G.K. Chesterton is brilliant and witty and I wonder why it took me so long to finally getting around to his work. Since this is my first work by Chesterton, I didn’t know what to expect and didn’t even know what the book was going to be about. Immediately I was struck with Chesterton’s prose, his wit and his humor which lead me to think, “If Chesterton keeps this up, I would definitely enjoy eating up this book!” I can see why great communicators that I enjoyed reading/hearing have quoted, appreciated and benefited from Chesterton—men such as Ravi Zacharias, Doug Wilson, etc. Here in this book, Chesterton explores the history and nature of man in the first half with the second half titled “On the man called Christ.” His first two chapters took to tasks Darwinists and the sort who read too much into the fragmented evidences of early man, who paints him as a cave dweller who’s violent against women, etc. Against, such stereotypes, Chesterton makes the point of not reading into things, things that are not there. There are many great one liners in the book but these aren’t just cheap shots, as there are many things that is thought provoking in the book. For instance, he notes the irony of how anti-Christians of his days mock the Trinity, the concept of Three in One, when these very same critics believe all religion essentially is about the same God despite the various doctrinal disagreements, gods and practices. Chesterton also notes how many skeptics of his day are tired of hearing about the religion that they haven’t fully understand and when it comes down to it, don’t really know. That’s true today! He observes how we in the West can be funny, thinking of how just because someone is “Western” we think we know them thoroughly (think of Plato, etc) while those under the category of “Eastern” (curiously, he uses the term “Chinamen” loosely at times) we see as mysterious if not with an interests of the mystique while excusing everything as acceptable. Chesterton notes we should understand Christianity as Eastern rather then our modern conception of “Western,” though I think today we can better nuance this and take it a step further to say that we ought to understanding the Bible in it’s milieu of the Ancient Near East, Mediterranean culture or better yet, Jewish Old Testament as its root. I found it intriguing in one of the later chapters of how Chesterton talks about mythology and how our imagination often goes beyond our reason—and how we can imagine something intelligible first before we can ask the question of whether or not it’s true. His point here is that there’s a world that is transcendent, when we observe how words can paint things in our mind and work our imagination. While it definitely made me think more about the wonderful gift that God has given man of imagination and creativity, I can’t help also to think about Romans 1 and Calvin’s point that our heart is a factory of idols. I must say that while Chesterton does not embrace paganism, his work is not as fully biblical as I would like in terms of his view of pagan thought. His taxonomy of religion is also interesting: he doesn’t think much of paganism, and doesn’t even consider them truly a religion but mere superstition. I wonder why can’t we see it as a superstitious religion? This leads me to remember that Chesterton’s own creed is Roman Catholic and that might have something to do with it. This work was not as strongly Roman Catholic flavored as I thought it would be and Evangelicals and Reformed can pick something up with discernment when they read it; yet while one may say Chesterton’s broad “mere Christianity-ish” is beneficial I think it also is a liability in the sense that the second portion of the book on the Man Jesus Christ was in my estimation theologically weak and a disappointment after great fanfare in dealing with modernism and Christianity’s critics. While he does make the point that Christianity is definitely unusual and that he believe it, the second part of the book spends too much time talking about other things besides Christ
Reblogged this on D.E. Cantor and commented:
G.K. Chesterton was one of the best writers of Christian apologetics ever, in addition to being a great writer on subjects ranging from politics (he criticized both progressives and conservatives) to art to philosophy. This is a review of this book, “The Everlasting Man.”
Thanks for re-blogging this!
“G.K. Chesterton is brilliant and witty and I wonder why it took me so long to finally getting around to his work.”
Same here… I have his book “Orthodoxy” and I’ve heard good reviews. I just have to be discerning especially given the fact that he’s Roman Catholic. Doesn’t mean that he won’t have some good things to say, but looks like I have to pick up this book too according to your review! 🙂 Thanks!
I heard that “Orthodoxy” does make some anti-Calvinist remark, though it’s more of expressing disapproval than an actual argument. I hope to read it someday…let me know what you think of it when you do read it
Dear SlimJim,
Grace and peace in Christ Jesus!
Thank you for your many encouraging and wise comments that I have read over the years on various blogs. It is evident that you have a heart for Christ. I too share some reservations regarding Chesterton, for the same reasons you have outlined. I wrote a 2 part article highlighting Lewis, but it contains cautions about Chesterton as well. May God continue to grant you wisdom and discernment as you contend for His great Name.
http://ltwinternational.org/an-evaluation-of-the-words-of-c-s-lewis-part-1/
http://ltwinternational.org/mystical-lewis/
All for my Savior, Jesus Christ, charisse
Wow thanks for dropping by Charisse, interesting you have seen us comment on other blogs =) Thank you for sharing with us the two links concerning Lewis, especially the second one with the quotation of Chesterton, since I’ve not read other works of his (yet). Thanks for confirming me to me some of the concerns I had previously, and also additional information I didn’t know about him. Blessings to you.
