Christendom Conversations

Chesterton and Education with Dale Ahlquist | Christendom Conversations | Ep. 7

Aug 1, 2025
Dale Ahlquist, a Catholic convert and leading Chesterton scholar, shares how G.K. Chesterton shaped his faith journey. He highlights the importance of beauty in education and the charm of Chesterton's wit and mysticism. Ahlquist details the growth of Chesterton Academies, emphasizing faith integration in all subjects and the cultivation of wonder in students. He also explores Chesterton's unique insights into human nature through characters like Father Brown, and discusses future projects to broaden Chesterton's impact.
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ANECDOTE

Long Intellectual Pilgrimage To Faith

  • Dale Ahlquist recounts a 16-year intellectual pilgrimage where Chesterton guided his conversion to Catholicism.
  • He describes conversion as stages: fairness, discovery, intellectual objections, and finally a willful humble 'yes.'
INSIGHT

Paradox And Joy Fuel Chesterton's Appeal

  • Chesterton's enduring popularity rests on wit, goodness, and paradox that reveal deep truths about human nature.
  • Ahlquist says Chesterton reads as a mystic disguised as a joyful, paradox-loving journalist.
ANECDOTE

Famous Absent-Mindedness Stories

  • Ahlquist shares classic Chesterton absent-minded stories like telegrams asking his wife where to be.
  • Chesterton quipped absent-mindedness was 'present-mindedness about something else.'
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