The Wise Imagination

In his introduction to Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton recounts his journey of examining the great questions of life, only to believe he was alone in his discoveries. He eventually realized he was in the “ridiculous position of being backed up by all of Christendom,” finding that his “fancied” modern ideas were, in fact, “eighteen hundred years old” (O, 4).

Chesterton argues that Christian theology is “the best root of energy and sound ethics” (O, 5) and that orthodoxy is not merely a stagnant tradition, but a universal truth that solidifies through the ages. It is his firm belief that Christian orthodoxy holds the key to true reform because it is situated on solid ground, with its eyes focused on a God who transcends humanity.

In his search for human progress, Chesterton consistently finds the answers within the ancient creeds. He propounds that “orthodoxy is not only (as is often urged) the only safe guardian of morality or order, but it is also the only logical guardian of liberty, innovation, and advance” (O, 133). For Chesterton, orthodoxy is not the enemy of progress; it is progress. “We need not rebel against antiquity,” he writes, “we have to rebel against novelty” (O, 107). To enter into this tradition is to enter the “gate of all good philosophy” (O, 150).