‘Keeper of the Keys’ is a virtual missionary journey

Where Peter goes, there goes the Church. And where Peter went, there went Steve Ray. Literally.

In “Peter: Keeper of the Keys,” the first in a planned 10-part video series to be distributed by Ignatius Press called The Footprints of God: The Story of Salvation from Abraham to Augustine, the popular Catholic apologist begins an appealing, informative re-tracing of salvation history — through the actual sites in which key events transpired.

Why begin toward the tail end of the story arc rather than right at the beginning? That's not made clear, but it's evident the producers, St. Joseph Productions, are onto something. This is one engaging and inviting virtual tour of Christian history and doctrine.

In Ray, a convert to the Catholic faith from evangelical Protestantism, this excursion has an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. Outfitted, by turns, in canvas hat, vest, binoculars, sunglasses and sandals, he comes across as equal parts catechist, archaeologist and day-tripper.

Recounting the first pope's missionary adventures from the Holy Land to Rome, Ray draws heavily from Scripture to show how St. Peter's activities then are relevant to Catholics' lives now. He does a good job of moving things along at a brisk pace.

And he manages to keep things fun. Trudging up Mt. Tabor, he remarks: “Boy, these disciples must have been some tough guys.”

Given Ray's successful work as an apologist — he's the author of Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historic Church and Upon This Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church — you'd expect this production to have a strong defending-the-faith angle. And you'd be right. “Keeper of the Keys” underscores the scriptural and historic basis of such Petrine principles as papal authority, infallibility and the succession of the Chair of Peter.

The video begins in Bethsaida, the ancient city north of the Sea of Galilee where Peter grew up. Ray explores the topography and takes a look at such details as an ancient fishing boat, bronze fishing hooks and the basalt used to build homes in first-century Palestine. These touches help give a sense of what life must have been like for Peter prior to his life-changing encounter with the teacher from Nazareth.

Ray then takes us to Capernaum, where he introduces a modern-day commercial fisherman who describes the challenges he faces — and which Peter must have faced — while making a living on the Sea of Galilee. Until, of course, the day Jesus called to Peter and his brother, Andrew: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

“Why would Jesus choose Peter, a rugged man who smelled of fish and not of books?” Ray asks, inviting us to ponder the question for ourselves.

Then it's on to Cesarea Philippi, where Ray scales a rock 100 feet high and 500 feet long. This is the spot, he explains, on which Christ asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” And here is where Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” — prompting Jesus to respond, “You are Kepha, and on this Kepha I will build my Church.” In other words, we're looking at the very spot on which the Church was born.

Next stop is Mt. Tabor, site of the Transfiguration, and then the Mensa Christi, or table of Christ, where, after the first Easter, Jesus astonished the Apostles by showing up for breakfast by the sea. Here Ray reads the passage from John 22 describing the scene as he sits by an open fire, roasting fish.

From there it's on to Jerusalem, where we are shown the Upper Room, then to Joppa and Caserea by the Sea, where Peter baptized the Roman centurion Cornelius and his household. Ray points out that, although it would be St. Paul who would become the missionary to the Gentiles, Peter was the first to open baptism, and therefore salvation, to the Gentiles. In so doing, he explains, St. Peter laid the groundwork for papal authority and the fact that his decisions were binding upon the whole Church.

Finally, in the final segment, we are whisked 2,000 miles away, to — where else? — St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Ray describes how the magnificent church was built over the Circus of Nero, on the very spot where Peter was crucified. He points out that the bones of St. Peter sit directly beneath the basilica's main altar and Michelangelo's dome.

Throughout, the video makes good use of music, artwork and maps — and opens up meditations of Scripture and the Catechism that could only be coaxed with such vibrant and evocative sights and sounds. I watched “Keeper of the Keys” with my family, and was impressed by its ability to raise questions in my children's minds. My 6-year-old son wanted to know, for example, why St. Peter was crucified upside down.

I was also heartened to see that the video bears an imprimatur from Bishop Carl F. Mengeling, of Lansing, Mich., ensuring that its content is free from doctrinal error.

Indeed, the only criticism I can come up with is that I wish we didn't have to wait so long for the rest of the series. Ignatius plans to release the second installment, “Mary: The Mother of God” this summer, and to begin production on the third, “Moses: Signs, Sacraments & Salvation” in the fall. Then will follow videos on Abraham, David and Solomon, Elijah and Elisha, Paul, the Apostolic Fathers, and the Doctors of the Church.

Bring them on.

Bring them all on.

Tim Drake writes from

St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Information

“Peter: Keeper of the Keys”

Ignatius Press, 2002

70 minutes, $24.95

To order: (800) 651-1531

or www.ignatius.com