Apologetics of Christianity in the Writings of G. K. Chesterton

Abstract

This article is an attempt to bring closer Chesterton’s multiple achievements in the field of apologetics and to present how he argues in favour of the credibility of Catholic Christianity. Within the article, reference is made to the achievements of Father Józef M. Bocheński in the field of substantiating the dogma of religion through the theory of authority and religious hypothesis. The first and the second part of the article present Jesus and the Church as epistemic authorities respectively. Using the arguments drawn from Chesterton, cumulative arguments were built that support the thesis that the founder of Christianity and the Church are credible authorities in the field of theology and morality. Bocheński’s theory of religious hypothesis is used in the third part of the article. The explanatory hypothesis here is the Christian teaching about original sin which, according to Chesterton, is the best explanation for the problem of evil in the world. In the fourth part the characteristics of the Catholic doctrine which demonstrate its rationality are indicated.