This book is an amazing read and one I will be recommending to nearly everyone I know. It is now one of my favorites and I’ll need to reread it multiple times to fully appreciate its depth. On the other hand, there are some things Chesterton wrote in a sentence or two that made me laugh out loud or stop what I was doing to think about the simplicity yet complexity of what he was saying. I have a feeling this book will become a standard in my personal library. Whatever my humble opinion is worth, I believe this book to be a must-read for believers and non-believers alike. ( )

Chesterton mostly uses aphorisms instead of arguments much of the time. His short, witty sayings are catchy, but not necessarily backed by logic. So it's hard to say he ever proves anything in his writing. Of course many people write that way, even philosophers sometimes. But this style does mean his statements may be suspect. ( )

Given to Matthew Hayes -05/03/2023

I’ve just finished reading Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton, a book that has been resting contentedly on my bookshelf for the last fifteen years or so.

I found the book at the same time both challenging and enlightening. Difficult to understand yet extremely close to my heart.

As with most books, I entered this one without a mental map of where I was going. Unlike most books, there was no guide to accompany me on my journey. Chesterton enters straight into his discourse. I decided that I needed some help, so downloaded an outline from the Internet.

Chesterton’s writing is dense and full of metaphor. He argues in the style of an English Edwardian, and this not only takes some getting used to, but needs additional research or footnotes at times to flesh out the context and gain full understanding.

In summary then, Chesterton argues that

1) Human beings have a double spiritual need for adventure and security (or: balance between imagination and reason--or the exciting and the commonsensical).

(2) This need is not pathological, but is identical with a need for psychological health, i.e., sanity.

(3) This need is better satisfied by accepting the Christian worldview than by accepting any alternative worldview.

Therefore, it is at least reasonable to accept the Christian worldview.

(4) Furthermore, alternative worldviews fail to a greater or lesser extent to satisfy the aforementioned double spiritual need.

Therefore, it is unreasonable to prefer any such alternative to the Christian worldview.

So this is an argument from sanity more than truth. Not that Chesterton avoids making truth claims, but instead enters into the fray from the ‘health’ point of view that was so prevalent at the time, particularly amongst atheists and Theosophists.

In the next two chapters Chesterton goes on to argue the view held by both Augustine and Aquinas that whilst reason is generally a reliable guide to truth, it is severely limited when it comes to the big questions and needs the light of faith and authority (tradition? to establish the truth.

There then follows a critique of Enlightenment Rationalism, Modernism, ‘Free Thinking’, and Post Modernism.

The book then travels on through Chesterton’s pre-conversion ‘realisations’, reflections on Christian ‘paradoxes’ as perceived by opponents of the faith.

Chapter 8 sees the author discussing the romance of Orthodoxy by dealing with six doctrines - original sin, miracles, divine transcendence, the Trinity, Hell, and the divinity of Christ. He does this by contrasting these doctrines with their respective corollaries - oligarchy, materialism, pantheism/immanentism (especially Buddhism), Unitarianism, Universalism and Arianism.

The final chapter acts as a summation of the arguments.

Overall, a great read. Enlightening and challenging, it has helped me immensely to reflect on my own theology and has led to quite a few aha moments. I feel though that to gain full benefit it would be worth another read. The only question is do I do that now, or later.

I just hope that it doesn’t have to wait another fifteen years.

( )

Originally published 1908