G. K. Chesterton's Advice to Christian Bloggers

I've been a big G.K. Chesterton fan for some time now. I particularly love his book "Orthodoxy". That's why I really enjoyed this post by David Wayne on G. K. Chesterton's Advice to Christian Bloggers:

'A Christian journalists's duty is to inform, edify and even entertain; but even more important, it is to reveal to his reader the face of Christ.'

'In purerly practical terms the Christian journalist should never make the mistake of undermining his credibility by overstating his case with exaggerated generalizations that don't follow from the evidence. Let understatement trump overstatement.'

'At the very least, don't come across as frustrated and never rant.'

David then identifies three principles of writing gleaned from Chesteron:

First, his writing - no matter how serious the subject matter - was always suffused with Christian joy and hope.

Second, a detached playfulness always marked his writing and he was always personal, never taking himself too seriously.

Third, although Chesterton was not averse to a little good-hearted ridicule, the emphasis was always on 'good-hearted'; he was never vindictive.

And most important, within his own style and personality, Chesterton's writing comes from a place of such child-like innocence that it always manages to be a beautiful reflection and reminder of the Lord's own voice.

What great thoughts! Chesterton became an influential writer and thinker for a reason. I think David really hits the nail on the head with this. Be sure to read the rest of his post!

Chesterton wrote with deep insight, purpose and humor. This is the kind of writer I aspire to be.

You can read more about G.K. Chesterton here and here.

Also, here are a few Chesterton quotes I really like:

An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.

By a curious confusion, many modern critics have passed from the proposition that a masterpiece may be unpopular to the other proposition that unless it is unpopular it cannot be a masterpiece.

Don't ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.

I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean.

If there were no God, there would be no Atheists.

Man seems to be capable of great virtues but not of small virtues; capable of defying his torturer but not of keeping his temper.

There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person.

Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.