Welcome to Biola University’s Center for Christian Thought and its media platform, The Table.

Why We Exist

The riches of Christian wisdom once held a place of influence in the academy and the church. But today, in these two places where Christian scholarship most belongs and is most effective, it is often sidelined as irrelevant.

Christian scholars are in great need of financial, institutional, and community resources—vehicles to assist them in presenting their research to their colleagues, students, and broader society, thereby representing Christ and his truth and wisdom from scholarly spheres of influence outward to the public.

Christian pastors and their congregations are in great need of intellectual and practical resources grounded in thoughtful Christian wisdom, to expose Christ followers to the big ideas that will ultimately lead to personal growth, social good, and the spread of love and biblical shalom throughout the world.

Our Values

Our academic research and public engagement programs seek to stimulate, refine, and express Christian scholarship through collaborative interdisciplinary research, in order to promote an understanding of spiritual, philosophical, scientific, and theological inquiry among scholars, religious leaders, and laypeople. CCT’s values and emphases focus on theological imagination, creativity, principled pluralism, and the intersection of perspectives from different cultural sectors, academic disciplines, denominations, and backgrounds.

Our founding vision maintains a commitment to religious and theological inquiry that celebrates Christian ecumenism in the spirit of humility, wonder, open-mindedness, practical wisdom, and public engagement.

We are committed to supporting research and resource development on central questions of human well-being and flourishing from distinctively Christian scholarly perspectives. We share an abiding commitment to the study of ideas that shape and support freedom, dignity, and broad societal well-being; we encourage free and constructive research among our scholars and contributors; and we are devoted to the ultimate goal of influencing culture with life-giving and enriching Christian wisdom for public audiences.

Ideas make most sense in community…

… here’s a snapshot of life around The Table at CCT.

About the Theological Perspectives You’ll Find Here

Biola University, an institution with its own particular spiritual, theological, and intellectual heritage and commitments, endeavors through CCT and The Table to engage a broad range of Christian perspectives on perennial questions. Scholars, fellows, contributors, and speakers appearing in our resources may present positions and make claims that are sometimes at variance with Biola’s theological culture and doctrinal statements.

Therefore, the views, opinions, authors, and other contributors associated with CCT’s research fellowship program and The Table‘s media platform do not necessarily represent the beliefs of Biola University or the Biola University Center for Christian Thought.

Who We Are

Hundreds of scholars, pastors, and thought leaders have contributed to our work—as researchers, collaborators, authors, conversation partners and more.

Leadership