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 | | ORTHODOXY by Gilbert, K. Chesterson ISBN-10: 9781595478726 ISBN-10: 1-59547-872-8 ISBN-13: 9781595478726 ISBN-13: 978-1-59547-872-6 Paperback 2007-07-08 NuVision Publications Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description This book is meant to be a companion to "Heretics," and to put the positive side in addition to the negative. Many critics complained of the book called "Heretics" because it merely criticised current philosophies without offering any alternative philosophy. This book is an attempt to answer the challenge. It is unavoidably affirmative and therefore unavoidably autobiographical. The writer has been driven back upon somewhat the same difficulty as that which beset Newman in writing his Apologia; he has been forced to be egotistical only in order to be sincere. While everything else may be different the motive in both cases is the same. It is the purpose of the writer to attempt an explanation, not of whether the Christian Faith can be believed, but of how he personally has come to believe it. The book is therefore arranged upon the positive principle of a riddle and its answer. It deals first with all the writer's own solitary and sincere speculations and then with all the startling style in which they were all suddenly satisfied by the Christian Theology. The writer regards it as amounting to a convincing creed. But if it is not that it is at least a repeated and surprising coincidence. -- G. K. Chesterton | ||
Reviews | ||
Orthodoxy ORTHODOXYOrthodoxy If you enjoy mental gymnastics along with your Christian education, you will love this book. It is full of quotable lines, clever insights and more mental switchbacks than you will find in any other writer. | ||
Christianity Vol. 2 While Chesterton dedicates this book to his mother, he claims that George Slythe Street is the books inspiration and creator. That is, G.S. Street was one of many critics to present an opinion about Chesterton's Heretics, and happened to have presented the opinion to which Chesterton responded. When on the first page Chesterton states that it was incautious of Street to provoke an individual that is all too ready to write books, and in the final sentence of the first chapter claims that he would write Street another book if he needed clarification with regard to a topic only touched upon by Chesterton, it quickly becomes clear that Orthodoxy is yet another shining example of Chesterton's mirth applied to frequently solemn subject matter. Orthodoxy, as Chesterton appears to agree, is, however, the appropriate conclusion to the work he began with Heretics. If Heretics presented all that is wrong, Orthodoxy can rightly be seen as presenting the standard by which Chesterton deemed such philosophies heretical. To truly appreciate either of the aforementioned titles, both should be read as if they were a singular work. In Orthodoxy, Chesterton does justify his position maintained throughout Heretics in a manner as uniform as he might have been able to conjure. Throughout the work Chesterton utilizes his own experiences and thoughts to illustrate and, perhaps, demonstrate his seemingly inevitable arrive at truth. At times it almost seems as if Chesterton slips into irrelevant stream of thought tangents but never fails to reconcile his intended point, illuminating the necessity of what might have otherwise seemed entirely unnecessary. In fact, Chesterton masterfully builds what he claimed is not a properly thorough defense of Christianity into what might be one of the most poignant apologetic works ever. He does so in a way that makes Orthodoxy read like a suspense novel in that the entire effort bears its timeless fruit in the last few pages, if not in the last sentence, after supplying almost innumerable pieces of information that appeared just unrelated enough to ensure that the final piece would act as a blazing beacon of a keystone. While Chesterton might have failed to present that tangible evidence, that scientific process by which the claims of Christianity can be undoubtedly proved, he clearly and boldly presented that proof which every Christian exists for; the proof that every Christian can verify, albeit not as gracefully. While Chesterton's The Everlasting Man might be the work that he is best known for, Heretics and, especially, Orthodoxy are magnificent demonstrations of Chesterton's ability to cast light on the eventual obvious reality and significance of everything. | ||
Necessity for Every Thinking Christian Chesterton's Orthodoxy is a book that all thinking Christians should read. If you are like me, you may have begun a foray into rational Christianity that took you deep into the academic fray. You find that you CAN defend your faith logically, that Christians need not be afraid of the syllogism. But if you dive deep into the works of Plantinga, Moreland, Willard and such, you find yourself needing to come up for air. This is the book that will be like an oxygen tank; it will allow you to breathe in the depths. The truth is that rational thought is a gift of God. But when we live life, our rationale at times ceases to provide explanation for every event. We discover that our vocabulary is not able to stretch far enough to describe the most precious moments of our lives. Chesterton encapsulates this truth better than any writer I've run across yet. He gives us permission to enjoy the tumultuous sea that the rationalist seeks to map, dissect and explain. I find the comments of one of the previous reviewers to be specifically illustrative. He states, "Much like a gorgeous flower it is best to view it than ingest it." This reveals to us that he didn't really get the point of Chesterton's writing. What kind of person wants to eat a gorgeous flower rather than look at it? Modern and post-modern thinkers have lost their love for the mysterious. They have drifted so far away that gorgeous flowers cease to be nourishment for the soul and are thought only of as food for the stomach. This is the bankruptcy of which Chesterton writes. I discuss this fact in my podcast, Christian With A Brain. This book was one of my primary sources for a study called, The Limits of Logic. For those thinkers that love to dissect, remember that in order to properly dissect something, you must first kill it. | ||
Frilled but Fascinating It's a whirlwind of provocative thought. Clever beyond what most any other writer can pull off. A defense of his faith that could almost convince the faithless, and if not, at least it will entertain them. I agree with the previous reviewer that it isn't to be studied. Chesterton mouths off with a flurry of defenses that may not always hold up under scrutiny, but that's part of why he's so enjoyable. He dances with furious swordplay that becomes fascinating and funny. And sometimes his defenses hold up so well under scrutiny that they change your view - he's gifted at pointing out the emptiness of popular arguments against the strength of the old ones. Read the chapter on THE PARADOXES OF CHRISTIANITY and decide yourself. | ||
Circle Talk at its Best This book is both dull and magnificent. Chesterton's writing style is brilliant even though often his writing is pointless. Like a trial lawyer engaged in circle talk he says a mouthful but at the same time, although eloquent, it is a mouthful of nothing. Much like a gorgeous flower it is best to view it than ingest it. So this book too is better lightly read than seriously studied. | ||