Yesterday was the day that G. K. Chesterton turned 132 year old!
(Not counting the time he was alive in the uterus.)
(And not counting the fact that he happens to be dead at the moment–which I’m sure he would say is immaterial [PUN!].)
Fortunately, his birthday has not gone unnoticed, and some folks in the blogosphere are having a multi-day celebration of it.
GET THE STORY.
Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
View all posts by Jimmy Akin
Yesterday was the day that G. K. Chesterton turned 132 year old!
A whole week of tribute to Chesterton? Huzzah!
My appreciation for Chesterton is as broad the man himself.
In the same way that I share with Chesterton a kind of affable slovenliness, I hope I share with him a certain instinctual love for Truth.
Along with the Bible, the Catechism and a handful of other books (Augustine’s “Confessions”, Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”) Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy” was a tremendous influence as I came to embrace Catholicism.
He needs to be much more popular than he is. The Church, the world, and particularly the West, need his wisdom right now.
But in our day we are blessed to have JimmyAkin.Org, as well as a host of other great Catholic bloggers. I can’t help but think that Chesterton might be a combox regular here at JA.O if he were still alive.
Cheers to Gilbert!
Happy birthday, Gilbert.
This is funny, because I was totally unaware of it being his birthday today, but last night, while my wife and I said our nighttime prayers, I prayed for Chesterton’s canonization (or at least beatification). Granted, it’s not likely that there will be any healing miracles attributed to Chesterton, but he has had a tremendous influence on so many people (that’s how I came to know about him – he was repeatedly quoted by others I was reading) and been instrumental in so many conversions (including some credit for the conversion of C.S. Lewis), that there must be some official honor that the Church can bestow upon him.
Happy Birthday, G.K. – I wish I’d known you in this world.
Jamie, he was in fact given the title of Defender of the Faith in a telgram from the Pope on the occasion of his death. The same title, I might add, that was once bestowed upon Henry VIII for a book he allegedly authored about the sacramentality of marriage and the authority of Rome. The book was actually substantially written by Sir Thomas More (surprise).
And then there was that whole bad business later.
If I recall correctly, Chesterton’s surviving relatives and friends didn’t use or talk about the defender of the faith title he recieved, seeing as the reigning monarch still retains it, and they didn’t want to worsen Anglican/Catholic tensions (e.g. being Catholic is disloyal to Britain because you are submitting to a foreign ruler, that sort of thing). Which is why we don’t much hear about it.
That’s quite right. In fact, the title was such a scandal (if I may use the word) that the secular papers refused to print the Pope’s telegram in full for precisely this reason.
I wonder if the title “Doctor of the Faith” could be applied to someone who has not been canonized. I don’t see why not.
BTW, I think I recal Dale Alquist (President or Founder or something like that of the Chesterton Society) saying once on EWTN that one of the biggest reasons Chesterton has not been canonized is that many of is biggest supporters are opposed to the idea. Aparently many Protestants have been converted to Catholicism or at least a more Catholic perspective through Chesterton, but would never have read his works if he were a Catholic saint (or even if they knew he had become a Catholic before the end, which apparently Mr. Alquist had not until he had already read and agreed with much Chesterton had written).
I also wonder if the considerable attention Chesterton gave to politics could also hurt his cause. Granted his politics derived greatly from Christian and specifically Catholic teachings, and the idea of democracy which is hardly controversial any more among people who count. Still, he is more or less the cofounder of distributism, a political/social theory adopted or borrowed from by certain political groups today. Canonizing Chesterton would seem to put the Church seal of approval on distributism, which would mean an indirect condemnation of many dominant political and economic ideas, policies, institutions, etc. The Chuch may be hesitant to do this.
One of my favorite Chesterton quotes is “An open mind should be like an open mouth – it closes when something solid enters it”.
Canonizing Chesterton would seem to put the Church seal of approval on distributism, which would mean an indirect condemnation of many dominant political and economic ideas, policies, institutions, etc. The Chuch may be hesitant to do this.
Since when are Christians supposed to go along with the prevailing culture? I understand the politics behind it, but it seems a little too pandering (almost cowardly).
Aparently many Protestants have been converted to Catholicism or at least a more Catholic perspective through Chesterton, but would never have read his works if he were a Catholic saint
This may be the best reason for lack of canonization. Chesterton is the ultimate “stealth Catholic” (not to be confused with Harriet Miers, the stealth candidate). Then again, Augustine has also been read by non-Catholics, in spite of his being a Catholic Saint.
At any rate, it does my heart good to know that the Church, at least at one time, honored this man who did so much for the Faith.
Ah, the wisdom of G.K.
I feel better whenever I read him.
“I wrote no part of it. I answered to my best ability some points of common law which the King put to me, as I was bound to do. It was from first to last the King’s own project.”
— Sir Thomas More, A Man for All Seasons
I’m just saying what I read, SDG. Frankly, I’m more inclined to believe that More was just being reticent and deferential there. Of course, it might just be that the truth is so much more horrifying if Henry really wrote the book himself, and I don’t want to even go there. Oh well.
Anyway, with regards to to distributism, as it is derived largely from the Church’s own teaching (Rerum Novarum springs nimbly to mind), I doubt very much that it would be seen as a conflict of interests, or what have you.
Still, the “stealth Catholic” argument is surprisingly compelling one.
I was introduced to G.K. Chesterton by one of my best friends and since then I’ve reading everything I can my hands on.
G.K. Chesterton is the subject of my Master’s Degree thesis, and he will surely also be in my Ph. D. thesis too.
I have some contacts in the Catholic Hierarchy here in Mexico and I’m making the first enquiries regarding the canonization of G.K. Chesterton.
This man is a Saint (meaning he’s in heaven, he’s a friend of God’s who can help us, and he’s also an example any person can follow), and its only just that everybody, whether they like it or not, see him that way.
Any help will be appreciated!