The Everlasting Man

Rating:
Summary: Good Introduction to Christian Philosophy and History
Review: G.K. Chesterton was a big influence on C.S. Lewis and this work is a worthy read. He attempts to show the meaning and influence of Christianity upon human history while poking holes in the logic and navel-gazing of anthropologists and other scholars. For the most part, he succeeds in creating an insightful take on the Incarnation and Christianity in general. His sections dealing with the continual death and ressurection of the Church, the meaning and reality of the Incarnation, and the shift of consciousness from paganism to Christian consciousness are sections that should be read by every student of this topic. Chesterton occasionally wanders too much and sometimes is vague about cultural relationships and is a staunch critic and defender of traditional Western Civilization which may offend some readers. Still, he tries to cut through some B.S. and he refreshingly contextualizes Christianity as unique among world religions and as different from mere philosophies.

Rating:
Summary: "Look Out Darwin,Watch Out Modernists...Here's the Truth"
Review: Gilbert K. Chesterton's "The Everlasting Man," is more than just a philosophy of history, in fact, it is more than the average run-of-the-mill Christian apologetic as well. It is a work vast in erudition and loaded with sharp witticism. It is a work brimming with insightful logic and religious lore; and it by far surpasses many works of its kind in the twentieth century...possibly since Augustine's "City of God." The book begins upon a paradox: a history of the prehistory of man. Chesterton explains the very genesis of humankind as being strictly human. He expounds upon man's earliest religions from the cave all the way to the Incarnation, which is the central theme to this work. Chesterton also elaborates upon some of the prevalent heresies of the Early Church, shows how the Catholic Church was the church that Christ founded, and ends the book with captavating irony - the five deaths of the Faith...just look for yourself. This book is a timeless classic and a must have.

Rating:
Summary: "Look Out Darwin,Watch Out Modernists...Here's the Truth"
Review: Gilbert K. Chesterton's "The Everlasting Man," is more than just a philosophy of history, in fact, it is more than the average run-of-the-mill Christian apologetic as well. It is a work vast in erudition and loaded with sharp witticism. It is a work brimming with insightful logic and religious lore; and it by far surpasses many works of its kind in the twentieth century...possibly since Augustine's "City of God." The book begins upon a paradox: a history of the prehistory of man. Chesterton explains the very genesis of humankind as being strictly human. He expounds upon man's earliest religions from the cave all the way to the Incarnation, which is the central theme to this work. Chesterton also elaborates upon some of the prevalent heresies of the Early Church, shows how the Catholic Church was the church that Christ founded, and ends the book with captavating irony - the five deaths of the Faith...just look for yourself. This book is a timeless classic and a must have.

Rating:
Summary: See Your World New
Review: Here is the book that inspired C.S Lewis to become a Christian. It is basically a poetic attempt at telling the story of the Catholic Church. Chesterton succeeds. Perhaps his greatest achievement is how his work makes the world seem new. He approaches the story as a human who had lived in this world and never known the Catholic Church. From this perspective, the reader is ennobled to see the Church for what it is - one of, if not the most, amazing institutions ever to exist upon the earth. Though at times I think he over-praises the Church, Chesterton does the impossible - he makes the obvious obvious.

Rating:
Summary: See Your World New
Review: Here is the book that inspired C.S Lewis to become a Christian. It is basically a poetic attempt at telling the story of the Catholic Church. Chesterton succeeds. Perhaps his greatest achievement is how his work makes the world seem new. He approaches the story as a human who had lived in this world and never known the Catholic Church. From this perspective, the reader is ennobled to see the Church for what it is - one of, if not the most, amazing institutions ever to exist upon the earth. Though at times I think he over-praises the Church, Chesterton does the impossible - he makes the obvious obvious.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Defense of the Indefensible
Review: I agree with an earlier reviewer who said that reading this book was like inviting someone to dinner who first fascinated you with his wit but eventually proved to be an overbearing windbag from whom you would gladly make your escape. Worse yet, he writes in defense of things that simply cannot be supported, except as private fantasies or wishful thinking. It is rather like reading an impassioned book, written about 1895, that "proved" that the Confederacy was morally right, that slavery was never anything but an expression of caring for Africans, and that the South would rise again. You read it and keep thinking, "But...*wait* a minute!"