“This leads me to remember that Chesterton’s own creed is Roman Catholic and that might have something to do with it. This work was not as strongly Roman Catholic flavored as I thought it would be and Evangelicals and Reformed can pick something up with discernment when they read it; yet while one may say Chesterton’s broad “mere Christianity-ish” is beneficial I think it also is a liability in the sense that the second portion of the book on the Man Jesus Christ was in my estimation theologically weak and a disappointment after great fanfare in dealing with modernism and Christianity’s critics.”
Thanks for the review, SLIMJIM. I appreciate some of things you mentioned that were helpful about this book; and I am especially grateful that you pointed out that he is Roman Catholic. That is important for our viewers to note if they ever do read this book. In other words, reject his heretical teachings of Roman Catholicism, but learn the good things he has to say.
Hi Charisse,
Thanks for pointing out a article concerning Lewis. I would like to check that out.
Exactly
What are some “heretical teachings” of Roman Catholicism?
I aplology for my writings.
I find this disturbing this chase for Whom God is the right one, or to take it to semtical batlegrounds.
I belive, the fundamental teachings of Jesus is largly missunderstud at best, diverted at wurst, by will.
When he mentiond a Path, and uses His analogy of I am the Light, the way, he mentions the path of consciousness, and to gain it, our lifes must change, and to do su, and to gain more knowledge, to gain higher consiousness, it requires to make desicion to make a sacrifice. Becuase the path is a life long batle, between moral behaviour against anyone, or anything, behave acordingly to just thinking and obey the laws.
Its a batle of faith, to be a light, and to maintain this in our everyday world, is the batle ground. To not be blinded by our everyday life, but to remain awake and present.
Love life and life loves you back, and good things Do happend to good people, never forgett that, it really does.
The sex focus is a dead end street, and this havent any real significanc at all, its just a part of huamnity, and the focus sould be on our behaviour and actions therby. The hypocrasy of the present wars and the evil justfications and lies comitted to maintain and to even start more wars, is never spoken of in terms of the utter horro it truly represents, in the Muslim worlds and in ours.
Some people tendt to highlight Muslim killings and totaly covers up the mutch greater masslaughtering comitted by Us, the so caled civilised world.
Its completely silent, and I consider this silence as complyence to mass murder og others, faight irrelevant, humans are killed by forces we all see on the Tube every day and stil they gett away wil lies and murder.
The silence is earshattering.
About Jesus.
The crusefiction was the final test from him, to see it there where aware of what he actually did, and moust of them dint see it.
The only person in this days that Understudd, his teachings and the sole reason for this resurection.
To prove to the disiples that WAS abe to see and follow his teachings about the visible and the invisible worlds, the fathers house have many roms(this goes to the Vedics, and Buddism a.s.o.), is not an analogy, is a fact. He was infact a master of reality, he could be in both places, and the truth about his teachings was ONLY revealed to Judas Iscarot.
If you want to read about that, read it, the gospel of Judas.
And maybe Mark.
AND, the Nag hammadi is also a required read.
The trinity is missunderstud to, its just a description of terms, like the Ying/Yang, and the completing circe it represents is the sole goal, the condition cald Kristus/Nirvana.
I cal the dance bewtween the God/Godess as the main force of everything, and to term it as One God, is not wrong, but its manifistation in this reality is duality, and that goes to everything.
One can not, in a forgett the sole fundamnet, to be a preist is to be at the frontline, of not only the sosciety but to your self, the life long fight against immorale, violence, greed and usury, and to fight for poverty and education.
justice and the truth.
And its never to late to turn.
Read about the last thing Jesus did in this realms, in his final hours, on the cross, and his blessings and forgivness, to the one nailed to the cross, beside, that episode is bearly mentioned.
I like what I see in this new course, and of course, to turn a dinosaur, is not done by a flick of the wrist, it takes time, and time will tell.
peace
“why is the Sky the limit, when there are fot prints on the moon”
unknown.
mikael,
Don’t take this the wrong way, but what does your comment have to do with the post?
I do believe in the Trinity and don’t see it as symbolic of “God/Goddess” dualism (let me know if I misunderstood you); so, I see your view as being unbiblical.
Some of his beliefs are very interesting to me. Kinda off the wall. Helps me to keep my mind sharp when I read different ways of looking at things that seem so very clear. Thanks for sharing,
Yeah, there’s always a need for caution and discernment with all that read, and even more so when one’s worldview or theology is, well, off.
Any article or book recommendations on topics related to “The nature of mans desire to worship something” as well as to be fulfilled by something primarily that of which religion offers?
Hey friend thanks for visiting!
Have you ever read Romans 1 in the Bible? I think it’s insightful;
I have not yet read it but I plan to read sometime next year a book on this line titled “Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters” by Timothy Keller.
Let me know what you think.