G.K. Chesterton continues to charm and fulfill our quest for unvarnished, plain talk reminders of right, light and the persuasiveness of beauty in truth. A classic to return to time and again for references to affirm a solid moral compass.

While Chesterton dedicates this book to his mother, he claims that George Slythe Street is the books inspiration and creator. That is, G.S. Street was one of many critics to present an opinion about Chesterton's Heretics, and happened to have presented the opinion to which Chesterton responded. When on the first page Chesterton states that it was incautious of Street to provoke an individual that is all too ready to write books, and in the final sentence of the first chapter claims that he would write Street another book if he needed clarification with regard to a topic only touched upon by Chesterton, it quickly becomes clear that Orthodoxy is yet another shining example of Chesterton's mirth applied to frequently solemn subject matter. Orthodoxy, as Chesterton appears to agree, is, however, the appropriate conclusion to the work he began with Heretics. If Heretics presented all that is wrong, Orthodoxy can rightly be seen as presenting the standard by which Chesterton deemed such philosophies heretical. To truly appreciate either of the aforementioned titles, both should be read as if they were a singular work.

In Orthodoxy, Chesterton does justify his position maintained throughout Heretics in a manner as uniform as he might have been able to conjure. Throughout the work Chesterton utilizes his own experiences and thoughts to illustrate and, perhaps, demonstrate his seemingly inevitable arrive at truth. At times it almost seems as if Chesterton slips into irrelevant stream of thought tangents but never fails to reconcile his intended point, illuminating the necessity of what might have otherwise seemed entirely unnecessary. In fact, Chesterton masterfully builds what he claimed is not a properly thorough defense of Christianity into what might be one of the most poignant apologetic works ever. He does so in a way that makes Orthodoxy read like a suspense novel in that the entire effort bears its timeless fruit in the last few pages, if not in the last sentence, after supplying almost innumerable pieces of information that appeared just unrelated enough to ensure that the final piece would act as a blazing beacon of a keystone. While Chesterton might have failed to present that tangible evidence, that scientific process by which the claims of Christianity can be undoubtedly proved, he clearly and boldly presented that proof which every Christian exists for; the proof that every Christian can verify, albeit not as gracefully. While Chesterton's The Everlasting Man might be the work that he is best known for, Heretics and, especially, Orthodoxy are magnificent demonstrations of Chesterton's ability to cast light on the eventual obvious reality and significance of everything.

G.K. Chesterton has a down to earth perspective and sense of humor that is uncommon to most Christian writing today. He is willing to pick on himself, and admits to making arguments with faulty logic at some points, but is still a collosal genious, and is a known early influence of C.S. Lewis. If you have already read C.S. lewis, you can see some of Chesterton's thoughts comming through in his works, having read this book.

"A soldier surrounded by enemies... He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine." - G.K Chesterton from "Orthodoxy"

Chesterton is difficult to read because he makes references to things and places that I do not know about but his work is still good reading.

If you don't get his point just keep reading and you soon will because he gives so many examples that sooner or later you will understand one and it becomes clear.

Chesterton is hard to take at times; his irritating metaphors and play on words can grind one down. But, what is extraordinary is that this book is so relevant to the "now". He has grasped the nettle of modern relativism and said: "no, accipio crucem Christi; I believe in the Trintiy of princely might": "it is utterely rational for me to so believe". A definite "must" for anyone who wishes to deal with the issues of modernity and faith.

There are so many reviews here. I'll be brief.
I've read this book many times (though not this edition, which someone said is poorly formatted) and it's a whirlwind of provocative thought. Clever beyond what most any other writer can achieve. A defense of his faith that could almost convince the faithless, and if not, at least it will entertain them.
At least read the chapter on THE PARADOXES OF CHRISTIANITY. It's a kick, and could get you hooked on Chesterton.

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die."

Orthodoxy is filled with insightful information regarding some of the most poignant critiques against the Christian faith. This book should serve as a starting point for all exploration into the topic. What's more frightful than arguing with someone who has a lot of answers? Probably arguing with someone who can generate just as many questions and can argue your side of the issue better than you can. We usually only think on one side of the issue (our position), but Chesterton expounds both.

It isn't necessarily a very easy read, but it is still very relevant for today's skeptic. Begin here: "The sense of the miracle of humanity itself should be always more vivid to us than any marvels of power, intellect, art, or civilization." Any book that looks to refute something must begin with awe in the fact that there is an intellect which makes it even possible to toil in the world of ideas and fact. A great follow up book would be Mere Christianity.

A common criticism of Orthodoxy is the format, and while people are entitled to criticize the rambling nature of Chesterton's exploration as aesthetically displeasing, there are plenty of rigidly organized explorations of faith; all neat and tidy with headings even. If you read his introductory comments on why he wrote the book, you should be able to see that the whole work focuses on how he stumbled unintentionally into seeing the beauty and reason of orthodoxy through the accumulation of a thousand little things that all pointed in the same direction: God. The book purposely models this, and frankly I find the joy of the book is how he expresses faith this way.
I admittedly found it very confusing my first read, but each time I read it again more and more of it starts to connect. Give the book a second chance if you stumble at first Soon you'll start to see the pattern of thought in his "rambling" observations, an intentional metatphor for the divine pattern and purpose that escapes us in our everyday "rambling" lives.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE.
Chesterton's logic is flawless. This book should be required reading in all Theology classes. Don't buy this for your library buy it to read it.

This book is both dull and magnificent. Chesterton's writing style is brilliant even though often his writing is pointless. Like a trial lawyer engaged in circle talk he says a mouthful but at the same time, although eloquent, it is a mouthful of nothing. Much like a gorgeous flower it is best to view it than ingest it. So this book too is better lightly read than seriously studied.

This book has THE WORST formatting I've ever seen. It looks like it was hastily put together using Microsoft Word. Very amateurish. The cover doesn't even have the title on the spine, so I can't recognize it on my bookshelf.

The version from BiblioBazaar:
Orthodoxy
is MUCH MUCH better, well worth the extra dollar or two.