History

Our Story

The Christian Study Center was conceptualized by a group of Christian academics in Gainesville, Florida. Representing a spectrum of denominational backgrounds, their desire was to see a center introduced to the university community which would cultivate an on-going conversation about how the Christian tradition might contribute to cultural and human questions that arise within the academic disciplines. Drawing inspiration from a number of other study centers throughout the US, and yet, with a desire to offer something unique to Gainesville, the Center was launched in 2000 when a generous donor made a spacious and beautiful two-story building available just two blocks from the University of Florida campus. In July of 2001, Richard Horner was hired as the first director of the Christian Study Center. Since then, the academic program of the Center has gradually developed and become more focused, and it has become clear that the Center’s unique role is to offer Christian thought in a scholarly way to the university community. In other words, the Study Center seeks to explore the intersection of Christian thought and academic discourse.