Audio / Visual reviews
 What's
A Teenager to Do?
Mary Beth Bonacci, 1995
Duration: 60min
This is a video recording of one of Mary Beth's college (university) presentations. It is a good all-rounder presentation covering the subject of human sexuality from the basic teaching of the Catholic Church to addressing specific moral questions.
It is very similar to her book Real Love, with similar examples and analogies that help us understand the subject matter. She presents this subject very well drawing upon years of experience.
Ideal and recommended for screening in a Catholic / Christian youth group or school. However. the intro music and scenes are very tacky and will give a bad first impression. So I highly recommend fast forwarding the intro and pressing play from the moment she starts speaking. Her speech itself is excellent.
 And
the Two Become One
Christopher West, 2004
And the Two Become One features a talk by Christopher West in which he links the Eucharist, which is the foundation of the Catholic faith to marriage, which similarly is the foundation of civilisation. He helps the listener to see them in a new perspective, he explains the way in which God expresses His love in giving Himself to His bride, the Church through the Eucharist and how this
symbolises the relationship between the bridegroom and the bride through the sacrament of marriage.
Furthermore, the Eucharist maintains a relationship with Christ, in the same way that marital love renews the wedding vows and maintains the unity between a couple. Based on the Theology of the Body by Pope John Paul II, the four promises that are made within marriage can also be used to address the issues related to sexual morality.
 A
Crash Course in the Theology of the Body CDs
Christopher West, 2002
Duration: 737min
A Crash Course in the Theology of the Body published by the Gift Foundation is a CD set which summarises Pope John Paul II's teachings on Theology of the Body, guiding you through the key aspects. The late pope offered a new approach to Christian sexuality and provides many answers to the moral problems that have caused confusion in today's world and for many generations in the past.
This is ideal for group studies or discussions of the Theology of the Body such as within RCIA, or even for personal study.
 A
Crash Course in the Theology of the Body Study Guide
Christopher West, 2002
A Crash Course in the Theology of the Body Study Guide is a comprehensive study guide companion to the above resource. It includes a complete outline of the presentations presented on it in order to aid in the study of the teachings.
This study guide also features numerous quotes from the source materials used, which can be used to gain additional insight into the topics covered, as well as several other resources such as prayers.
 Purity
in an Impure Age
Christopher West, 2004
Purity in an Impure Age is a series of talks which explore the definition of Christian purity and dispels the misinterpretations of it, such as it being puritanism and prudishness; which are actually results of impurity. Instead it is the ability to see our the bodies and those of our neighbours and human sexuality as a revelation of the mystery of God.
As a result, Christian purity compels us to use the human body and sexuality for the purpose of communicating God's plan of eternal love to others; hence the body is regarded as a theology.
These talks explain how applying the principles of the Theology of the Body can lead to happiness, true sexual liberation, healing and the renewal of spirit; and most importantly provide a solution to the sexual problems of the present.
 The
Theology of the Body: One Day Seminar
Christopher West, 2003
This four CD set is a live recording of a one day seminar on the Theology of The Body that was presented by Christopher in Sydney on April 1, 2003.
A ninety page Study Guide is also available, making it a useful tool for personal study, adult faith formation classes, RCIA, Marriage Preparation classes, home study groups or high school religious education classes.
 God,
Sex and the Meaning of Life
Christopher West, 2004
As the title suggests, Christopher West explores and justifies the reasoning behind the Catholic teachings about God, human sexuality and the meaning of our lives, and how they are all connected to one another based on the Theology of the Body. These talks are aimed at a general audience, whether single or married; since he explains why being aware of God's original plan for sexuality
and marriage and hence the Church's teachings on them, provides meaning and contentment in our lives even for those who are single or celibate.
Additionally, he explains how society's popular perception of sexual love is only a distorted imitation of the genuine definition of it and offers approaches to overcome it. It is believed that the Theology of the Body is considered to have already begun a sexual counter-revolution and is destined to renew both the Church and society in general.
 Straight
Talk about Sex
Christopher West, 2004
This talk presented to an auditorium of college students at Villanova University which is aimed towards young adults, particularly students; is carried out by sharing his experiences and struggles as a young adult as well as other stories and analogies. It explores the meaning of freedom, the world's understanding of the word and the Church's understanding of it. Whilst students would
generally strive to be treated as adults and therefore have the freedom to whatever they wanted, it often leads to a loss of morals and acceptance of a hedonistic culture.
Christopher West addresses this problem of the idea of freedom being a separation from God and the Church, offering an explanation of the true definition of freedom as the ability desire to make the right choices according to God. He encourages the audience to strive for love, which leads to the happiness they're looking for, instead of lust which is often misinterpreted as love and
explains the true relationship between man and woman as intended by God.
 Winning
the Battle for Sexual Purity
Christopher West, 2004
Winning the Battle for Sexual Purity consists of a talk aimed at men which deals with the struggles with sexual purity and lust that most men face regularly; he does this by explaining the devil's distortion of society's perception of sex and women in order to block its view of the God through the bearing of new life.
The talk commences with the example of the two "Adams" within scripture and their ability to love his bride, while the first failed to do so, the new Adam, Jesus Christ did so in dying for his bride, the Church, concluding that the purpose of every man is also lay his life down for woman in order to glorify her. The talk concludes with a practical plan based on Christopher West's own
experiences for avoiding lust and seeing others in a pure way; changing the perception of women from being an object for selfish gratification to the true view of women intended by God.
 Woman:
God's Masterpiece
Christopher West, 2004
Through two talks entitled "Woman, God's Masterpiece", Christopher West presents the genuine Christian feminism compared to the false feminism that is widely accepted today. He explains the nature and genius of woman especially in her ability to bring new life into the world and urges women to follow the example of the Virgin Mary in her acceptance to God's will and to demonstrate the meaning of being a bride of Christ by living out their femininity
He also examines various contentious Church teachings and biblical readings which relates to femininity, such as the issues surrounding contraception and the call for women to submit to their husbands.
Christopher West's Presentation at the CEO
March 2003, Perth
For sale from The Record in Perth.
Duration: 2-3hrs
As part of his visit to Australia in 2003, Christopher West came to Western Australia courtesy of WA's Catholic newspaper The Record. He did a number of presentations including this one at the Catholic Education Office. Bursting at the seams with people who came to see him speak, Chris does his presentation standing on a table!
For the first half of the video, he presents a cut-down / summarised version of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body . The second half of the presentation is a question and answer session with the audience on mainly sexual morality questions.
Unfortunately, the quality of the recording itself is a little amateurish with no introduction, poor sound and a tape change during his discussions on contraception. However, it is still a good overview and introduction to those who are new to the Theology of the Body. I recommend this for everyone, but especially for those who have heard about the TOTB but haven't seen anything yet.
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