Pope Francis, Conscience of the World

John Raymaker spent twenty-five years as a missionary in Japan where he worked at the Tokyo Oriens Institute for Religious Research. He taught cultural anthropology and biblical studies at Junshin and Hosei Universities in Tokyo. Gerald Grudzen is the founder and president of Global Ministries University. He has worked on educational and development projects in Bangladesh, Turkey, Egypt and now in Kenya for the past eight years in addition to his teaching in the United States.

The authors, Gerald Gruden and John Raymaker vividly portray God as a missionary God. The book shows how Pope Francis inspires us by his witness. When Pope Francis visited Latin America, he apologized as the leader of the Catholic Faith for the “grave colonial sins” committed against Indigenous Peoples by the church, particularly during the colonial rule. This book underscores how Pope Francis’ presence and reflections during his visits to Latin America, lead to the long-awaited healing as well as affirmation of the values, culture and nature-based spirituality of the people. The juxtaposition of Pope Francis’ pioneering work of Teilhard on the theology of evolution and Pope Francis’ unique moral voice pushing for just political and economic actions for the necessity of saving our planet earth is an impassioned invitation to each one of us. We are being made aware of how to become the church of the earth and regain our responsibilities toward a global community that is about equity and equality because of the power of love.

• ForewordIntroductionPART1: Rebuilding the Earth and the Church on the Model of Prophetic VisionariesChapter 1: Building New Foundational-Missionary Bridges in a Divided WorldChapter 2: How Pope Francis Has Given New Foci to the Church's MissionChapter 3: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955) and Pope Francis: Catholic VisionariesPART 2: The Transformative Roles of Religion Across the Planet Chapter 4: Transitional Glocal IssuesChapter 5: Pope Francis's Glocal Engagements with the Middle East and AfricaChapter 6: The Church in Latin AmericaChapter 7: Compassionate Ways to Heal and Create in AsiaPART 3: Pioneering Effective Christian Ministries in a Divided, Conflicted WorldChapter 8: New Forms of Community and Ministries in the Age of Pope FrancisChapter 9: A Global by Divided Christianity Needs Glocal Initiative to Cope with the FutureSelected Bibliography Index