About Us

The Nevada Chesterton Society is a “set of highly well-intentioned young jackasses”. This is a title that our patron unwittingly gave to all Chestertonians when he penned it over 100 years ago, but you don't have to be young in fact to join; just in spirit. I think the man would have been surprised to know there would be societies dedicated to him years after his death. He probably didn’t consider himself worthy of such devotion, but we have stumbled across his works and found that “it is Good” and with a fanatical enthusiasm have decided that everyone should know this man. I am referring of course to the great 300 lbs philosophizing Roman Catholic Journalist, whom you never heard of, G.K. Chesterton. We can forgive you for not having heard of him. You really should have heard something by him, something about him or at least something against him, but alas that enormous figure has not diminished, but rather dissolved in our fogy modern minds. His influences are every where, from Gandhi to Michael Collins, from T.S. Elliot to George Orwell. He walked in a time of literary and political giants. In that court, he played sometimes the fool, sometimes the King, but always the sage. Most admired him, some rebuked him, and some trembled at the thought of him, but they all knew him. Like the Old Religion he served, he was a figure that you could not merely be dispassionate about. So we cordially invite you to come participate. Come to love or hate him, but come to know him.


The Nevada Chesterton Society holds regular book discussions on a monthly basis. We also host talks and forums, poetry reading, plays, all things Chestertonian. We usually meet in a pub or a restaurant; someplace convivial. No matter who you are, where you’re from or what you think you are most welcome to come participate. Refer to this site regularly for information on upcoming events. And visit the site of The American Chesterton Society for an abundance of material from G.K. Chesterton.


Contact Sharon Parker at 775-688-3021 or at dolcevita30@yahoo.com for more information.


May Meeting Information

Thank you to all our members who attended our April meeting - we had several new members join us for a robust discussion regarding Chesterton and the Jews.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. at Walden's Coffeehouse. The McNeils will lead our discussion of GKC's biography of St Thomas Aquinas. Etienne Gilson, the chief scholar of Aquinas in the 20th century, said of this book: "I consider it as being without possible comparison the best book ever written on St. Thomas. Nothing short of genius can account for such an achievement.... Chesterton was one of the deepest thinkers who ever existed; he was deep because he was right; and he could not help being right; but he could not either help being modest and charitable, so he left it to those who could understand him to know that he was right, and deep." Howz that for kudos? But don't take Etienne's word for it; read it yourself and come to discuss GKC's spin on the Angelic Doctor!

Please note that if the weather is nice, and other patrons aren't hogging it, we may meet out on the back patio of Walden's.

Posted on: Monday, April 13, 2009

posted by Sharon | 6:05 PM

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