The Keating Files: The Pivotal Players – Models of Faithfulness for Catholics and Non-Catholics

by David Keating

The Keating Files – December 9, 2020

When Bishop Robert Barron’s Catholicism series ran on PBS it made a cultural impact within Christianity that surpassed expectations. He often tells stories about how he had to travel across the United States seeking out funding in order to get the initial project done. Even more surprising was that PBS decided to air it. The program itself was a rigorous defense of the Catholic faith, but one that drew from all the elements that go into being a Catholic.

This meant that the series presented the key parts of Catholic doctrine. It took the viewer on trips around the world as it showcased various holy sites and buildings that are important to Catholics around the world. It also turned a spotlight toward key figures within the development of Roman Catholicism, as well as Christianity more broadly.

In The Pivotal Players, Barron once again returns to some of the important people within the Catholic tradition. The book (which is based on the documentary that bears the same name) focuses on St. Augustine, St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Michelangelo, Bartolomé de las Casas, Ignatius of Loyola, John Henry Newman, G.K. Chesterton, Fulton Sheen, and Flannery O’Connor.

Early on in the book, Barron reminds his audience that this is by no means an exhaustive list of every important person in Catholic history, but instead represents key figures who illustrate different aspects of Catholic life. For instance, St. Augustine reminds us of the rich intellectual life that accompanies the Christian tradition. Michelangelo serves as a window into the way in which art can help to channel the divine. More modern figures such as Flannery O’Connor help the reader to see the way in which Christian themes can intersect with fiction and literature in order to explore the implications of our faith as it plays out in a fictional southern gothic setting.

Part of what Barron’s book does so well is to remind us of the various facets of Christian faith and practice. So often we shoehorn everything that is associated with religion into a distinct spiritual category and sequester it off from the rest of our experience as human beings. But what these figures remind us of is the many and various ways in which the Christian faith engages the mind as well as the whole person.

Despite the book serving well as an introduction to these “pivotal players,” there is an issue that arises. It is simply an introduction to these people. More definitely could have been written, but it would have required a much larger book. Given the brief nature of each chapter, one can feel as though they are left wanting to learn more about each character presented. At times, Barron’s summary of their body of work can feel a little bit reductionist. In one particular instance, Barron describes St. Augustine’s view of sin as an off-character and that it points to the fact that life just isn’t quite how it should be. While this is a fine introduction to the idea for those unfamiliar with St. Augustine’s work, it’s hardly comprehensive.

Upon completing the book, one may feel as though the brevity actually helps the reader. The book itself becomes an invitation to read more about these important Christians. Perhaps it would also motivate the reader to seek out the key writings that are mentioned in each chapter of Barron’s book.

The most helpful aspect of this book is that, through each of these people, a sort-of roadmap to Catholicism can be crafted. One feels as though they are better able to articulate the unique character of the Roman Catholic faith and feel more at home in the language of that denomination. Perhaps what members of other denominations can take away from this is how helpful it is to create an outline of the important members of your church body, and how it helps to get a better understanding of what you have come to believe. I can quite easily imagine a Lutheran version of The Pivotal Players in which one is able to study not just Martin Luther, but other significant individuals such as Martin Chemnitz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Herman Sasse, and many more. Alas, this remains a task for another day.

In the meantime, feel free to give Bishop Robert Barron’s The Pivotal Players a read as you encounter many Christians who serve as a model of faithfulness for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

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The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.

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