“Chesterton House’s commitment to grounding intellectual labor in the ongoing communal practice of patiently attending to the words of Scripture sets a high standard for the Christian study center movement even while it connects our movement with Christian intellectual communities of centuries past. Thanks Chesterton House for leading the way!”
Bryan Bademan, Executive Director of Anselm House
“One of the most exciting movements of our time is the rise of study centers that come alongside the university and its students with the rich intellectual and spiritual resources of historic Christian faith. Chesterton House was not only one of the first study centers in the Ivy League; it is still one of the best. It’s a magnificent gift to Cornell and the wider Christian community.”
Andy Crouch (A.B. Cornell 1990), Author, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling
“A goal of any Christ follower is to cultivate a sound and reflective faith. This is developed in part by the practice of honest, respectful, and stimulating dialogue both in and outside of the church. When I was a student at Cornell in the 90s, I didn’t have a formal community with whom I could regularly engage in this intellectual wrestling, and my worldview wasn’t challenged and sharpened as much as it could have been. Then came the Chesterton House, which was like manna from heaven for many students on campus. Returning to Cornell as a faculty member in 2017, I was delighted to see how the Chesterton House had grown over the years and, looking ahead to the future, I am optimistic and excited about its potential and promise.”
Praveen Sethupathy, Professor of Physiological Genomics, Department Chair
“Chesterton House is at the top of university organizations helping students experience the intellectual depth of the historic Christian faith.”
Elaine Howard Ecklund (PhD Cornell 2004), Professor, Rice University
“Chesterton House has been an exemplary model of the integration of faith and reason in a college chaplaincy. Karl’s spiritually grounded and intellectually rigorous leadership has enriched the Cornell community, as evidenced by high levels of student and faculty involvement, as well as by alumni/ae response to the ministry’s development initiatives. Chesterton House has bridged not only the real and perceived gaps between the life of the mind and the life of the spirit but also the sacred and the secular.”
Rev. Dr. Kenneth I. Clarke Sr., Former Director, Cornell United Religious Work (CURW)
“Chesterton House provides a much-needed presence at Cornell. In the best possible sense they provide a ’space’ —physical, intellectual, spiritual, and relational—for students and faculty to think, pray, wrestle, and rest. The results are life-giving and transformative. This is certainly a worthy venture that deserves great support and encouragement from all of us who care about fostering a lively Christian Faith in various academic settings. I know I am deeply grateful for Chesterton House.”
Kelly M. Kapic, Professor of Theological Studies at Covenant College
“I have been an excited observer of Chesterton House from before its beginning. Here’s why: In Acts 19:8-10 we read of Paul in Ephesus renting the lecture hall of Tyrannus—down the street from the synagogue—where he argued daily for two years. It seems that he did not primarily preach, but that he argued, debated, persuaded, reasoned in open discussion, allowing two-way communication. In today’s pluralistic world, there is a greater need than ever for this kind of discussion and interaction. But the question that weighs heavily on me is—where in the world is this happening today? Chesterton House, located “down the street” from one of the world’s great universities, is such a place!”
Dick Keyes, L’Abri Fellowship
“Chesterton House creates an environment welcoming to scholars and others who wish to engage in wide-ranging conversation about theology, viewed from multiple perspectives and in relation to serious contemporary concerns. When a distinguished university fosters such conversation, outside the siloes of so much academic thought, both the university and the church, as well as our larger society, are well served.”
Ellen F. Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology
“When I first came to Cornell and read the design of Chesterton House, I thought, if I had the power to create a chaplaincy program, it would be Chesterton House. It’s the platonic form of effective chaplaincy. Karl had not only the genius to imagine Chesterton House, but the courage to shape his life around it. He is an incredibly important person in my own life and in the life of this university.”
Fr. Bob Smith, Former Director, Cornell Catholic Community
“One of the most encouraging recent developments on the academic scene is the emergence of Christian Studies centers at universities across the country. A salient example is Chesterton House, affiliated with Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., a model of robust Christian faith that welcomes intellectual engagement. For students, faculty, and the community at large, ChestertonHouse is an indispensable resource, faithful in spirit to its namesake, the irrepressible GKC.”
John Wilson, Former Editor, Books & Culture
“I support Chesterton House because it makes a phenomenal contribution to life at Cornell – from the intellectual stimulation of the sponsored talks and events, the modelling of Christian life and love that living together in community demonstrates, to the public reading of Scripture on campus. I heartily agree with the many older alums who have said to me, ‘I wish we had Chesterton House at Cornell when I was there!”
Michael Bernardo, MD, Family Healthcare Newberry
