This is a special event for anyone in the Seattle area interested in learning more about Chesterton House and the study center movement. There will be a dinner prior to the lecture for Cornell alumni. If you are interested in the dinner, please contact [email protected].

Higher education poses a great dilemma for Christian students and their parents. Although Christian colleges offer an excellent alternative for some Christian families, most Christian students are educated at large research universities. These “secular” universities pose their own challenges to faith, and research shows that many students stop practicing their faith during their college years. How should we understand and address this problem?

In recent years, a number of Christian Study Centers have been founded at secular universities. These are solidly evangelical organizations that deal with the intellectual challenges of university life directly. Rather than compartmentalizing faith apart from learning, which is a great temptation, study centers are committed to “thinking Christianly” about the implications of the gospel for all areas of life and learning.

This talk will address the challenges of being a Christian student at a secular university and the ways in which one study center–Chesterton House at Cornell–has attempted to address those challenges.

Karl E. Johnson is the founding director of Chesterton House, a Center for Christian Studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Formerly a program director for Cornell Outdoor Education, he received his bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees from Cornell. Karl is also an elder of New Life Presbyterian Church.

For a map and directions, click here.