A Christian Study Center at OSU? Why Bother?

Why is something like a Christian Study Center important for the body of Christ to develop at a public university like Ohio State?

Some of us may have questions like these:

Aren't there enough campus ministries already at Ohio State?

A Christian Study Center is not a traditional campus ministry, nor a campus church. Campus ministries typically exist under the auspices of "student life" at the university, which is a part of the university that oversees how students on campus might spend their spare time outside of academics.

Today's public university is organized to see the ski club or chess club in the same way that it sees a religious student organization. Within student life Christian organizations are sometimes tolerated more than celebrated, because it can be assumed that religious organizations work against the grain of the values and goals of the university. Many Christian student organizations do a lot of good and necessary work, within this given framework.

But something more is still needed. A Christian Study Center seeks to transcend being pigeonholed to student life. It starts with a foundational conviction that says ultimate truth, goodness, and beauty is found in Jesus Christ. Therefore, students and faculty at the university can approach their learning, their work, and pursuit of truth at the university in a manner where faith is not partitioned to their private, extra-curricular time. A Christian Study Center creates a physical space with strategic programs dedicated to the integration of faith and learning, so that everyone in the university may be more likely to see and experience that Jesus is relevant to all of life.

A Christian Study Center can be a ministry hub, a neutral entity able to host and partner with campus ministries as they do their own important work on campus.

Aren't there enough Christian colleges already?

There are many wonderful Christian colleges and universities across the country that have maintained sound theological convictions. These institutions continue to be important partners of the Church and its mission. And yet, it is typical for Christian colleges (particularly those that continue to be explicitly Christian) to be relatively siloed from the academic guilds led by secular institutions. What happens at a Christian college many zip codes away rarely intersects with what happens at a place like Ohio State.

A university like OSU has almost 60,000 undergraduate and graduate students on its main campus, some of the best and brightest future leaders in our society. A Christian Study Center seeks to display some of the best features of a Christian college, contributing to an education grounded in a Christian worldview, while being housed on the doorstep of the secular university. A Christian Study Center seeks to engage the assumed truth claims of the public university with a posture of humility and respect toward those who see the world differently. The programs of Carmen House are primarily targeted toward students and faculty within the secular university, seeking to integrate faith and learning.

Aren't there enough libraries where students can study on campus at OSU?

Ohio State's main library is a large, beautiful building often filled with students doing their studies. There are plenty of spots on campus where students go to study. And yet, these places tend to be more functional than personal. Students enter a campus library rather anonymously. Though beautiful, these libraries can reinforce a student's loneliness and isolation within in a sea of students.

A Christian Study Center seeks to be a warm, hospitable place where there is always someone intentionally present ready to love and serve students. It is a place where Christian and non-students can go to know they are welcome and wanted, a place where they know they will find someone that will take interest in them. Carmen House seeks to be a place for students to be met wherever they are on their spiritual journey, providing resources pointing toward Jesus is as the answer to their deepest longings and pursuit of truth.

To learn more about how to support the launch of Carmen House Christian Study Center, click here: