EVANGELII GAUDIUM - page 139

139
CHAPTER FOUR
THE SOCIAL DIMENSION
OF EVANGELIZATION
176. To evangelize is to make the kingdom of
God present in our world. Yet “any partial or
fragmentary definition which attempts to render
the reality of evangelization in all its richness,
complexity and dynamism does so only at the risk
of impoverishing it and even of distorting it”.140
I would now like to share my concerns about the
social dimension of evangelization, precisely be-
cause if this dimension is not properly brought
out, there is a constant risk of distorting the au-
thentic and integral meaning of the mission of
evangelization.
I. Communal and societal repercussions of
the kerygma
177. The kerygma has a clear social content: at
the very heart of the Gospel is life in community
and engagement with others. The content of the
first proclamation has an immediate moral impli-
cation centred on charity.
Confession of faith and commitment to society
178. To believe in a Father who loves all men
and women with an infinite love means realizing
140 Paul VI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii
Nuntiandi (8 December 1975), 17: AAS 68 (1976), 17.