G.K Chesterton

[shawnavery]

They're often mistaken for science fiction. They are not. They are theological, but take place largely off planet Earth.

Lol that is what I thought as well.

 

[shawnavery]

It's always a joy when someone discovers Chesterton.

And that's the thing. As one of the most complete thinkers that ever existed, he cannot be adequately described; he has to be discovered, to be encountered (kind of like the Church, eh?).

I know Dale Ahlquist has tried, on his site and in his books -introductions to Chesterton, but you just can't get your arms around this three hundred-pound giant. Even Lewis (whom I greatly admire) stands in his shadow.

The best first book of his to read probably IS "Orthodoxy" - except for any other of his books.

I am finding that to be true kind of the same feeling when I read mere Christianity by Lewis

 

[WisdomTree]

Guess then what might a recommendation be for learning more on Eastern Orthodox?

The Orthodox Study Bible! When I read it, I get the feeling that it was designed for Protestant Evangelicals to understand Orthodoxy and its relationship with scripture.

 

[rusmeister]

From ch 4 (The Ethics of Elfland):

Thus ends, in unavoidable inadequacy, the attempt to utter the unutterable things. These are my ultimate attitudes towards life; the soils for the seeds of doctrine. These in some dark way I thought before I could write, and felt before I could think: that we may proceed more easily afterwards, I will roughly recapitulate them now. I felt in my bones; first, that world does not explain itself. It may be miracle with a supernatural explanation; it may be a conjuring trick, with a natural explanation. But the explanation of the conjuring trick, if it is to satisfy me, will have to be better than the natural explanations I have heard. The thing is magic, true or false. Second, I came to feel as if magic must have a meaning, and meaning must have some one to mean it. There was something personal in the world, as in a work of art; whatever it meant it meant violently. Third, I thought this purpose beautiful in its old design, in spite of its defects, such as dragons. Fourth, that the proper form of thanks to it is some form of humility and restraint: we should thank God for beer and Burgundy by not drinking too much of them. We owed, also, an obedience to whatever made us. And last, and strangest, there had come into my mind a vague and vast impression that in some way all good was a remnant to be stored and held sacred out of some primordial ruin. Man had saved his good as Crusoe saved his goods: he had saved them from a wreck. All this I felt and the age gave me no encouragement to feel it. And all this time I had not even thought of Christian theology.

 

[MilesVitae]

I attended this year's (American) G.K. Chesterton Conference in Worcestor, Massachussets (definitely an experience worth having, if there's ever one near you) - while most of the speakers were Catholic, as is to be expected, one speaker was actually Eastern Orthodox and talked about the part that reading Chesterton (specifically Orthodoxy, if I recall correctly) played in bringing him into the EOC.

 

[shawnavery]

From ch 4 (The Ethics of Elfland):

Cool.. Thanks for posting that

 

[shawnavery]

I attended this year's (American) G.K. Chesterton Conference in Worcestor, Massachussets (definitely an experience worth having, if there's ever one near you) - while most of the speakers were Catholic, as is to be expected, one speaker was actually Eastern Orthodox and talked about the part that reading Chesterton (specifically Orthodoxy, if I recall correctly) played in bringing him into the EOC.

Wow that does sound like an awesome experience. I'll have to check that out

 

[rusmeister]

I attended this year's (American) G.K. Chesterton Conference in Worcestor, Massachussets (definitely an experience worth having, if there's ever one near you) - while most of the speakers were Catholic, as is to be expected, one speaker was actually Eastern Orthodox and talked about the part that reading Chesterton (specifically Orthodoxy, if I recall correctly) played in bringing him into the EOC.

Now you are torturing me. I REALLY wanted to go to that.
You can catch glimpses of the conference on YouTube.

In askng whether Chesterton is "worth it", I think it helpful to point to this resurge of worldwide interest. If there were not somethng really big there, we would not have all these active societies popping up all over the place. The conference is just the tip of the iceberg.

His life, as well as his works, are worth learning about. There are good reasons why his cause for sainthood is going forward. If you compare the various biographies, it's not hard to see that the critical authors want to be smarter than Chesterton. Maisie Ward tells about a man she knew, and she did more research than anybody, and had more access to, and shares, primary sources.
Learning about his childhood, youth, the Boer War, his marriage, the Marconi scandal which destroyed his brother, and how he lived his life reveals a great man who made himself small and others larger than life.

 

[MilesVitae]

Now you are torturing me. I REALLY wanted to go to that.

Specifically the Worcestor one?
I am actually not a particularly avid reader of Chesterton myself, although I have read many articles by him and, of course, Orthodoxy - but I am well acquainted with him through friends and family who are much more devoted Chestertonians than I. In any case, there is no denying he was a great man.