APOSTLES OF COMMON SENSE
The Prophetic Minds of G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis
Introducing Gilbert Keith Chesterton:
Wit, Writer, and Raconteur
"...[I]f a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."
"The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people."
"The object of opening the mind as of opening the mouth is to close it again on something solid."
"Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere."
"For fear of the newspapers politicians are dull, and at last they are too dull even for the newspapers."
"Pragmatism is a matter of human needs; and one of the first human needs is to be something more than a pragmatist."
"The whole modern world has divided itself into conservatives and progressives. The business of progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected."
"A detective story generally describes six living men discussing how it is that a man is dead. A modern philosophic story generally describes six dead men discussing how any man can possibly be alive."
--G. K. Chesterton
(c) 1986 Gerry Gersten
A Contemporary and fellow newspaperman of H. L. Mencken across the Atlantic, and something of a Curmudgeon in his own more gentle and genteel way, was the then-popular English wit, novelist, and social critic Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936). Like Mencken, Chesterton applied humor, scholarship, and penetrating logic to the problems of his times and the peccadillos of Edwardian society and the Industrial Revolution. Unlike Mencken, he did so from a very British and Anglo-Catholic perspective. A devastating debater (as someone once noted, to debate Chesterton was to lose), he shared the podium on politics and religion with other great minds of his time, many of whom he shared friendship as well as great mutual admiration.
All but forgotten by most modern people, Chesterton is best known today amongst both Anglophiles and murder mystery fans for his Father Brown Mysteries, a series of delightful short stories about a humble Catholic priest who moonlights as an amateur detective. But he was more than a storyteller and social critic: He was an insightful observer of the world around him and good journalist of his era. As friend and fellow disturber of the peace Hilaire Belloc once said, "If a good man is hard to find, locating a good journalist is sure to be next to impossible."
From left to right: George Bernard Shaw, Hilaire Belloc. and G. K. Chesterton at one of the many public debates between GKC and Shaw
LINKS AND ARTICLES
This group, founded by Chesterton fan Dale Ahlquist, provides an excellent overview of GKC and his writings. Highly recommended!
ACS has also produced a stage show with actor, historian, and Chesterton scholar Dr. John "Chuck" Chalberg, who plays Chesterton in a one-man performance speaking to live audiences on a variety of issues in Chesterton's own words. Chalberg has also played H. L. Mencken and other historical figures in similar productions.
This page by Catholic apologist and Chesterton aficionado Dave Armstrong contains a wealth of links to Chesterton's writings on-line, as well as many GKC quotes and articles by and about him. Included is a partial bibliography of GKC's works, which included over 70 books and hundreds of articles, short stories, and poems.
University of Dallas philosophy professor Janet E. Smith takes a look at Chesterton the man and his approach to disputing with his opponents. While he "gave no quarter" to his foes and fiercely "debunk[ed] the foolishness of his times," he nevertheless did so as a gentleman and Christian with a cheerful and humble disposition which often won over even his harshest critics, including George Bernard Shaw, who became a fast and life-long friend.
Calvinist James Sauer, a writer with the scholarly Evangelical journal Contra Mundum, takes an unexpectedly positive look at Chesterton from a Reformed perspective: "Protestant Christians can relate to Chesterton as a 'mere Christian' of the Lewisian variety. I think the early Anglican Chesterton needs no translation into the Evangelical idiom. There is in the Episcopal Church a broadness and convergence of traditions which allows High Church and Evangelical joint occupancy. It was this hallway between the rooms of our Father's house which allowed C.S. Lewis to be an effective witness to all communions. Large portions of Chesterton are in this category."
More Chesterton Links and Articles to come!
(Note: The C. S. Lewis Page is under construction.)
