Good News - Definition and Overview

Good News is the original meaning of the word gospel in both English and Greek. The phrase is commonly used by Christian preachers and theologians as a synonym for the message of Jesus or for the message about Jesus. In evangelical circles it is sometimes used with the more specific meaning of the salvation that, according to traditional Christian theology, Jesus provides. In this context, the phrase connotes the promise and hope of an eternal life given as a free gift by God, given out of grace and mercy rather than deserved.

Good News is also the name of a musical comedy which opened on Broadway in 1927, set on the campus of the fictional "Tait College". The book was by Buddy DeSylva and Laurence Schwab, lyrics by Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown, and music by Ray Henderson. It was adapted as a movie in 1930, and again in 1947 in Technicolor; the latter featured additional songs by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and starred June Allyson and Peter Lawford. The musical was revived on Broadway in a 1974 production.