The regulars punch a code in the front-door lock at any hour of the day or night. Rows of hot coffeepots greet the students as they enter through the hallway. And three floors of tables, chairs, couches and sofas are available for studying or lounging.
The Center for Christian Study at the University of Virginia has been beckoning students since 1976 as a place to cram, but also as a place to explore the relationship between faith and learning.
The WiFi is free. The library has a few desktop computers (not to mention 12,000 books). And, of course, there’s a kitchen.
Christian students come here to socialize, listen to a lecture, participate in a book study or a small group, get mentoring or counseling. Founded to serve students spiritually and intellectually, the center attests to an evangelical willingness to take on science and the liberal arts.
Over the past decade, the Christian study model has been quietly multiplying. Today there are 24 Christian study centers at universities across the country including the University of California at Berkeley, Cornell, Yale, the University of Wisconsin and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Like the one in Charlottesville, housed in a 1926 red-shingled house on fraternity row, less than a block from campus, these centers are each privately owned and run and funded by alumni and local…
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