1054 And All That

When I was asked by Karl Keating to be the beta reader for his most recent book, 1054 And All That, of course I jumped at the opportunity.  While he might not be a household name throughout the realm, Keating is certainly well enough known in Catholic circles.  (I mean, heck, he’s the guy who founded Catholic Answers!)  When I was in high school, another of his books, Catholicism vs. Fundamentalism, was instrumental in my understanding the core differences between the one true faith and the myriad versions of so-called Christianity.  It also helped me to better defend the faith when dialoguing with my various Protestant and Pentecostal friends.  (I admit this is still something I need to work on, as my passions often get the better of me.)

For those who might not know, a beta reader is someone who reads a manuscript that is already fairly polished and itching to get to the printers.  (As you might guess, it’s already been beneath the eyes of an alpha reader, who I presume in this case was someone from the publisher or even Mr. Keating himself.)  The beta reader’s purpose is to offer thoughts and reactions, and to catch any errors that might have gone hitherto unnoticed.  (I actually did catch some grammatical and punctuation mistakes.  In writing, as in life, it’s usually easier to identify the faults of others than our own.)  As for my impressions of the book, I’ll share with you the same thing I told Mr. Keating…

First of all, let me just explain that 1054 And All That is a summarical synopsis of Christianity – yes, over two millennia of history encapsulated in 140 pages.  Impossible?  Well, realistically, yes.  But somehow Keating manages to pull it off.  To be clear, the book is transparently lighthearted in its approach.  (The subtitle is actually A Lighthearted History of the Catholic Church.)  But this doesn’t make it any less accurate or informative.  I could do my best to describe it, but let me instead allow the book to speak for itself by sharing a brief excerpt…

                                                                                 Pentecost

The history of the Catholic Church begins with its founding by its Father, who informed the first Pope, Peter, that he (the Founder) would build a Church. Always true to his word, since he himself was the Word, the Founder did so.

Called within a lifetime the Catholic Church because it was meant for men everywhere (catholic means universal, which in turn means everywhere), the Church came into the world on the Feast of Pentecost.

On its very first day the Church received three thousand new recruits. They became convinced by listening to the apostles preach in the listeners’ own, disparate languages. This was before the advent of captioned videos, so everyone in Jerusalem was duly impressed.  Except for a Pharisee named Saul. 

I chose this particular passage because it happens to be one of the first (and one of the shortest).  But I think it provides a fair sense of the book’s tone – one that seeks to inform with just the right dose of humor (without ever being blasphemous, which is kind of important).  The book is, of course, not intended as a substitute for the serious study of Church history, with all its richness, details, and complexity.  Those who already know a good deal will recognize all the more references and, hence, get all the more chuckles.  For those who know very little, this book (which can easily be read in a few hours) provides a useful overview, and potentially some inspiration to pursue more in-depth study.  In short, I recommend this for any Catholic home library, or as a gift to anyone (Catholic or not) who might enjoy things such as learning or laughing.

When I told Mr. Keating that 1054 And All That was the most enjoyable thing I’d read since Bill Bryson’s A Walk In The Woods, it happened to be quite true.  (I had just finished the Bryson book within a year or so of tackling 1054.)  When I made that comment, I didn’t know at the time that Mr. Keating was an avid hiker.  Though I never asked him directly, I’m going to assume he likely read Walk – another book I highly recommend – at some point.  At any rate, he must have been pleased with my comparison, as he used that bit of praise in the blurbs on the opening pages of the book.  (The publisher was even gracious enough to identify me as the author of Masaru – another book that I highly recommend!)

I admit I was a bit disappointed that I wasn’t chosen to be the narrator for the audio version of 1054.  But in retrospect, I probably don’t have the right voice for the particular genre.  (I tend to sound mundanely serious.  That said, I think I did a decent job narrating my own book – check it out on Google Play!)  The fellow they went with does a fine rendering, so I recommend the audio version for those who are into that.

Thanks again, Mr. Keating, for allowing me to be a small part of this little but impactful book.  To anyone reading this – get yourself a copy!  You won’t be disappointed.