I mentioned on Friday (in #6) that I started reading Orthodoxy with a friend. After visiting with that friend on Friday and finding out that she’s struggling with it while I’m enjoying it immensely, I thought I’d harness my enthusiasm and enjoyment here. It will help me to discuss what’s speaking to me and it will also help me to have notes on what I’ve read.
Starting next week, I’ll be blogging about Orthodoxy on Tuesdays. I’d love to hear your thoughts, too, and if you care to join me, you can download free copies of it in many different places. It’s considered a classic, and, really, it’s not that long (though what it lacks in pages it more than makes up for in depth of ideas).
From what I’ve read–and re-read–so far, this is the kind of book that I will be able to come back to and get something new out of it every time. It’s challenging to think of reading this book as an investment. But I can’t help wanting to write about what I’m reading…take this out of the introduction:
We need so to view the world as to combine an idea of wonder and an idea of welcome. We need to be happy in this wonderland without being merely comfortable. It is this achievement of my creed that I shall chiefly pursue in these pages.
Chesterton wrote Orthodoxy years before he became Catholic, which makes it even more interesting to me, because I’ve seen it referred to as a specifically Catholic classic.
I’m also interested in reading Chesterton this year because of my new gig with Uncommon Sense, the podcast of the American Chesterton Society. I’ve been listening to Nancy Brown on this show since its first episode, and she has convinced me, over and over, that I should get off my duff and quit thinking about reading Chesterton and actually start reading Chesterton.
I have found the Chesterton 101 section of the ACS website helpful, and I purchased Dale Ahlquist’s books about Chesterton, The Apostle of Common Sense and Common Sense 101 (Nancy recommended them as great starting points in one of the podcasts a while back).
I don’t promise that my weekly blogging will be insightful or anything more than just a bunch of rambling. I might be the person behind SnoringScholar.com, but the “scholar” part is more what I aim for than what I achieve… And that’s the last time I’m giving a disclaimer. 🙂
Yes, Sarah, I have read half of Orthodoxy, loved it, but ended up dropping it for theology studies. Need to pick it back up…with you will be a pleasure.
Hugs!
Glad to have you along, Ebeth! 🙂
I’m in.
Randomly. 🙂
And I will enjoy having you along, however randomly that may be, Maria! 🙂
I’ve had this book sitting on my bookshelf for almost two years. A Protestant friend recommended to me as one of his favorite books, but I could never quite get into it. Now I have some motivation… ^_^
Well, Allie, I hope the motivation proves worthwhile.
On the Facebook discussion of this post, one commenter pointed out that
sometimes, how you react to something you read very much depends on where
you are in your faith journey and life at the point when you read it. That
bears some thought and consideration for me, and maybe for you, too.
Happy to have you along! 🙂