5 Reasons to Love G.K. Chesterton

Many Catholics have heard of G.K. Chesterton, but haven’t read him. He is one of the most delightful authors and many of his arguments for Christianity and against the errors of his day remain relevant.

His witty writing style isn’t for everyone, but we strongly recommend giving him a try. His books “Orthodoxy” and “The Everlasting Man” are treasures not only of faith but also of literature in general. His numerous essays will make you laugh and think.

Here are five reasons to read and love G.K. Chesterton.

1. His View of Reality
Many people have a mundane view of life, seeing it as little more than a to-do list filled with work, chores, and a bit of free time. Chesterton gazed at reality with a sense of wonder. He believed that everything was a gift, even dandelions.

He eschewed optimism and pessimism for a third attitude: patriotism (as he refers to it). By this, he meant loving things because they’ve been entrusted to us as gifts.

His writings will help you realize that everything in your daily existence — morning coffees, the robins on your lawn, and the people you see daily — could have never existed. But they do, and that type of realization filled Chesterton with a sense of wonder and appreciation.

2. His Insight
Chesterton was a master of identifying what’s essential in our human experience. He was less prone to adopt the latest fad and was critical of his optimistic contemporaries who treated human progress as inevitable.

His insights were startling, including his observation that our God is, in a sense, youthful. Small children enjoy doing things repeatedly, such as playing the same game each night. God does the same with the sunrise, never growing weary of saying “Again!” each morning.

3. His Energy
Chesterton’s vast literary output included books, essays, plays, and poems. He was a regular contributor to “The Illustrated London News.” To him, writing wasn’t just a job or even a hobby. It was part of the battle to communicate truth to a world rife with false ideas.

4. His Humanity
Word warrior though he was, Chesterton nevertheless maintained a human touch in his work. His love of family, friends, food, drink, and cigars comes through even in his most polemical writings. He famously said, “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”

5. His Humor
Make no mistake, Chesterton was well aware of the problems and suffering in this world. But he strongly believed in the victory of Christ’s resurrection. God has won the battle, so we can laugh even though we suffer. At the end of his book “Orthodoxy,” he postulates that God’s mirth is so great that He chose to hide it from us for the time being. But it will be revealed to us in heaven!

Hopefully, we’ve convinced you to give Chesterton a try. If you do, you’re in for a delightful treat!