ABCs of the Christian Life: The Ultimate Anthology of the Prince of Paradox
Overview
Aside from C. S. Lewis, no other Christian writer of the twentieth century has had more influence on faith and understanding than the enigmatic, larger-than-life G. K. Chesterton. This anthology combines twenty-six of the most essential passages from his works—from “A” for asceticism to “Z” for Zion—offering an unprecedented roundup of Chesterton’s ideas on the Christian life.
Why does it make good sense to be Catholic in the modern world?
How might a Christian balance the feasts of saints with Christ’s call to asceticism?
What is useful about holy foolishness?
What’s dangerous about "comparative religion"?
Chesterton, whose enduring legacy is as a Christian thinker and apologist, offers his thoughts on these topics and more in this unique anthology of his work. Chesterton converted to Catholicism midway through his career of writing some of his century’s most important spiritual and theological works, including Orthodoxy, Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Dumb Ox, and Saint Francis of Assisi. He is known for having written many memorable sentences—he was a master of witty one-liners—but as this book demonstrates for the first time, Chesterton also penned some of the best long passages of Christian literature in the history of the faith.
After reading ABCs of the Christian Life, you will come away with a better understanding not only of Chesterton, but of the Christian faith as well.
Key Features
- Surveys promiment themes and theologians
- Combines twenty-six of the most essential passages from his works
- Addresses common theological and practical questions
Contents
- Asceticism
- Bethlehem
- Catholicism
- Charles Dickens
- Ephemera
- St. Francis
- Gospel
- Heretics
- Insanity
- St. Joan
- Kensington High Street
- Lying in Bed
- Miracles
- Negativity
- Orthodoxy
- Primitive Revelation
- Questing
- Religions Compared
- Suicidal Thinking
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- Upon This Rock
- Queen Victoria
- Words
- Sex
- Yes
- Zion
Top Highlights
“If optimism means a general approval, it is certainly true that the more a man becomes an optimist the more he becomes a melancholy man. If he manages to praise everything, his praise will develop an alarming resemblance to a polite boredom. He will say that the marsh is as good as the garden; he will mean that the garden is as dull as the marsh. He may force himself to say that emptiness is good, but he will hardly prevent himself from asking what is the good of such good. This optimism does exist—this optimism which is more hopeless than pessimism—this optimism which is the very heart of hell.” (Page 24)
“This world can be made beautiful again by beholding it as a battlefield. When we have defined and isolated the evil thing, the colors come back into everything else.” (Page 24)
“Complete self-confidence is not merely a sin; complete self-confidence is a weakness. Believing utterly in one’s self is a hysterical and superstitious belief.” (Page 60)
“there is one thing worse that the modern weakening of major morals, it is the modern strengthening of minor morals.” (Page 83)
Praise for the Print Edition
This carefully edited volume is just the thing to introduce the wit, verbal dexterity, and deep Christian insight of G. K. Chesterton. Readers who do not know Chesterton will find a compelling introduction; veterans will once again experience Chesterton’s ability to render the familiar exceptional, explain the inexplicable, and illuminate the otherwise obscure. It presents a feast equally to soul, mind, and spirit.
—Mark Noll, Retired Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame
Someone said that G. K. Chesterton’s sayings are like potato chips: it’s impossible to eat just one. They are gloriously addictive. GKC is a gold mine, and here are some gold potato chips.
—Peter Kreeft, Catholic author and philosophy professor, Boston College
Just as an alphabet creates ways of communication, these alphabetically arranged excerpts of G. K. Chesterton open up mysteries of life, love, and belief so as to critique, refresh, and challenge any reader.
—Rev. Kevin G. Grove, C.S.C., Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Notre Dame
Product Details
- Title: ABCs of the Christian Life: The Ultimate Anthology of the Prince of Paradox
- Authors: G. K. Chesterton
- Publisher: Ave Maria Press
- Series: Christian Classics
- Publication Date: 2017
- Pages: 192
- Christian Group: Catholic
- Resource Type: Introduction
- Topic: Theology
About G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was a prolific writer, poet, and satirist; a powerful journalist; and one of the most respected Catholic authors of the twentieth century. He converted to Catholicism in 1922 at the age of forty eight.
Chesterton’s book Orthodoxy is one of the classics of Christian apologetics. His novel The Man Who Was Thursday probably influenced Franz Kafka, and his clerical detective Father Brown was featured in dozens of stories and is second only to Sherlock Holmes as the most loved amateur fictional sleuth in history.