I do not mean, of course, that Chesterton writes specifically on American history or racial issues. His thesis is that man is unlike any other creature, that Jesus was unlike any other man, and that Christianity is unlike any other religion. In one sense, one is almost tempted to cheer for him against the modern tendency to boil everything down into a comfortable and tasteless broth of sameness. But facts, as John Adams once said, are stubborn things, and Chesterton could write as he did only by thumbing his nose at even as much scientific knowledge and scholarship as existed in his own day. He quite obviously takes great pleasure in poking fun at the researches of scientists and other learned men. If he remained true to this conviction, he would at least be consistent. But then, at the end of the book, he actually tries to deny this tendency on his part:

"In this book which is merely meant as a popular criticism of popular fallacies, often indeed of very vulgar errors, I feel that I have sometimes given an impression of scoffing at serious scientific work. It was however the very reverse of my intentions. I am not arguing with the scientist who explains the elephant, but only with the sophist who explains it away. And as a matter of fact the sophist plays to the gallery, as he did in ancient Greece. He appeals to the ignorant, especially when he appeals to the learned. But I never meant my own criticism to be an impertinence to the truly learned."

Well baloney. The book could hardly be taken any other way. Chesterton was an interested layman who was annoyed at real scholars for knowing more than he did, and knowing things that made it impossible for any learned man to believe what he did. He spends this book poking fun at such people and then tries to deny that that was his intention. That is not only foolish but dishonest.

There *are* some intriguing parts in this book, that tug at the heart of anyone with any moral sense. He talks about civilizations that institutionalize war on children, and he has a moral vision that involves standing in steadfastness and constancy as one witnesses to truths that transcend and even contradict the everyday order of things. Then, you realize that he is saying these things in defense of insitutional Christianity, whose faults are too notorious to be overlooked, and it is like reading an article purporting to prove to you that the CEO of Enron was really King Arthur and Gandhi rolled into one. And again, you find yourself saying, "But...*wait* a minute..." It seems no one ever said "But wait a minute" to Chesterton, no doubt because they couldn't get a word in edgewise. In any case, this book is interesting as an historical curiosity; it is as irrelevant to reaching any real conclusions about these issues as would have been a book written in the late 16th century purporting to show that the Copernican system was an unwarranted speculation and that the earth was really the center of the universe.

Rating:
Summary: GK Chesterton at his best
Review: I have read most of Chesterson's fiction and only a few of his more theologically oriented books. I found this book to be an interesting cross between the two.
It is not meant to give a theological or apologetics style look at man and Christ, although it sometimes makes some very solid and profound points, but instead to place in the context of history and the world as we know it the amazing story of man, and the even more profound story of the Christ. It has enabled me to again feel the power of the gospel, and of our place in the world.
Best understood as a fireside conversation between friends, it is a well written book by anyone's standards, and well worth the time it takes to read it

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat verbose, but excellent
Review: I once heard that G.K. Chesterton's method of composition consisted of reading several books on a subject, then dictating his thoughts aloud to his secretary. Such a modus operandi, if true, would explain why Chesterton's works are sometimes a bit wordy, as though no one had edited them to prune the excess verbiage. The Everlasting Man is a loquacious monologue where the style is occasionally irritating, but if you can look past this minor shortcoming, The Everlasting Man is an outstanding apologetic for Christianity. It is a pleasure to recommend this book for consideration, because Chesterton had a real knack for revealing the truth in a surprising and often paradoxical method. His books are not "dry", but lively, full of wit, fun, good humor, and fine reasoning. C.S. Lewis thought highly of The Everlasting Man, and after reading it, I can understand why.

Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary exposition of Christian thought
Review: I was raised a Catholic but abandoned religion more than ten years ago when I found it incompatible with my own scientifically and historically informed worldview. Nevertheless I have never lost my intellectual fascination with Christianity and especially with its moral philosophy. This book is certainly the best, clearest, most enjoyable and cogent exposition I have come across about what it really means, intellectually and morally, to be a Christian. It did not convert me, but it certainly gave me a much clearer understanding of (and a much stronger respect for) what Christianity is about. This book is well worth your time even if you come to it simply to help you understand the place of Christianity in the history of human thought.

Rating:
Summary: Chesterton at his best
Review: I won't attempt so summarize this book, as other reviewers have done a very thorough job and anything I add will be superfluous. I can say that, having read HG Wells' Outline of History, it is thoroughly out of date, almost ridiculously so, while this book, equally old, is just as new in terms of ideas as the day it was published. Chesterton is simply the most amazing writer in terms of his originality that I have ever read. No wonder it has been so influentual over the years. Chesterton is extremely enjoyable to read just for the sake of reading. I remember having to read Chesterton in high school (St Francis of Assisi, I believe) and hating it, mostly because it was assigned work and not pleasure. If you read Chesterton, you have to enjoy great writing, as well as his great ideas and rather unique way of viewing reality.