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.
Theology of the Early Church Short Class
Alex Tongue
Thursdays, Sep. 4 - Oct. 2 | 4:05 PM - 4:55 PM
CSC Classroom
Coffee and snacks provided
What is the center of the Christian experience? What exactly is salvation, and what are we saved for? What is the Trinity, and why does it matter? These questions occupied the greatest theologians of the early church - and many thinkers to this day. Using Donald Fairbairn’s extraordinary book Life in the Trinity as a guide, we will explore these questions with the help of Scripture and many brilliant figures from the early church, hoping to both enrich our understanding of Christian theology and deepen our love and experience of God.
Instructor bio:
Alex Tongue is an Intern with the Christian Study Center. He will graduate from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with an MDiv in the fall of 2025. He has, among many things, an interest in the intersection of virtue ethics, early-to-medieval Christian theology, and attention and how they relate to human flourishing. He is thrilled to be able to intern at the CSC and participate in the daily operations at one of the places he cherishes most.
Guest Lectures
Western Civ With or Without Jesus?
Dr. Paul Lim
Tuesday, September 16 at 7:00 PM
CSC Lobby and Classroom
Reception at 6:30 PM
What does western civilization have to do with Jesus? How does his life and teaching fit into modern western mores? Does it matter? Come and join us for a thought-provoking presentation by and a generative conversation with Dr. Paul Lim, Professor of Humanities at the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at UF. Taking Fyodor Dostoevsky’s trenchant and prophetic critique of western modernity’s misappropriation of freedom and its denial of Christ seriously, and engaging further with the ideas of Paul Kingsnorth, Jordan Peterson, Augustine, and Calvin, we will grapple with the allure of civilizational Christianity, Christian nationalism, as we will seek to answer the question: “Is ‘Christian civilization’ an oxymoron?”
Lecturer Bio:
Paul C.H. Lim (Ph.D., Cambridge) is a Professor of Humanities at the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida. He is an award winning historian of Christianity, with particular research foci on consequences and reception of patristic theologies in modern western Christianity, as his last two books have dealt with the Trinity and Christology from Nicaea to the Enlightenment period. An adult convert to Christianity, he is constantly grappling with the ideal and reality of “life in two cities,” City of God and City of Man, always fumbling about, thus in desperate need of grace, forgiveness and restoration from God and fellow
men!
Reading Groups
Spirituality Reading Group
Dr. Ethan Williamson
Wednesdays Sep. 10 - Oct. 8 | 3:00 PM - 3:50 PM
Coffee and snacks provided
In Beginning to Pray, Orthodox bishop and writer Anthony Bloom (1914-2003) approaches the practice of prayer in an approachable and accessible way for persons at any level of spiritual development. Bloom writes as a beginner for beginners. In this five week study, we will explore and discuss prayer as a practical encounter with God that starts anew each day. Beginning to Pray, while written from and Orthodox Christian perspective, has become a spiritual classic for Christians of every tradition.
Facilitator bio:
Ethan Williamson received his PhD in history from UF in spring 2025. His specializations include medieval Christianity, Byzantine history, and teaching world history. He is a passionate educator who is currently teaching as a postdoctoral fellow with the University Writing Program at UF. Ethan is also involved in religious education and teaching catechism at St. Elizabeth the Wonderworker Greek Orthodox Church.
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 open.
