization, gives the faithful a breakdown of what it is, how to engage in it, and why it is to crucial to every Christian right now. “Not just a churchy buzzword for priests and missionaries, the new evangelization is literally a matter of life or death for everyone in a person’s life,” says Martin. He lays out an easy-to-adapt method for sharing the reality of Christ and the Gospel – for non-believers as well as those no longer practicing the faith.