Although he gained renown for his Father Brown stories, G.K. Chesterton is also considered to be the father of modern popular spiritual writing. Orthodoxy is his spiritual autobiography. Since it was first published in 1908, it has not lost power as a timeless argument for orthodox Christianity. Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) was an English journalist, poet, biographer, historian, debater, radio personality, and novelist. One of the literary giants of the twentieth century, Chesterton constantly participated in public life, debating George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells, and a contemporary of Tolkien, Eliot, Waugh, Sayers, Campbell and Sassoon - and maintaining on-going humorous arguments with leading journalists and critics of his time. He is the author of more than 100 books on a wide variety of subjects; he is best known for his much-loved (Father Brown mysteries) series of detective stories and this apologetics classic.
The Christian beliefs of men such as C.S. Lewis, Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien informed their views about everything: politics, social ills, literature, and family life. Deconstruction attempts to separate the lives and beliefs of these authors from their work. Tolkien couldn’t have written The Lord of the Flies, nor could William Golding have written Lord of the Rings. The spiritual dimension is a key part of their work. Whether readers realize it or not, books such as Lord of the Rings influence their view of God, and Reality.
Ahh, to time-travel back to that old English pub and sip a Guinness with Lewis, Tolkien, Sayers and Chesterton. Or even be a fly on the wall...
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