Rating: 
Summary: Witty, Wise, and Wonderful: May Be the Best Apology Ever
Review: I think this book is one of the greatest apologies for the Christian faith ever penned; possibly even better than C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity". Rather than attempting to build an airtight logical argument from the ground up in which the reader is forced to accept the premises of Christianity or be logically inconsistent, Chesterton builds his apologetic on the idea of wonder and imagination. He attempts to show that anyone who enjoys an imaginative, romantic, adventure filled life owes it to themself to look into the Christian faith, because this is exactly what it offers. He offers a frank disclaimer at the beginning of the book in which he says that anyone who does not want this kind of life need not read this book because it has nothing to offer them. He constantly attempts to make the reader see the mystery and the glory of normal, everyday things and then argues that Christianity offers the best possible scenario for holding together the mysterious with the mundane. The fact that the book is focused on mystery, romance, and imagination, however, is not to say that Chesterton rejects logic or good critical thinking altogether. To the contrary, he delightfully skewers, slices, and dices the inconsistency and ridiculousness of a great deal of worldly wisdom and the popular thinking of his age, which, as it turns out, does not look all that different from a great deal of the accepted wisdom of our own. Chesterton, however, recognizes that logic has it's limits, and that it cannot fully appeal to or account for all that makes us human. The book is filled with many wonderful passages, and there are parts of the book where it seems like every line you read is a quotable quote. So, with Chesterton's disclaimer in mind, if you are looking for an eminently readable, and unique defense of the Christian faith you owe it to yourself to get this book.
On a final note, I feel the need to respond to the reader who accuses Chesterton of being racist and elitist in this book. I'm wondering if the reader read the same book I did, as I found nothing that I can recall that was racist or elitist at all, and anyone who knows anything about Chesterton at all will know that he was neither of these things. Chesterton was one of the greatest spokesmen of all time for the importance of ordinary people and common values and morality, and, especially in his later life, was an outspoken opponent of racist practices and groups like eugenics and the Nazi party.
Rating:
Summary: Work of Surprising Intelligence
Review: To know the writings of G.K. Chesterson causes one to wonder how Orthodox he could really be! To be orthodox requires a certain seriousness, a constant respect for serious matters. Yet Chesterson is known to be a boisterous writer, remarking with self-depreciating humor that mystery novels (his own Father Brown sereis belonging to this genre) were the least interesting and formulaic of all novels. Orthodoxy, however, represents an odd challenge, which Chesterson doesn't seem to be bothered by at all: approaching the serious matters of true religion with wit, the greatest of the Aristotilian virtues. The result is a profoundly intelligent, and remarkably sensible in the Thomistic tradition, work of apologetics and, indeed, philosophy.
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Summary: The Orthodox Paradox
Review: In this masterpiece Chesterton spells out in strong literary beauty the apparent contradictions in Christianity that baffle non-Christians. He draws the distinction between the 'balance' that many people search for and the paradox in Christianity. The Christian is not searching for a balance, but wants both seeming opposites in their fullest degree. Chesterton lays the truth of Christianity on the line in this book showing his conversion and by doing so assists others in their own conversions.
Rating:
Summary: Classic apologetics text
Review: G.K. Chesterton came to his belief in Christianity through the "back door", so to speak. He found the existing philosophies of the time illogical, formulated his own, and then found that what his own philosophy resembled most of all was Christianity. Christianity, to Chesterton, gives one much more freedom than liberalism. While this is an often entertaining read, it takes an alert mind to grasp all that Chesterton is saying in this book. This is one of those texts, like Lewis' "Mere Christianity", that stands the test of time, and is worth having on one's shelf to peruse again and again for nuggets of wisdom.
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Summary: St. GKC
Review: This is my favorite work of apologetics. GKC uses his gift of paradoxes to turn out one of the most memorable, fun, and quotable books of all time. This is a recounting of Chesterton's pilgimage to the true God (Who turned out to be waiting in his own living room the whole time). GKC has a great joy of life and faith that is infectious. "We must thank God for beer and burgundy by not drinking too much of them."
