Center for Christian Faith and Culture
David Beer
- Chair of the History and Political Science Programs; Director of the Center for Christian Faith and Culture
- dbeer@malone.edu
- 330-471-8625
Exploring the wisdom of the Christian intellectual tradition
For more than a decade, the Center for Christian Faith & Culture at Malone has existed to foster theological literacy, prayerful contemplation, and faithful reasoning within the Church, the academy, and other areas of professional life.
Vision
We aim to foster a rich Christian culture characterized by theological literacy, practical wisdom, and spiritual discernment. We envision Christian families, churches, schools, as well as business and community leaders better equipped to navigate these confused times with Christian wisdom and moral integrity.
Values
Our approach is both ecumenical and orthodox, and our theological orientation is captured by what C.S. Lewis described as “mere Christianity.” The Center aims to promote the spiritual substance of (to use another phrase from Lewis) a “deep church.”
Constituency
Affiliated with the Evangelical Friends Tradition, Malone University’s faculty, staff, and student body are ecumenical and highly diverse. The Center for Christian Faith & Culture is deeply invested in this diverse community, and we are grateful to have a seat at the table, where we can consistently and passionately represent the classical Christian tradition in our work on campus and beyond.
Director
David Beer, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for Christian Faith & Culture. David assisted the work of the Center as associate director before being named director. Beer is an associate professor of Political Science in the Department of History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences. As a political theorist who specializes in the thought of Augustine, Charles Norris Cochrane, and Eric Voegelin, Professor Beer works at the intersection of philosophy, politics, and theology.
Events
Worldview Forum
The Worldview Forum invites the community to engage in thoughtful, respectful dialogue on different worldviews in an academic setting.
Woolman Lecture Series
This annual lecture series is named for John Woolman (1720–1772), a New Jersey Quaker whose theological and intellectual ideas helped shape early anti-slavery efforts in America.
For information on our current events and activities, visit our Facebook page.
Past Events
Over the course of the last decade, we have offered a variety of events, lectures, book groups, and other resources as ways to serve our students, local pastors, and other area leaders. It’s our fervent hope to equip you with knowledge, wisdom, and a love for Christ that shapes your vocation and life.
Highlighted Events
- Host reading groups each year for students to discuss the acclaimed works of C.S. Lewis, including The Chronicles of Narnia, The Four Loves, The Great Divorce, and The Problem of Pain.
- Host grant funded Constitution Day lectures featuring speakers including Jeff Polet, Ph.D., “Religion, Virtue, and the Republic in the American Founding: Perennial Themes in American Life” and Professor Bruce Frohnen, “Constitutional Morality and the Rule of Law.”
- Provide outreach to homeschool families including a zoo presentation by Malone students and a tree walk event on campus.
- Routinely host luncheons pastors featuring speakers like Daniel K. Williams, Ph.D. on “A Christian Alternative to Political Partisanship” and “The Political Tragedy of the Pro-Life Movement.” And Paul Gutacker, Ph.D. on “Loving the Lord with All Your Mind: Why Every Christian is Called to be a Theologian” and “Don’t Know What You’re Doing After Graduation? Good.”
- Co-sponsor film screenings of movies like “The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis.”
- Hosted a pastors’ workshop on C.S. Lewis’ The Abolition of Man.
- Partnered with the C.S. Lewis Institute of Northeast Ohio to host events like Carl Trueman talking about his book on “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self” or a lecture series titled “Matters that Matter.”
- Hosted Tish Warren Harrison for a public lecture titled “Liturgy of the Ordinary.”
- Hosted Ralph Wood, Ph.D. for a luncheon and presentation titled “G.K. Chesterton: Apologist of the Literary Imagination.”
- Hosted Tobias Winright, Ph.D. for a public lecture on the theology of policing. He was joined by local police officer, Lamar Sharpe, for a panel discussion after the presentation.
Benefits of connecting with the Center for Christian Faith & Culture
Communication
The ongoing work of the Center includes regular communication with our various constituencies including regular meetings with pastors and other community leaders.
Formation
We are devoted to formation in the way of Christ as understood in classical, ecumenical, and Trinitarian Christian orthodoxy. Through workshops, lectures, conferences, and retreats, we offer continuing education and leadership development for area pastors, lay leaders, Malone students, faculty, and staff.
Fellowship
Through student fellowships, reading groups. and other informal gatherings, we encourage & cultivate friendships grounded in the knowledge, wisdom, and love of Jesus Christ.
Join us for Morning Prayer
Where: Johnson Center Chapel
When: 8:00-8:30 Monday-Friday during the academic year
Morning prayer is a spiritual discipline of the Christian life that has been practiced since the early church. Morning prayer orients the day around worship and praise of God and serves as a daily practice of Bible reading as well. Morning prayer reminds Christians that we are not only part of an historic faith, but also a global faith that shares together in faithful practices and shared prayers.
In 1967 Jean Daniélou wrote, “The civilization in which we find ourselves makes prayer difficult. The first thing that strikes one is that our technological civilization brings about a change in the rhythm of human existence. There is a speeding up of tempo which makes it more difficult to find the minimum freedom on which a minimum life of prayer depends.” Read today his words strike us with even more certainty. Daniélou reminded his readers that since monks depended on their “rule” of life to structure and sustain their prayer life, the same should be true for Christian people “at grips with the realities of the temporal life as it is lived today, whether in the family, at work, or in the city.”
Most Christians know that they should spend time reading scripture and praying, but can often feel at a loss as to how to go about doing that. