ABCs of the Christian Life: The Ultimate Anthology of the Prince of Paradox

by G. K. Chesterton, Peter Kreeft (Foreword by)

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”?

G. K. 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.

You’ll come away with a better understanding not only of Chesterton, but of the Christian faith as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870613111
Publisher:	Ave Maria Press
Publication date:	08/11/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

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. Chesterton lived in London.

Peter Kreeft is an internationally respected Chesterton expert, and has been a professor of philosophy at Boston College since 1965.
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. Chesterton lived in London.
Peter Kreeft is an internationally respected Chesterton expert, and has been a professor of philosophy at Boston College since 1965.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Publisher's Note ix

A Asceticism 1

B Bethlehem 3

G Catholicism 7

D Charles Dickens 19

E Ephemera 27

F St. Francis 33

G Gospel 49

H Heretics 53

I Insanity 59

J St. Joan 69

K Kensington High Street 75

L Lying in Bed 81

M Miracles 85

N Negativity 95

O Orthodoxy 101

P Primitive Revelation 107

Q Questing 109

R Religions Compared 113

S Suicidal Thinking 123

T St. Thomas Aquinas 133

U Upon This Rock 147

V Queen Victoria 157

W Words 161

X Sex 165

Y Yes 167

Z Zion 173

Sources 179

Editorial Reviews

"A pleasing packaging of the ever-reliable, ever-relevant, ever-resourceful, and everlasting G. K. Chesterton. I’m ready for a couple hundred more of these!" —Dale Ahlquist, President of the American Chesterton Society

"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." —From the foreword by Peter Kreeft, Catholic author and philosophy professor at Boston College

"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 at the University of Notre Dame

"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 at the University of Notre Dame

From the Publisher