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
Director's Class
Mike Sacasas
Wednesdays, Sept. 10 - Nov. 19 | 11:45 AM -12:35 PM
CSC Classroom
Free lunch provided
This class will consider the cultural and moral dimensions of AI technologies, which have been increasingly woven into our day-to-day lives. We hope the class will provide a measure of clarity and wisdom to students navigating this often murky and fast-moving technological landscape. But more importantly, we hope this will be an opportunity to think more deeply and with the Christian tradition about what it means to be human and to live as fully as possible the life God has called us to.
History of the Early Church
Zachary Young
Mondays, Oct. 20 - Nov. 17 | 4:05 PM - 4:55 PM
CSC Classroom
Coffee and snacks provided
Christianity has developed over time, and the story of these developments can help us to better understand the shape of the Church today. This class explores the history of the early Church (c. 100-400) through five themes: engagement with Judaism; the growth of Church authority; martyrs and martyrdom; the use of the Scriptures, and the foundations of monasticism. In our discussions, we will highlight the ways in which the early Christian debates about these issues can help to contextualize contemporary debates along many of the same fault lines.
Facilitator bio:
Zachary Young is a PhD candidate in History at the University of Florida, specializing in interactions between Jewish and Christian thinking in late medieval Iberia.
Guest Lectures
Does Love Have a Future?
Dr. Samuel Kimbriel
Monday, November 3 at 7:00 PM
Christian Study Center of Gainesville/Pascal's Coffeehouse
Reception at 7:00 PM with lecture to follow
Philosophers from Aristotle onward have often considered love—and friendship in particular—to be very near to the culmination of human life. We cannot attain the fullest version of our human selves without it. Yet love is always occurring against the backdrop of history. What it meant to love within a small North African city state was vastly different than in Victorian England.
The conditions of love are shifting dramatically in our time. The age of mass media has altered the scale of human community dramatically. The churn of our economic model shifts the structure of material dependency. And now in the age of AI we are seeing both centralizing and isolating factors, all of which are changing the conditions for love—from growing political gender gaps to dropping birth statistics.
This lecture will assess these shifting conditions—and mount its own defense regarding the future of love.
Lecturer bio:
Dr. Samuel Kimbriel is a political philosopher, author, and founding director of Aspen’s Philosophy & Society Initiative. The Initiative seeks to reignite a national tradition of public philosophy, enabling us to grapple with our largest and most haunting issues of societal purpose—What is justice? What is a good life? What is society for?
He is part of an emerging generation of philosophers rethinking basic questions of individuality, identity, and community. Author of Friendship as Sacred Knowing: Overcoming Isolation (Oxford University Press), he is also Editor-at-Large at Wisdom of Crowds and writes widely on topics of solidarity, ideology, democracy, power, and trust for outlets including the Washington Post and BBC. He lives in Washington, D.C. and holds MPhil and PhD degrees from the University of Cambridge.
Thank you to the John Templeton Foundation for making this event possible
Reading Groups
Theo of Golden Pop-Up
Anabel White
Nov. 6 | 7:00 PM
Refreshments and appetizers provided
Theo of Golden is a beautiful story of belonging, friendship, dignity, and generosity. In this novel, Allen Levi welcomes you into the town of Golden and the lives of many of its inhabitants by following the steps of Theo, a delightful newcomer that enters the town with eyes to see the loveliness of the place and its people. We will be reflecting on this title and the way of life it proposes on Thursday, November 6th with appetizers and refreshments. This pop-up will happen one night only, so be sure to read through the whole book before we gather.
Facilitator bio:
Anabel is a UF alumna with a love for Gainesville. She was first introduced to the CSC during her time in undergrad, when she took part in our Barista Fellows Program and served as our Director of Hospitality. Because of her experience in our ministry, she joined full-time staff in 2023 to help make our formation programs possible for more students and faculty members. As Director of Advancement, she leads our generosity and marketing initiatives.
Special Events
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 closed.
