Students at Gutenberg College read and discuss thought-provoking books, and we want to share with the public the enjoyment and camaraderie of such an endeavor through Chapterhouse*, a new monthly reading-and-discussion group. Together, participants will explore from a biblical perspective some of the issues and ideas that form the world we live in. Together, we will pursue important questions to help us better navigate our lives of faith during complicated times. We invite you to join us!
*The name Chapterhouse hearkens back to special meeting rooms built into cathedrals, monasteries, or collegiate churches where members of the college or cathedral “chapter” met for readings, business, or talks. In later medieval times, monarchs touring their territory would often appropriate them for audiences.
When, Where, and Cost
7:00-9:00 PM • Second Monday of each month, starting October 13, 2025
Gutenberg College, 1883 University Street, Eugene, OR
No Charge
Meeting Preparation
Come prepared to discuss the reading. We will read selections or chapters instead of whole books—around 50 pages per month. For most readings, a PDF of the book or excerpt will be provided. Participants may need to purchase or obtain from a library some of the books.
First Topic
How did we get here? Explorations of a divided world
Our goal is to explore the origins of the polarization in our social, political, and religious history. We will take an apolitical approach and, from a Christian perspective, help each other to understand the origins of our situation and to critique cultural narratives.
Questions & Texts
1. In what ways has politics become “religious?”
Text: The New Demons by Jacques Ellul
Ellul defines religion apart from the specific content of any religion. As old forms of religion disappear, new forms of religion, such as politics and technology, replace them.
Read: Preface; II Post Christian Era, pp. 18-30; The Sacred Today, pp. 64-70; What is it? pp. 70-75; How to put the question, pp. 127-132; Political Religions, pp. 166-170; And Now, pp. 197-202; and Epilogue, pp. 203-208.
2. What are the views of human nature across the political divide?
Text: A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles by Thomas Sowell
There are two views of man, perfectible (unconstrained) and imperfectible (constrained), that arose in the 17th Century. This division sowed the seeds of our division.
Read: pp. 1-47.
3. Do we have a “right” to own property?
Text: Second Treatise of Government by John Locke
Locke discusses a theory of the nature of man and the development of society and property.
Read: TBD
4. What is the role of economics in our social organization?
Text: Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Friedrich Engels.
This work is a shortened version of Marx’s main work Kapital. He claims that “the final causes of all social changes and political revolutions are to be sought in changes in the modes of production and exchange,” that is, “not in the philosophy, but in the economics of each particular epoch.”
Read: TBD
5. How did capitalism come to be in the West?
Text: The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time by Karl Polanyi
Chapters 4 and 5 discuss the economic nature of primitive societies in comparison to a market economy. The emphasis is on the subordination of economic needs to social needs.
Read: TBD
6. What influences our own decision-making regarding politics?
Text: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt
This work discusses the psychology and sociology of decision-making in a social context.
Read: TBD
Gutenberg College exists to provide outstanding, intellectually stimulating discussions of important works to help people grow and mature in their faith and understanding of culture.