Also with reference to your statement at top,"...the relevance of Chesterton to his own time ... gives us a sense of his place in our own.” At the beginning of his essay on George Bernard Shaw, which you linked to, the initial section on Chamberlain seems surprisingly familiar today. Very glad to find more resources on Chesterton. Thank you.
I have been a Christian for decades and have viewed the world through the lens of Scripture. Chesterton taught me that because God is absolutely real and all He says is true, I can look at the entire world and see Him and His patterns. Reading “Orthodoxy “ changed my life because Chesterton showed me how to see the Lord everywhere. I have never been the same.
That’s beautiful. Chesterton’s view was expansive, and he invites his readers to see the world as he does—and maybe more broadly still. Thanks for sharing!
I’m an atheist but also a big Chesterton fan, and reading your piece has led me to think that being an atheistic Chesterton fan is just about as Chestertonian as being a Catholic Chesterton fan.
Really enjoyed this! Chesterton could turn a phrase like few others. His inclination toward paradox has always struck me as deeply true. We seem to inhabit a discourse which is the opposite of paradox, a type of pure binary. Thanks.
Chesterton’s friendship with Shaw is one of my favorite things about him. I started reading Chesterton since high school, and his ability to hate a bad idea, but love a fellow human, was so important to me as the lone practicing Catholic within my friend group.
Yes, he modeled the kind of broad minded openness to people that can inspire us today. Lovely to hear about his influence on you as a youth. I would imagine that created a great foundation for later life.
Exactly! And the foundation laid by reading Chesterton, Lewis, and Tolkien (which I’ve jokingly called my British “Holy Trinity”) as a teenager was so crucial to maintaining and deepening my faith as an adult. And now I get to look forward to sharing them with my kids
Great article!
Nothing says loving your enemies like joining them at the nearest pub after a debate in a lecture hall.
Thanks, and amen.
The state of public debate is pretty discouraging these days. I hope examples like Chesterton can point to better possibilities.
Also with reference to your statement at top,"...the relevance of Chesterton to his own time ... gives us a sense of his place in our own.” At the beginning of his essay on George Bernard Shaw, which you linked to, the initial section on Chamberlain seems surprisingly familiar today. Very glad to find more resources on Chesterton. Thank you.
You’re welcome! Glad you found it helpful.
I have been a Christian for decades and have viewed the world through the lens of Scripture. Chesterton taught me that because God is absolutely real and all He says is true, I can look at the entire world and see Him and His patterns. Reading “Orthodoxy “ changed my life because Chesterton showed me how to see the Lord everywhere. I have never been the same.
That’s beautiful. Chesterton’s view was expansive, and he invites his readers to see the world as he does—and maybe more broadly still. Thanks for sharing!
I’m an atheist but also a big Chesterton fan, and reading your piece has led me to think that being an atheistic Chesterton fan is just about as Chestertonian as being a Catholic Chesterton fan.
That’s hilarious.
Really enjoyed this! Chesterton could turn a phrase like few others. His inclination toward paradox has always struck me as deeply true. We seem to inhabit a discourse which is the opposite of paradox, a type of pure binary. Thanks.
So true. We want it all black and white so we can size people up in a nanosecond and decide if we’re going to praise or pillory them on social media.
Chesterton’s friendship with Shaw is one of my favorite things about him. I started reading Chesterton since high school, and his ability to hate a bad idea, but love a fellow human, was so important to me as the lone practicing Catholic within my friend group.
Yes, he modeled the kind of broad minded openness to people that can inspire us today. Lovely to hear about his influence on you as a youth. I would imagine that created a great foundation for later life.
Exactly! And the foundation laid by reading Chesterton, Lewis, and Tolkien (which I’ve jokingly called my British “Holy Trinity”) as a teenager was so crucial to maintaining and deepening my faith as an adult. And now I get to look forward to sharing them with my kids
Loved this.
This was fun.
Sweet. Glad you liked it. It was fun to write, too :)
This is fantastic, thank you! The world needs this more than ever.
True fact. That’s a great quote.