PROGRAMS
Come learn with us
Our programming offers opportunities to explore the intellectual and cultural resources of the Christian tradition through stand-alone events, multi-week reading groups, as well as more sustained communities of intellectual and moral formation for students and faculty.
All of our programs embody our commitment to hospitality, generous conversation, and the integration of faith and life.
Classes
Guest Lectures
Faculty Symposium
Thursday, August 7th at 7:00 pm & Friday, August 8th at 9:00 am
We’re excited to have Dr. Poelarends at the Christian Study Center for two lectures that we hope will be an encouragement to faculty. Dr. Poelarands joins us from the Anselm House, where he serves as Director of the Center for Faith and Learning. He received his PhD in Computational Astrophysics and was previously an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Wheaton College.
The Vocation of a Christian University Professor - Aug. 7, 7PM CSC Classroom (Open to Public)
The value of education has been under question for some time now. C.S. Lewis’s sermon, “Learning in Wartime” from 1939 emphasized that scholarly work can be a vocation—a calling from God. In this session, we’ll think through such questions as: What is the deeper significance of being a Christian faculty member? How does it differ from those around us who are not Christian? How do we lean into this calling? What challenges do we face when we do?
Framework for Engaging the Secular Academy - Aug. 8, 9AM CSC Classroom (Open to Faculty)
George Marsden proposed that “scholars who have religious faith should be reflecting on the intellectual implications of that faith”. This might seem preposterous to those who maintain faith as private and incompatible with serious academic scholarship. In this session, I will develop a framework, illustrated by examples from my academic journey, that is both modest in its claims, but confident in its relevance.
Reading Groups
Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
Led by Alex Tongue
Fridays May 23 - June 20 at 11:45 a.m.
Meeting in the CSC Classroom. Coffee will be provided!
Explore T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, a landmark work of Christian poetry of the 20th century. Discover together how Eliot’s masterful reflections on faith, time, and redemption illuminate the spiritual state of our world today.
Use this link to purchase a copy of Four Quartets. An online version is also available here.
Ecce Homo: On the Divine Unity of Christ
Led by Joshua Perlin
Wednesdays July 2, 9, 16, 30, & August 6 at 11:45 a.m.
Meeting in the CSC Classroom. Coffee will be provided!
Reading Ecce Homo: On the Divine Unity of Christ by Aaron Riches
“Who do you say that I am?” — a question posed not only to Simon Peter 2,000 years ago, but one that Christ has continued to ask each person, and the universal church, down through the centuries. No theological undertaking is so central to the Christian faith as the prayerful contemplation of the mystery of the God-Man. What does it mean to confess, with the Apostle Paul, that there is one Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 8:6)? How do we hold together the tension that Jesus Christ is, in the language of the fourth ecumenical council, truly God and yet truly human, “without confusion, without change, without division, without separation”? What are the implications of this all-important Christological paradox for our understanding of God, the world, and salvation?
Please join us on Wednesdays at 11:45am during Summer B as we think through these questions with one another and with the Christian tradition. To guide our discussion, we will be reading Ecce Homo: On the Divine Unity of Christ by Aaron Riches, a book described by renowned theologian John Milbank as “the most novel, scholarly, and consequent contribution to Christology of recent times.”
Please follow this link to purchase a copy of the book.
Special Events
Flourishing at Florida: Move-in Luncheons
August 15th and 18th at 11:30am-1:30pm
Incoming UF and Santa Fe freshmen, we invite you to this event to connect with other first-year students and parents, meet our current students and learn about their UF experience, hear from Study Center staff members about Christian life at UF, and enjoy an awesome lunch. Please register on the Flourishing at Florida page!
Walker Percy Fellows Program
Walker Percy Fellows pursue the integration of faith, life, and learning during their undergraduate years. The program combines readings in the Christian tradition, fellowship around shared meals, and rich conversations to foster a community of intellectual and spiritual formation.
The 2025-2026 cohort will begin meeting this fall for Year One of the curriculum focused on the cultivation of the Christian Mind. During this year, students will receive a grounding in the biblical story and in a Christian understanding of the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.
Applications for the 2025-2026 cohort are now open.
