Just the other day I finished the book I had been reading. It was called “What’s so amazing about Grace?” by Phillip Yancey and it was an amazing read. Whenever I finish a good book, I always seem to struggle to find a new book in order to keep myself in the ether that the previous author left me in. This usually does not work out as I seldom find something worthwhile in time.
That’s when I saw my copy of “Orthodoxy” sitting on the bookshelf. And who had written the forward to that edition? None other than Phillip Yancey. So I pressed on.
Over the next several days I found myself delighted and amazed at Chesterton’s wit and insight. He roundly skewers the God-doubters of his day (Nietzsche, Wells, Darwin and others) as he makes the case for art over science and finds the forest from the trees.
Orthodoxy is not your average apologetic work. G. K. eschewed the usual legalese and instead deals mainly with the psychological case for Christianity. He makes the common sense case and points to how it fits.
“I did try to found a heresy of my own; and when I had put the last touches to it, I discovered that it was orthodoxy.”
Such a well written, brilliant book by a brilliant man. I highly recommend!
-Sam
[Reset]tled.org 
Sam, I also love this book. For me it was reading this book by Chesterton that helped me discover Yancey. I then read Yancey’s “Soul Survivor” which includes (and in my opinion is as captivating as) his intro to “Orthodoxy.” Soul Survivor is 13 chapters each one in turn being a sort of intro/biography on the 13 biggest influential people in Yancey’s life. It’s a good read and easy to read out of order or in a slow pace. Maybe it will be the next thing to keep you in the ether? If you want to take my copy I can try to get to you before you leave.
Thanks Sean, I’d love to read Soul Survivor. Since finishing Orthodoxy, I moved on to “Surprised by Hope” by NT wright. It was AMAZING!! Now I am reading “The Cost of Discipleship” by Bonhoffer, but I’ll be done with that soon.
I’m not smart enough to read Tom Wright (or perhaps I’m scared that due to his intelligence he might trick me into accepting his view of justification). I’ll have to see if I bump into you at church and see if I can locate that book as we are living out of boxes for the next few months, it should be at the church office though.
Sean, I can identify with the way you feel about NT Wright. Praise God that my faith, while anchored by scripture, isn’t held in doctrine but in the person of Christ and the witness, the continual witness of the Holy Spirit. As I have read so much heady theology lately, including Wright, I have felt both inspired and shifted in my moorings. That being said, God is so BIG and we are so small (even Wright, Packer, Bonhoeffer and Chesterton are small) that we actually need to grow into deeper and deeper understanding of Him. It is a glorious pursuit is it not?
Amen to what you’ve said. Theology doesn’t save (although I think the longer we walk with Christ and know Him through the Scriptures it will become more accurate) but Jesus does. Even more I’m inclined to believe that a good majority of authentic followers of Christ cannot explain justification in even a basic way and are still firmly in the grip of God.