About the Center
An independent intellectual community rooted in Christian faith, serving Rice students and faculty alongside local churches and campus ministries.
Our vision
The Rice Christian Study Center envisions a community where the life of the mind and the life of the Spirit meet—where students and faculty are welcomed into the love of Christ, formed in wisdom and wonder, and sent forth as lifelong disciples whose faith is deep enough to endure, broad enough to bless, and strong enough to shape the church, the university, and the world.
Our mission
The Rice Christian Study Center equips students and faculty to integrate faith with academic, vocational, and artistic pursuits through WELCOME (creating spaces of hospitality, belonging, and friendship), WISDOM (being transformed by the renewing of our minds), and WONDER (finding our places in God’s story).
Our story
Began conversations with Rice University faculty and local church pastors; Advisory Committee formed.
The Daily Office begins in the RMC Chapel. Hosted Dr. Elizabeth Rains and held our first public lectures with Dr. Ben Witherington III.
Became a registered student organization at Rice University.
Became a Prospective Member of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers and attended its annual meeting in Madison, Wisconsin.
Beta-launch semester: lectures by Dr. Robert George and Dr. Warren Kinghorn, and a Veritas Forum faculty-student lunch.
Our ecosystem
The Rice Christian Study Center will not stand alone. We envision a robust theological center that serves as a connector and catalyst for the work of Christ on the Rice campus, strengthening and complementing the efforts of local churches, campus ministries, and Christian leaders.
What we believe. The Rice Christian Study Center stands within the historic, orthodox Christian faith. We joyfully affirm the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds as faithful summaries of Holy Scripture and the shared confession of the church across the ages. Our gatherings are open to all, whether Christian, seeking, or skeptical.
Read our full statement of faith Full statement of faith coming soonOur people
Executive Director
Creighton serves with a growing team of students, faculty, and local church leaders to launch the Center. He brings nearly three decades of experience in higher education as a campus pastor, fellow, and professor, with a commitment to biblical, purposeful, and transformative ministry and leadership development.
He is a John Wesley Fellows Scholar-in-Residence at the School of Christian Thought at Houston Christian University. He holds a B.A. from Texas Tech University, an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas.
Guided by leaders across the academy, the church, and the marketplace.
Our movement
University-based Christian study centers, influenced by L’Abri and the lay theological education movement led by Regent College, first emerged in North America in the 1970s and 1980s. The earliest include the Center for Christian Study at UVA (1975), New College Berkeley (1977), and the MacLaurin Institute at Minnesota, now called Anselm House (1982).
Today there are 37 Christian study centers across the United States and the United Kingdom, including centers at Yale, Michigan, UNC, Georgetown, Texas, and MIT.
Visit the Consortium
Prospective Member · Consortium of Christian Study Centers
The Weekly Table
Get one email each Monday during the semester with everything happening at the Rice Christian Study Center.
