Orthodoxy

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: In a lucid exposition, G. K. Chesterton calls it the way he sees it. Consider the fallacy of the inner light, i.e., one's own internal inspiration. He says such people who worship the god within worship themselves. He is not talking about the Spirit within in this case, he's talking about self-worship.

On health matters. He says there is something unhealthy in the mere pursuit of health. Consider his observation about courage, "Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die."

On things unseen he writes about miracles and people who believe in them. "For some extraordinary reason, there is a fixed notion that it is more liberal to disbelieve in miracles than to believe in them. Why, I cannot imagine, nor can anybody tell me."
He adds that those who believe in miracles do so because they have evidence, whereas those who disbelieve do so because they have doctrine that teaches them so.

Rating:
Summary: Life changing book!!
Review: In ORTHODOXY, Chesterton provides somewhat of a spiritual autobiography for the reader, weaving together his eloquent writing style with his brilliant Christian apologetics. This book challenges the mind, while arousing a sense of wonder that truly captures the deep spirituality of G.K. Chesterton's own pilgrimage. He explores the realm of mystery in the Orthodox view, while engaging the tradition that it encompasses, transforming it from a safe haven of believe to a rich "romance" of faith and uncertainty. The attentive reader will have difficulty putting this book down.

Rating:
Summary: G.K. Chesterton is the Man
Review: In the tradition of the heavywights like C.S Lewis. G.K.Chesterton makes the final case for the Truth.

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Summary: nothing worthwile comes quick or easy
Review: In this book Chesterton has given us enough material upon which to meditate for a lifetime. What he writes is often far more complex than it seems after the first reading. Although this book can be difficult to follow at times due to the wordiness of Chesterton, he always clarifies himself and his points regardless of the fact that is often takes him a whole chapter. The real value of this piece is realized not after the first reading, but after the fifth tenth and unknown readings. If your mind is sharp, you will find yourself frequently laughing out-loud at Chesterton's clever and concealed way of refuting the foolishness of our current thought with the foolishness of God. Chesterton says that his philosophy that he reveals in this book is not of his own creation, for he did not make it, God made it and it made him... I tend to agree.

Rating:
Summary: It's All About Quitting
Review: In this book, GK Chesterton tells us that individualism and independent thought are very bad things, indeed. The ultimate value of our lives is apparently fulfilled by submitting to the whims and doctrines of Catholic authorities, wherever and whenever the opportunity arises.

But what if the Catholic authority happens to be a priest who sexually abuses children? Is a child who resists the advances of a sexually abusive priest justified in his defiance? I can't see how Chesterton could say the defiance is warranted, since church authority is the highest possible good. In order to recognize that defiance of authority is sometimes justified, we must admit that the Church does NOT have all the answers, and independent analysis of moral problems is necessary. Church authority, in the past, has been used to discriminate against women, homosexuals, and other minorities. Today the Church backs away from these stances, but only because some people had the courage and independence of thought to challenge orthodoxy. The sad truth is that Catholic orthodoxy has never been a guarantor of worthy ethical values, no matter how much Chesterton tries to convince us otherwise.

Rating:
Summary: The Orthodox Paradox
Review: In this masterpiece Chesterton spells out in strong literary beauty the apparent contradictions in Christianity that baffle non-Christians. He draws the distinction between the 'balance' that many people search for and the paradox in Christianity. The Christian is not searching for a balance, but wants both seeming opposites in their fullest degree. Chesterton lays the truth of Christianity on the line in this book showing his conversion and by doing so assists others in their own conversions.

Rating:
Summary: A valiant attempt
Review: Insofar as entertainment value, Chesterton should be praised for his gift of prose; he would make a great talk show host! But other than simple amusement at his turns of phrase, there is little that is intellectually bearable in this book. His logic is like a sieve full of self-defeating holes. Appalled and exasperated, I could not bring myself to read past the first half of the book. An agnostic, maybe I shouldn't have hoped to be impressed by what was clearly meant ONLY for people of strong Christian faith. However, I do have respect for Chesterton's passion for his faith. I can now begin to understand what having a romance with one's faith means. This is a valiant attempt to be persuasive in an area where religious faith has no business in, is inescapably incompatible with, and hence should stay clear of--the logical, intellectual realm. No matter how much passion Chesterton has or how formidable his strength of conviction is, he cannot perform miracles in a fact-bound world; blind religious faith simply cannot be reconciled with factual scientific logic. His only excuse is that he existed in a time when science was not as advanced as it is today.

Rating:
Summary: Let's be even-handed here
Review: Let me keep this short for the person who just wants a quick and dirty view. I realize that most readers loved this book and will defend it to the end, but to be fair the book can be hard to follow at times, i.e., the book requires a background knowledge of the late 20th century that most causual readers don't have and can be frustratingly inconsistent in terms of clarity.

The book is witty and provocative, but if you're looking for something to use to help your agnostic neighbor who's hooked on phonetics and the X-box, this book will be a big snore.

For those of us who want an apologetics change-up, it's a good read.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely brilliant
Review: Like C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton is one of the greatest apologists of all time. "Orthodoxy" is a masterpiece of Christian literature, my favourite part being the chapter on paradoxes.

Only the most ingrained skeptics won't find intelligent and useful insights in this book, but that's because they refuse to find anything insightful in any Christian's work.

G.K. Chesterton has a great sense of humour, a wonderful style of prose, and is clearly a most amazing thinker and a uniquely brilliant Christian. I highly recommend it to all honest seekers & thinkers.

Rating:
Summary: A Defense of Orthodoxy
Review: Like most others who have read Chesterton, I find him enjoyable, hilarious, and utterly commonsensical. Orthodoxy is the perfect introduction to the man and his writings.

(...)The orthodoxy Chesterton speaks of is not the Eastern Christianity but traditional Christian doctrine from even before there was a division in the Church. It is akin to Lewis's Mere Christianity in that it is not in any particular denomination but mainly to be found in the early creeds of the Church which the vast majority of Christians acknowledge as authoritative (e.g., Apostles', Nicene).

In response to those who dismiss Chesterton's views as "unscientific" or "outdated," I answer, as Chesterton might, that a strictly empirical method of acknowledging reality is not defensible on strictly empirical grounds, and to assert such is thoroughly narrow-minded and dogmatic, or something to that effect. Chesterton's treatement of foreign peoples may often be characterized by ill-informed or distorted views, but I cannot recall any malice towards them. In our society so eager to be offended, many often overlook the truths within satire, or satirical writing. As for his views just being an excuse to be contrary, if anything he was seeking to be the same, similar to two thousand years of Christianity. As he famously writes "Tradition is the democracy of the dead."

Finally, I believe that any unprejudiced person, while perhaps not agreeing completely, would find it difficult to deny out-of-hand Chesteron's characterizations of man, man's sinful nature, and his wonder at the universe. And at the very least, his style is engaging and Orthodoxy is certainly great reading.