The Everlasting Man

By: G. K. Chesterton

Narrated by: John Franklyn-Robbins

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Few people had a more profound effect on Christianity in the 20th century than G. K. Chesterton. The Everlasting Man, written in response to an anti-Christian history of humans penned by H.G. Wells, is considered Chesterton’s masterpiece. In it, he explains Christ’s place in history, asserting that the Christian myth carries more weight than other mythologies for one simple reason—it is the truth.

©1953 Oliver Chesterton (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

GK Chesterton's clarity is pristine

Love it. Really good thought process, comparing the religious vs anti-religion world views. Well Done!

An Everlasting Story

An excellent book, Chesterton embues a style of wit to describe the story of man, and of Christendom. It illuminated thoughts that had been on my mind, and it certainly has left a lasting impression.

History and Jesus Christ

Over all exceptional, though struggled through beginning and some other areas. GK command of language and history is amazing, but sometimes my unfamiliarity required re-listening to follow the point. Definitely a fast paced history lesson and great perspective of mankind finding and re-finding Christ through the ages.

The folly of our world

This book is very pertinent to our current state in the world were very dismal world views are asserting themselves by appealing to a stale secularism, shrouded in scientism, that means to separate men from his God given reason and freedom to explore reality. The clamor for submission to the new ideas proposed by this secular society are deafening, and conformity is demanded of all; just abandon your freedom to think by yourself, and follow the pied piper of folly.
The narrator of this book is excellent, and makes it a pure joy to listen intently as it reveals the beautiful intellect of Chesterton.

Great Read on Christian Thought

Christian apologists come and go with their books of the month, but few 20th Century writers could get to the heart of Christian thinking like G. K. Chesterton. His solid understanding of the world and how it should work provide channels of rationality that have been seeming lost by so much modern rhetoric. In fact, he simply pulls back the curtain on what so many think of as logical facts to reveal that they are, in truth, just crafted suppositions. A book on how to think rightly that ends up pointing to the divinity of Christ might not seem like the next book to put on your shelf, but if you’re a thinker – regardless of viewpoint – it will help you do that better.

In Protestant circles (and without), C.S. Lewis rightfully gets tons of praise as the preeminent apologist for rational Christian thought. However, Chesterton with an equally broad body of work has written some of the most accessible books on the depth of the Christian thought life. His treatise Orthodoxy reveals that truth is always simple and complicated and should not be disentangled. The Everlasting Man at its core is a blueprint for why so much highly touted science is in fact unsupportable by facts. Objective criticism is always needed to make a logical progression, but more and more, thinkers are turning to the subjective whims of thought to provide insight. Chesterton methodically presents why present day thinkers need to return to a true logic to understand our world.

Starting with the caveman, Chesterton reveals how more and more stories are told about the “prehistoric” man – as if the scientists don’t realize that prehistory means that we don’t know the stories. Supposition and conjecture to develop theory is always important in scientific endeavor, but there’s a point where many believe a whole stack of theories equate to reality. Many might believe that Earth resides in the arm of the Milky Way more than they would believe that there’s beautiful gardens in the city. But one you could go and prove, and the other will remain a supposition – even if it is true. While in no way reading like a textbook – it is always engaging – little by little the reader starts to see that there’s purpose behind science. This purpose is not always to reveal truth. You can help make it be though.

I will add that Chesterton does point truth seekers to the fount of Truth. He tries as best he can to show how the divinity of Christ is the logical way to understand the progress of the world. It’s not done in a Josh McDowell-like stacking of facts. He does it by asking you to think objectively and refrain from self-made rhetoric. Whether he ultimately succeeds is your call, but I felt like it was worth reading about.

Audible listeners: John Franklyn-Robbins did great as a thoughtful old British guy. Thought I was listening to Chesterton himself. :)

7 stars out of 10

Good in that rare sort of way that old books are

I loved listening to this book because the author is so intelligent and yet so easily understood. I believe the performer captured the sense that was intended. I felt smarter and believe I actually did become smarter while enjoying hearing history through Chesterton's lens.

Perfect Marriage of Book and Narrator

This reading is a great delight and pleasure. The narrator is full of gentility, intelligence, and whimsy. It's a fine antidote for the over-serious stuffiness with which great Christian works are often delivered (not that austerity and piety ought to be artificially suppressed, but some serious works have a natural "smile" in their tone, and this is certainly one of them).

Wonderful Mind Making Common Sense of the Mush

Chesterton is obviously brilliant, and his turn of phrase is delightful. Equally wonderful is the inarguability of his arguments, such as whatever painted art on a cave wall was a man, not an animal. This work is sweeping and broad, beginning a an apology for a particular understanding of what it means to be human and ultimately leading to an apology for Christian faith. The performance is delightful. I have no idea what Chesterton actually sounded like, but I suspect Franklyn-Robbins offers a near thing to the real thing. This book was a wonderful experience.

Fantastic

This is a must read for all who believe in God or what to think about Him. His logic and timeless clarity bring fresh air to a world full of unclear thinking.

Excellent with many words

G.K. Chesterton likes to write. He seems to like to toy with words, whimsically play with them. His brilliance is unquestionable and his authority is deeply earned. The mixture of his style and deep philosophical display is worth a one star downgrade (I.e. He could say the same thing with less words). However, having read the book I have no ability to fund any fault with his penetrating review of man's relationship with religion and the certainty of the Christian story and of God's existence.