Orthdoxy

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A grand apologetic work in which Chesterton shows the madness of modern atheist thought, displays the wonder of the mundane world, and glories in the ancient novelty of orthodoxy.

Ancient novelty, you say? This is my own phrase for Chesterton’s self-described journey to faith. He came to orthodox Christianity thinking it was a brand new thing, only to discover it had been there all along. Like sailing the ocean, coming to land and thinking it’s a new discovery, only to find out you’ve hit Long Island.

Chesterton calls for a loyalty to the world as God made it. We need to reject the pessimistic hatred of life and suicide toward which modernity inevitably drags us. Do we critique things and people because we love them or because we love hurting them from a resentment inside?

Part of that loyalty is maintaining a wonder at it all. It isn’t some law of necessity that turns eggs into chickens – it is magical. God calls to the sun every morning: “Do it again!” We get tired of this because we are old and stale, while God remains full of vitality. This wonder leads us to respect creational boundaries God built in to it.

Chesterton’s literary knowledge and references are vast, and I hardly get half of them. His writing style is quite meandering and indirect. It isn’t for everyone, but his ideas are an essential and hearty tonic for the orthodox, and an effective antidote against the atheistic and materialistic thought that continues to prevail today.



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