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Orthodoxy

By: G. K. Chesterton
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Publisher's summary

G.K. Chesterton was a journalist, playwright, poet, biographer, novelist, essayist, literary commentator, editor, orator, artist, and theologian. Orthodoxy is his great theological work, which amounts to an apology for the Christian faith heretofore unequalled, excepting perhaps by C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity

. A serious attack against Christianity by well-known newspaper editor Robert Blatchford in 1903 impelled Chesterton to seize the gauntlet of refutation. His reply was immensely successful and was the early formation of his convincing credo that is so brilliantly and cogently argued in Orthodoxy, a masterwork that was published just five years later.

©2007 G.K. Chesterton (P)2009 christianaudio.com

What listeners say about Orthodoxy

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Narration, Important Work

I'd be lying if I said I can read Chesterton with ease. In truth, I listen to this book often, trying to follow the great GK Chesterton. His wit is unsurpassed. His confidence is inspiring.

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A treasure of Christian apologetics

Would you consider the audio edition of Orthodoxy to be better than the print version?

Audio for a quick and engaging flyover, print text for leisurely study and reflection.

What did you like best about this story?

Imaginative approach to Christian apologetics from a Catholic writer.

Which scene was your favorite?

Love Chesterton's perspective on fairy tales.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Probably not. Though charming and entertaining, it taxes the listener to THINK.

Any additional comments?

I think Protestant evangelicals ought to challenge themselves to a reading marathon of thoughtful Catholic writers of the last century - starting with Chesterton, Tolkien, and Nouwen (and I say that as an evangelical Protestant!).

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9 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Classic, for Christians and non-Christians

For those new to Chesterton, this is a great place to start. He lays out his basic Christian philosophy in a way you will not find anywhere else. It is not a sermon--more like a highly literary and hilarious explanation of his "discovery" of truths that others had discovered thousands of years ago. Highly recommended for Christians and non-Christians alike--Chesterton is simply one of the funniest and most profound writers in the English language, and even if you come to disagree with his ultimate conclusions, you are guaranteed to enjoy hearing how he came to them. I think that were it not for the fact that many of his writings are at least partly religious in nature, he would be required reading in all schools. He's that good, and for the non-Christian, even for the committed atheist, this book is a must read/listen. You will enjoy it, it will give you new insight into why reasonable people can come to be Christians, and despite the title, you will not be annoyed by his idea of orthodoxy--it's quite different from the common meaning. The recording is excellent.

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Jam Packed!!

Where does Orthodoxy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have been wanting to read this book for years and bought it from Audible to listen while I was driving. Unfortunately, I think I missed a lot of the wonderful content because of the way the Chesterton writes. Practically every sentence is a paradox that turns a common idea on its head. It requires more concentration than one (at least me) is able to give while driving. This is not a critique of the book, but of my powers to concentrate and still drive. I think I absorbed about 30% of the book. That just means that I will be listening to it again.
Great book. Big challenge. Worth it!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Reasonable Reading

What did you love best about Orthodoxy?

Personally, my highest compliment given to a person is

Who was your favorite character and why?

This book is not a narrative with characters. Rather Mr. Chesterton is discussing his own experience of life, so he is the main character. I came to like him very much from what I heard.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

Simon Vance is my favorite male reader. (Juliet Stevenson is my favorite female reader.) His voice and reading are wonderful, and especially impressive in C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce. Orthodoxy does not have a variety of characters to portray, but Mr. Vance's reading of it was very satisfying indeed.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not what I thought

This is a book that has been recommended you me many times over the years. I finally broke down and listened to it expecting that I would fall in love with it quickly. Sadly I found I had to force myself to finish. Chesterton is first and foremost a journalist, very opinioned and clever but he is also a horrible philosopher. I am pretty sure he had never read most of the people he criticized as he misrepresents many of the things they said, and uses circular logic to defend his own position. He is great if you want to enjoy his clever wit, but don’t confuse this with real philosophy.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Indispensable

This book is a classic for a reason. Chesterton was a master at breaking down complex issues into understandable bits by using everyday examples. While the examples of his day are not the same as those of our day, nearly all of them can still be understood. It is also useful that he had a great wit, so he doesn’t bog down the reader (or listener) with too much dry information. Whether you are a Christian or a skeptic, you will learn something from this book. And Simon Vance is a wonderful narrator.

The only negative here is that, once again, the book is not broken down properly into chapters. The book has 9 chapters, but the Audible narration breaks it artificially into just 6. Very frustrating. Audible has this problem often, and I don’t understand why. They even have this problem with their own Audible Originals!

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great

I often had to rewind and re-listen to grasp the complexity of what was being said, especially having been speckled with British phrases and quips that are foreign to me, but in all this book was hugely inspirational and fuel for endless contemplation. Some incredibly concise and profound quotes litter the volume, too many to take any single quote by itself. There were many moments where Chesterton puts words to ideas familiar yet previously difficult to communicate. Some analogies went a little too far and numerous for my taste, but it's definitely something I plan t return to.

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  • JM
  • 06-23-16

Great voice, great content

A very pleasant British voice reads a masterpiece by Chesterton. Easy to follow on audiobook... Not too dense to mentally process without the physical page.

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Good information for today

I can see why this is the book that CS Lewis found so compelling. Even though it was written over 100 years ago, you still see the same attitudes today.

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