Can a reasonable case be made for Catholicism? Maybe even a compelling case? Or does the Catholic argument falter? Does it wilt before critiques from top-notch opponents? Judge for yourself. You don’t have to be Catholic or even religious to relish the intellectual sparring that goes on in these pages. Here is high-level controversial writing, culled from Karl Keating’s favorite books. Each selection is a forceful exposition of Catholic truth. Most are from the 1930s, all come from English Catholics, and all are aimed at a single antagonist, with the public invited to look over the writer’s shoulder. The reader can view the weaknesses and occasional mistakes even of his own champion.These pages are filled with vivid personalities. These were men who knew the Catholic faith and could explain it to others. The individuals against whom they wrote may not have been converted—one or two were, in the long run—but any number of readers of these little-known masterpieces must have found their faith bolstered and their doubts assuaged. The issues covered in these exchanges are still discussed today—but probably nowhere as in as glorious a style as here.

Apologetics the English Way

Religion & Spirituality

Keating, Karl

Christian Books & Bibles

Rasselas House

For many, the best way to reach an understanding of the Catholic Church is to see how other people misunderstand it. 
This book is full of misunderstandings.
The people quoted in these pages came to their confusions in various ways. 
Sometimes it was by reading the wrong books or by failing to read the right books. Sometimes it was a matter of heredity, with prejudices passed down from father to son and from mother to daughter. At other times errors were imbibed at the foot of the pulpit, in the university lecture hail, or from door-to-door missionaries.
Whatever their origin, misunderstandings are misunderstandings. They should be recognized for what they are and set aside, even if that means a break from personal habit or family tradition. 
More than a century ago, Pope Leo XIII noted that there is nothing so salutary as to understand the world as it really is. That is true particularly of the Church that Christ established because to misunderstand her is to misunderstand him.

Jeremiah's Lament

An ex-priest takes on a Catholic apologist. What could go wrong? 
Bart Brewer once was a Catholic priest. Then he “unpoped” and became a Baptist. For years he led a ministry dedicated to bringing Catholics into “real” Christianity. He went around the country regaling Fundamentalist crowds with what purported to be the inside story of the Church of Rome. Then he made the mistake of agreeing to debate a Catholic apologist. 
The topic was “Is the Roman Catholic Church Christian?” Brewer gave a firm “No.” He warned the audience darkly about “Papist” errors. He argued for sola scriptura and against Catholic teachings. The hall shook with his rhetoric, but the result was not quite what he had hoped for. 
Karl Keating is the author of Catholicism and Fundamentalism, Booked for Life: The Bibliographic Memoir of an Accidental Apologist, The New Geocentrists, the How to Fail at Hiking series, and other works. His avocations include backpacking, studying languages, and playing the baroque mandolino. His author website is karlkeating.com.

Face Off with an Ex-Priest (Debating Catholicism)

What happens when the king of the King James Only movement squares off against a Catholic apologist who doesn’t apologize for his faith? 
Peter S. Ruckman styled himself a Fundamentalist, but most Fundamentalist writers disavowed him, partly for his singular beliefs but mostly for his acerbic personality. They thought he was usually wrong in his attitudes and approach, but they tended to agree with him when he went after the Catholic Church. 
This lively public debate was held at a large Baptist church. Most listeners were on Ruckman’s side. For their benefit, he didn’t hesitate to thump his Bible, and he made wild claims about the Catholic religion, trying to prove his assertions by quoting Catholic sources. Did he succeed, or was the Fundamentalist king unhorsed by the Catholic knight? 
Karl Keating is the author of Catholicism and Fundamentalism, Booked for Life: The Bibliographic Memoir of an Accidental Apologist, The New Geocentrists, the How to Fail at Hiking series, and other works. His avocations include backpacking, studying languages, and playing the baroque mandolino. His author website is karlkeating.com.

The Bible Battle (Debating Catholicism)

Four prominent anti-Catholics. Four public debates. Four rollicking books in one volume. This omnibus volume contains the complete text of four books: The Bible Battle, High Desert Showdown, Tracking Down the True Church, and Face Off with an Ex-Priest. They are edited transcripts of public debates Karl Keating had with prominent anti-Catholics, men who devoted all or large parts of their careers to opposing the Church of Rome and its distinctive teachings. 
The topics discussed and the arguments used, on both sides, are perennial. So, unfortunately, are the misconceptions and imprecisions exhibited by Keating’s opponents. He tried to correct those misconceptions and adjust those imprecisions in the heat of public exchanges. How did he fare? Was the Catholic faith vindicated or vanquished?
Karl Keating is the author of Catholicism and Fundamentalism, Booked for Life: The Bibliographic Memoir of an Accidental Apologist, The New Geocentrists, the How to Fail at Hiking series, and other works. His avocations include backpacking, studying languages, and playing the baroque mandolino. His author website is karlkeating.com.

