Diminishing the gospel message is a practice that is as old as apostolic times. We need only think of the difficulties that St. Paul encountered in Galatia and Corinth. Sometimes the problem results from that all too common tendency among humans to hear only what we want to hear. We also have to face up to the fact, however, that often, although certainly not always, what is presented as the gospel is merely a watered-down version of it. Petty rules are often seen as being more important than love, and something insipid and appallingly unattractive is claimed to be the good news of the kingdom.

This book is a small contribution towards efforts to improve the situation by exploring words and themes that are central to the gospel message. Highlighted are such matters as the facts that mercy in the gospel is an amazingly beautiful thing that bears little resemblance to what the word means outside of gospel contexts; that the peace of Christ is much more than the absence of conflict and/or any of the other dictionary definitions of the English word ‘peace’; and that the notion of obedience to God is something far richer than anything we normally attribute to obedience in other contexts. Clearly, however, preaching and listening to the gospel are not merely intellectual exercises. Openness to thè Holy Spirit is therefore also a major theme throughout the book.