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| G K Chesterton |
"Silver is sometimes more valuable than gold, that is, in very large quantities."
"To be clever enough to get all that money, you must be stupid enough to want it."
"I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps me clean."
While he was famed for his Father Brown novels, he was also well-known as a Christian apologist, although he claimed to have "never read a line of Christian apologetics" (Chesterton, 1908). Contemporary Christian author Philip Yancey admits that he reads Chesterton when he feels his faith is "dry", and famed apologist CS Lewis is greatly influenced by Chesterton's works.
His unique brand of apologetics
What makes Chesterton so compelling to me was the offensive nature of his apologetics. While Christian apologetics literally means the "defence of the Christian faith", Chesterton goes on a step further to reveal the irrationality of unbelief. For instance, he criticises the agnostics (people who argue that God is unknowable),
"We don't know enough about the unknown to know that it is unknowable."
His genuineness
Another thing I admire about this author is that he led an extremely joyful life, despite his plumpness and short-term memory. He found Christian theology enriching, rather than restrictive. In fact he led such a joyful life that German writer Franz Kafka commented, "He is so gay (happy), that one might almost believe he had found God."
As he asserted the importance of individuals before God, he often dressed strangely and opposed attempts to enforce conformity.
Conclusion
If you have yet to pick any books by GK Chesterton, you should give it a shot.
For more information
bethinking
Chesterton, G.K. (1908) Orthodoxy