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Summary: Fabulous Apologetic Literature
Review: CS Lewis is hailed as perhaps the most widely-known Christian apologist. This may be true, but Chesterton is by far the most satisfying apologist from a literary standpoint. In Orthodoxy, he writes in response to a newspaper journalist's attacks on Christianity, and does so in such compelling prose that this is considered not just a Christian classic, but a literary treasure. He delves into parallels and metaphors so perfect that they lend credibility to his arguments and serve to maintain a reader's interest throughout. Do not be deceived, however, into thinking this is an easy read. It most certainly is not. Chesterton's prose is written in the English of his time, which may seem antiquated to some readers, and his style is very dense and requires concentration. Not the concentration required for, say, Ulysses, but neither is it fluff to be read in an afternoon. To the reader willing to devote the time and energy, this is a treasure.
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Summary: Fit only for unscientific children, I guess. (Like me)
Review: Orthodoxy is written for the poet and the child in each of us (The latter being that part of us Jesus said can inherit the Kingdom). Orthodoxy is, at the same time, one of the wisest, and funniest, books I have ever read; almost up to the level of Everlasting Man. It seems to me he does give a logically challenging, if rather whimsical, argument for the Christian faith here. And having read many of the most famous skeptics of our time, his argument remains no less timely, powerful, and suggestive. How do I explain the reaction of the reader below, then, who appears intelligent, but finds "Little that is intellectually bearable" in this book, and could not even read it through once without throwing it down in disgust? For one thing, Chesterton's approach is not scientific, but psychological. For those to whom science is the only god, a little prior reading might be worthwhile -- John Polkinghome or Hugh Ross on evidences for the Creator in modern cosmology, for example. Let Scott Peck's People of The Lie search your heart. Or even try my book, Jesus and the Religions of Man, which offers empirical evidence of a more historical nature for the truth of the Christian claims. Let the facts presented in these books take the edge of your arrogance. Then, maybe, go for a walk through Mt. Rainier National Park when the huckleberries are reddening in the fall, or skin dive in Hawaii. Or walk through a dark forest on a clear night when the stars are out. Observe and wonder. Become a child again. Laugh at your certainties and prejudices a little. Then try reading this book again. "(Skepticism) discredits supernatural stories that have some foundation, simply by telling natural stories that have no foundation." "The only fun of being a Christian was that a man was not left alone with the Inner Light, but definitely recognized an outer Light, fair as the sun. . .""To be allowed to make love to the moon and then to complain that Jupiter kept his own moons in a harem seemed to me a vulgar anti-climax." You still don't see the relevence or wisdom of such teachings? Oh, well. Chesterton did warn, "If a man would make his world large, he must be always making himself small. . . It is impossible without humility to enjoy anything -- even pride." This book, I guess, is no exception.
Rating:
Summary: Hee Hee
Review: The following quote from "sincre reader" is the most amusing thing I have read in a long time: "His only excuse is that he existed in a time when science was not as advanced as it is today." What a hoot! You should have your own comedy show, Sincere Reader!
Rating: 
Summary: Misleading Title - Dated Book
Review: Having come recently to the Orthodox faith, I eagerly cracked the covers of G.K. Chresterton's ORTHODOXY, The Romance of Faith. What I found was a carmudgeon's rantings, which for the most part consisted of points that had faulty underpinnings. More disturbing still was the underlying racism and elitism woven throughout the fabric of this so-called testimonal on faith. Fortunatley for me, this book isn't even actually about Orthodoxy, but about Roman Catholicism, and Anglicanism, so my burgeoning faith is still safe from the likes of Chesterton.
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Summary: nothing worthwile comes quick or easy
Review: In this book Chesterton has given us enough material upon which to meditate for a lifetime. What he writes is often far more complex than it seems after the first reading. Although this book can be difficult to follow at times due to the wordiness of Chesterton, he always clarifies himself and his points regardless of the fact that is often takes him a whole chapter. The real value of this piece is realized not after the first reading, but after the fifth tenth and unknown readings. If your mind is sharp, you will find yourself frequently laughing out-loud at Chesterton's clever and concealed way of refuting the foolishness of our current thought with the foolishness of God. Chesterton says that his philosophy that he reveals in this book is not of his own creation, for he did not make it, God made it and it made him... I tend to agree.
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