Abstract
As its colloquial title would suggest, John L. Allen Jr.’s new book on Catholicism is crafted as a casual conversation between the curious outsider and a very plugged-in modern correspondent. Allen is most famous for his weekly column on world Catholicism, ‘All Things Catholic,’ and his book reflects this global perspective as well as his own journalistic background. The volume is written in a question and answer format, and organized into twelve standalone chapters, with loose and general titles like ‘Catholicism 101’ and ‘Catholicism and Money.’
Allen, being a senior correspondent to the Vatican, is deeply cognizant of the points at which modern reader would need clarification regarding the Catholic Church, especially given its controversial history, and the contemporary tendency towards sensationalist media coverage. As he puts it, ‘there’s nothing like Roman Catholicism for sheer drama’ (p. 1). In particular, his chapter ‘Angels, Demons, and Saints’ seeks to engage with Da Vinci Code fueled speculation by offering a straightforward and honest rendering of how the Catholic Church understands the supernatural. He is careful to include questions that range from basic and inquisitive (‘What’s a Saint?’ p. 136), to loaded and critical (‘If saints are supposed to be such holy people, why are so many sainthood cases controversial?’ p. 141).
Allen does not shy away from controversy, and is careful to present more than Vatican apologetics. In his presentation of the child abuse scandal, in his important chapter ‘Crisis and Scandal’, Allen phrases his questions so that Church officials, grassroots organizers, and avowed critics are each given space independently to defend their position. He similarly addresses Catholic positions on sexual morality with equal attention given to official Vatican-sanctioned theology, as well as popular Catholic approaches to sexuality. While Allen’s approach is necessarily succinct, he fairly represents diverse viewpoints consistently throughout the book.
The reader will find a brief list of recommended reading in the back, but the work leaves aside academic considerations in favor of a more real-world approach. Allen sees the Catholic Church at a crossroads, as a globalizing Church coming into contact with a deeply curious world media. This book is designed to debunk common myths (see pp. 7-13) so as to facilitate a more educated and level headed dialogue, and Allen succeeds at giving simple answers to the pressing questions he recognizes the modern observer might have.