Debating Catholicism

The best way to succeed at something is to learn how to fail at it—and then to avoid the things that lead to failure. There are books that tell you how to succeed at hiking Mt. Whitney. This book helps you not to fail by showing you what not to do, from the moment you start planning your trip to the moment you reach the summit. You learn what gear not to buy and not to take, how to maximize your chances of getting a hiking permit (don't apply for the wrong days of the week!), how to prepare yourself physically without over-preparing, how to avoid being laid low by altitude or weather problems, how not to take too much food or water—or too little. You even discover how to shave a mile off the trip by using little-known shortcuts that can make the difference between reaching the summit and reaching exhaustion. Most people who depart the Mt. Whitney trailhead fail to reach the top. Some fail because of things entirely beyond their control, but many fail because of insufficient preparation, false expectations, and basic errors of judgment. Their mistakes can come at the beginning (such as failing to get a hiking permit), during the preparation stage (such as being induced to buy "bombproof" gear), or during the hike (such as not heeding bodily warning signs). Through engaging stories of his own and others' failures, Karl Keating shows you how to fail—and therefore how to succeed—at hiking the tallest peak in the 48 contiguous states.

How to Fail at Hiking Mt. Whitney

Sports & Outdoors

Hiking & Camping

“Make a mess!” Pope Francis urged Catholics. But has he ended up making one himself? This has been the most controversial pontificate in memory. Catholics are taking sides, for and against the pope and each other. Some Catholics like everything Pope Francis says and does. Others think he’s tearing the Church apart. Some say he’s a breath of fresh air. Others say he’s sowing confusion in the ranks.How are faithful Catholics to understand this pontificate, and what limits, if any, should there be on criticizing a reigning pope?Popular author and apologist Karl Keating examines the claims and counter-claims made by prominent Catholics who have a high opinion of the papacy but—many of them—not a high opinion of its current occupant.

The Francis Feud: Why and How Conservative Catholics Squabble about Pope Francis

The open road. To many it means escape, but I wasn't escaping from anything.I traveled more than six thousand miles by plane, train, and bus to walk in unfamiliar country, but I left behind no process server, no posse, no bounty hunter. No one was looking for me, and no one, other than my wife, knew I had left home.I want to see an Italy I hadn't seen before. I wanted to get away from the cares of quotidian life. I wanted sustained, healthy exercise. And I looked for the novelty of the unknown and the unexpected. I found some of each and too much of some.The Cammino di San Benedetto (Way of St. Benedict) lies in the Apennine mountains to the east of Rome. Sometimes dirt, sometimes asphalt, it passes through villages that date to the Middle Ages. It is one of Italy's newest pilgrimage routes, as yet uncrowded and unspoiled. Along the Cammino I found characters as colorful as the fields and serenety as deep as the valleys. I even found out something about myself.

Sun, Storm, and Solitude: Discovering Hidden Italy on the Cammino di San Benedetto

1054 and All That: A Lighthearted History of the Catholic Church

History

World

REAL CATHOLIC HISTORY, PRESENTED WITH WIT AND AN "ATTITUDE" 
From the first to the twenty-first century, here's all the Catholic history anyone can (or needs to) remember, with loads of laughs along the way.\nSaints and sinners, popes and princes, councils and conundrums: it's all here, in a way to lighten your heart, broaden your smile, and expand your knowledge. It's real history, served up with unexpected extrapolations, curious confusions, and illustrious illustrations. (And look out for the footnotes!)\nYour host is Karl Keating, author of more than twenty books, including top works of Catholic apologetics. He takes you on a whirlwind tour of the history of the Catholic Church, from its founding by its Founder up to our own era. He delights you with short accounts of long events, with explanations of the inexplicable, and with snapshots of the famous and the infamous.\nIt's all presented so winningly that this book is suitable for readers of all ages and all persuasions. You don't have to be Catholic to enjoy it, though (fair warning!) you might end up Catholic by the time you finish it.

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Rasselas House publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Rasselas House

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Rasselas House publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Apologetics the English Way

Jeremiah's Lament

Face Off with an Ex-Priest (Debating Catholicism)

The Bible Battle (Debating Catholicism)

Debating Catholicism

How to Fail at Hiking Mt. Whitney

The Francis Feud: Why and How Conservative Catholics Squabble about Pope Francis

Sun, Storm, and Solitude: Discovering Hidden Italy on the Cammino di San Benedetto

1054 and All That: A Lighthearted History of the Catholic Church

1054 and All That: A Lighthearted History of the Catholic Church