Gilbert Keith Chesterton (May 29, 1874 – June 14, 1936) was as prolific a writer as there ever was. He wrote approximately 69 books along with countless articles and journals, along with engaging in newspaper and public debates. He was a fierce defender of the Christian faith and yet close friends with George Bernard Shaw and Bertrand Russell. He had a wit, a warmth, and a depth about him that seems to be lacking in Christianity and Christians today.
Over at the Gospel Coalition they are starting a community read-thru of his brilliant book Orthodoxy. I fell in love with this book a number of years ago and I attempt to read through it once a year if I have the time. I have not been able to read it this year yet, but I do plan on joining this group and doing so now. The book is full of insight and charm along with GKC’s usual literary nuggets of wisdom and wit.
I would strongly encourage you to join in the conversation if you are so inclined. There is currently a free copy of the Kindle version of Orthodoxy available through Amazon and they provide free-readers for you computer and certain mobile devices if you do not already own a Kindle. Even though they began this journey two days ago (August 7, 2013), there is still time to jump in. We will not begin reading until next Wednesday.
I hope to see you in the conversation.
You can learn more about G.K. Chesterton at the following sites below:
- The American Chesterton Society
- Mere Orthodoxy (a blog – not necessarily about Chesterton, but they take their cues from Lewis and GCK about how Christians ought to engage our current culture – think of this as Chesterton in 21st century practice)
- Wikipedia Entry