C.S. Lewis famously credited G.K. Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man as a key step in his turn from atheism to Christian faith. The book audaciously surveyed the broad sweep of human history, then zeroed in on the Incarnation of Christ. How, Chesterton asked, could such a mysterious and startling event come to be known as the center point of history? And how did this intellectual mystic offer a fresh path into this story for so many? 

In conjunction with the release of our Christmas Trinity Forum Reading, The Strangest Story in the World, we delved into this iconic work with one of the world’s leading Chesterton scholars, Dale Ahlquist. Both the Reading and this conversation helped us to prepare ourselves for the Incarnation during the Advent season – and to go deeper with Chesterton on the eve of the 100th anniversary of The Everlasting Man.

• Reflection: What aspect of Dale’s remarks or the conversation was most compelling to you and why?
• Chesterton’s work The Everlasting Man encourages the reader to look at the Incarnation with fresh eyes, and emphasizes how strange it is – indeed, he calls it “the strangest story in the world.” What, in his view, makes the story of Christ so strange?.  Why does Chesterton emphasize the weirdness and wonder of the Incarnation? Do you find his argument compelling? Why or why not?
• What does Chesterton see as the importance of imagination? How can one’s imagination be developed?
• What does Dale describe as “The Chesterton Option” for faithful public engagement? Do you find it a compelling model? What would it look like in the context of your life? How did Chesterton combine localism with engagement with the “big questions” of his time? Do you find his model contradictory or paradoxical?