God calls us to love him as whole people, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Too often, modern Christians have neglected to love God with their whole minds, fearing that intellectual inquiry endangers faith. But when we dare to question, test, and learn with open minds and hearts receptive to God, reason strengthens our faith, deepens our relationship with Christ, and equips us to be better citizens of the university and the world. The truly abundant life embraces our whole humanity—spirit and intellect, reason and faith, theory and practice, eruditio et religio.
We believe that Christians are called to excel in every field of academic study to the glory of God—from history to biology to economics to engineering and computing, and more. Connecting students and faculty with scripture, the best of the Christian tradition, and brilliant thinkers today, we foster the exploration of life's important questions from a distinctively Christian perspective.
CCS is a resource for everyone at Duke who is interested in the Christian intellectual tradition— for faculty, graduate students, and undergrads, Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox, cradle Christians and people of no religious faith looking for answers or arguments. By hosting conversations on questions that matter, CCS fosters deep friendships with like-minded lovers of truth.
Bridging the gap between what we learn in church on Sunday and what we learn in lectures and labs throughout the week, we equip students and faculty to engage the university with Christian understanding. Students and faculty well informed about Christian doctrine, respectful and curious about other sources of knowledge, and eager to dialogue across difference will be winsome witnesses for Christ at Duke and beyond.
CCS offers both for-credit and extracurricular courses on a wide range of topics, like “Science and Faith,” “Can the New Testament Be Trusted?” and “Beauty, Suffering, and the Cross.” We partner with Duke faculty to offer half-credit house courses and full-credit departmental courses. We also offer extracurricular short courses and reading groups.
Each Wednesday, CCS hosts an informal social time to relax and connect with fellow Christians. Drop in on Wednesday evenings for free food and lively conversations on everything from Duke basketball to infant baptism, from tech addiction to contemporary Christian art.
The CCS House, located just off of East Campus, is open Monday-Friday as a study space. Whether you’re looking for a quiet spot to write, a meeting space for your study group, or a break over board games, enjoy a house that feels like home. Our growing library of theological books is also available as a resource—you’re welcome to browse and borrow.
As a center for scholarship, we support Christian Duke faculty in the work of research and teaching. Invited speaker events like the Triangle Roundtable and social events like our back-to-school cookout build networks of friends and colleagues. Focused working groups of 3-10 faculty partner together for mentorship, research collaboration, and theological training.
Minds don’t think. People do. And people think in homes.
Come join us for our weekly meal! We'll enjoy fellowship with one another over food prepared by a member of our local community.
Come join us for our weekly meal! We'll enjoy fellowship with one another over food prepared by a member of our local community.
Believing in “The Holy Land”: Religion in the Israel-Palestine Conflict
November 13, 6:30-9:00 pm
Washington Duke Inn, Ambassador Ballroom
The current war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza has a long history. Over centuries of conflict, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim peoples have laid claim to the land all of them understand as holy. In the last year, we’ve heard religious rhetoric used to justify and escalate violence. On these contentious and emotionally charged issues, universities have a responsibility to cultivate thoughtful conversations in which we listen to others from diverse political and religious backgrounds.
At this semester’s Triangle Roundtable, we’ll hear from three faculty experts who belong to Muslim, Jewish, and Christian traditions on the role of religion in the current Israel-Palestine conflict. How do religion, ethnicity, and nationality interact in Israeli and Palestinian identities? Should Israel consider itself primarily a Jewish nation-state or a secular democracy? Is Palestinian resistance a jihad—and what does that term really mean? And how do Christian beliefs about the Jewish people and Israel influence foreign policy and international relations? We’ll examine ways that religious identities contribute to conflict as well as religious resources for peace and reconciliation.
Meeting over a meal, we aim to foster civil, constructive conversations about these complex, charged issues, listening to diverse religious and nonreligious perspectives. No matter what you believe, you’re welcome at the table.
Speakers
Abdullah Antepli is Associate Professor of the Practice of Interfaith Relations at Duke Divinity School and Associate Professor of the Practice at Sanford School of Public Policy. He previously served as Duke University's first Muslim chaplain and director of the Center for Muslim Life. He is also a senior fellow on Jewish-Muslim Relations at Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
Yaakov Ariel is Professor of Religious Studies at UNC. His research focuses on Christian-Jewish relations in the late modern era and attitudes towards the Jewish people and the Holy Land among evangelical Christians. His books include Evangelizing the Chosen People and An Unusual Relationship: Evangelical Christians and Jews.
Kyle Beardsley is Professor of Political Science at Duke, co-director of the International Crisis Behavior data project, and the Director of the Triangle Institute of Security Studies (TISS). His research focuses on the causes and consequences of armed conflict around the world. He is also a board member of the Center for Christianity and Scholarship.
What to Expect at Triangle Roundtable
Faculty from Duke, UNC, NCSU, and other Triangle-area colleges and universities are invited to join colleagues and special guests for a Faculty Roundtable on Religion and Public Life. The night includes dinner, presentations from featured speakers, and small group discussion on Wednesday, November 13.
The evening will include a moderated discussion featuring Abdullah Antepli, Associate Professor of the Practice of Interfaith Relations at Duke University; Yaakov Ariel, Professor of Religious Studies at UNC; and Kyle Beardsley, Professor of Political Science at Duke.
Triangle Roundtable is hosted by the Center for Christianity and Scholarship, InterVarsity Faculty Ministries at Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University, InterVarsity Black Scholars and Professionals (BSAP), and the North Carolina Study Center.
Faculty roundtables have taken place since 2005 and have engaged thousands of professors at major universities, including Harvard, MIT, Yale, and Brown. Roundtables are dedicated to fostering dialogue that explores religious perspectives on an array of topics. The Triangle Roundtable began in 2020 and serves faculty at universities and colleges in the Triangle region of North Carolina.
We hope you will join us for this conversation!
