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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
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... more info
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... more info
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.
