Chesterton is the source of many a quote, such as, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” Or, “The Bible tells us to love our neighbours, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.”

He has also been very influential in the lives of some Christian writers such as Phillip Yancey, who said of his books that, “they kindled hope that somewhere Christians existed who loosed rather than restrained their minds ... who experienced life with God as a source of joy and not repression.”

Writing at the start of the twentieth century, Chesterton began his work in an era when the beliefs and values that mid-Victorian England had looked upon as eternal were giving place to doubt, skepticism, and a loss of inner balance. Chesterton chose to challenge this viewpoint, firstly in book reviews and then in his own books. His book Orthodoxy, published in 1908, would restore many to faith, and show many of its later readers, such as C.S. Lewis, the path to faith.

He was also known as a fearless debater of issues, but one who would attack the argument but not the opponent. Many an opponent, such as G.B. Shaw, was also a friend.

This book covers his whole life and contains significant sections of his writing. Reading it, however, reminded me that you cannot become a fan of a writer by reading what others write about him. You need to read the originals.

By Kevin Belmore
Thomas Nelson, Tennesee, 2011
ISBN 978-1-59555-201-3

– David McLeod-Jones