Theologian G. K. Chesterton objectively and poetically takes us through a journey of the Christian church, allowing us to see it from afar; thus more clearly----from a different perspective----to think outside the box (as Christ had us do). He brings forth good arguments as he takes the other side in order to get his point across. It is hard to garner the magnificence this book is. The use of metaphors sails right over my head at times, and I am far and away from fully comprehending this work; I understand the need to read it carefully to get his meaning.

Chesterton discusses the mysticism that has so flourished since the beginning, ("but the first chapters of the romance have been torn out of the book; and we shall never read them") and paganism that leads to civilizations downfalls; every effort to confound God ends in disaster. But Christianity has toppled many times; it just shows how stable the foundation is.

And as for the creation/evolution debate: Chesterton sets out to prove "the rationalist thesis is more irrational than ours", and "Sometimes the professor with his bone becomes almost as dangerous as a dog with his bone. And the dog at least does not deduce theory from it, proving that mankind is going to the dogs----or that it came from them". Primitive doesn't mean mystic or unintelligent nor does civilized mean rational or intellectual; "very probable it was exceedingly like the history we do know, except in the one detail that we do not know it. It is thus the very opposite of the pretentious prehistoric history, which professes to trace everything in a consistent course from the amoeba to the anthropod and from the anthropod to the agnostic".

I do a disservice in trying to explain this difficult work; just read it.

Wish you well
Scott

The book has become classical because, unlike other weighty apologetical books, it appeals to common sense reasoning. As he always does in his other books, Chesterton again shows in this book that truth, and the way we're supposed to obtain that truth, is actually not far away from how common people think in their daily life about day-to-day matters. And a thought or argument--deep as it is--that returns to daily experience will tend to endure and last longer. Over speculative arguments will indeed make a boisterous noise, but it will soon be forgotten.

G.K.'s arguments look simple, and yet they appeal to sane mind. Why is it better off to believe in creation? G.K. would say: "isn't it easier to say that the world was created?" Why G.K. doesn't believe in evolution? Because human laughs. Why G.K. thinks that the story of Jesus in the Bible is true? Because no other groups of religion other than Christianity believes it is true. . . . To mention only few examples from the book.

ridete et valete!