Carmen House Christian Study Center

The Reality on Campus.

On a campus like The Ohio State University, the Christian faith has been considered irrelevant at best to the central objectives of the institution. Beliefs in accordance with the historic Christian faith are considered naive or outdated, and are often seen as harmful to people’s lives and opposed to the common good. As a result Christian faculty and Christian students are being formed to separate their faith from the central reason they are at the university: academics in preparation for their careers. Though Christians on campus may be involved in the local church or in campus ministries, their lives tend to become fragmented. Likewise, the secular framework assumed in the university setting tends to form everyone, no matter their religious or non-religious background, to live their lives without reference to God. As a result, the future leaders in virtually every area of our society are trained to assume the irrelevance of the Christian faith to the issues that matter in our world.

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The Mission.

Carmen House Christian Study Center seeks to provide a hospitable place for the OSU community to explore deep questions about the Christian faith in relation to learning, vocation, and human flourishing. We seek to be a

greenhouse for Christian spiritual formation, demonstrating the vitality and wisdom of the Christian faith for the life the university.

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Why it Matters.

We envision Christian faculty at OSU that are actively integrating their faith with their academic work in the university, while being given opportunities outside of the classroom setting to share their lives and perspectives

with others in the campus community. We envision Christian students who are better able to bring their faith with them into the classroom setting, with judgment-free space to be honest about their questions, struggles, and

doubts. We envision non-Christian faculty and students encountering the people and programs of Carmen House, and being surprised by the wisdom and beauty of the way of Jesus Christ.

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Conclusion.

With Christian study centers being developed at universities across the country, and now at several Big Ten campuses, the time is ripe for a Christian study center for Christian hospitality and programming near the campus of OSU. Like others connected to the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, Carmen House seeks to work in partnership with existing campus ministries, a hub which brings people together and convenes meaningful conversations and formational experiences.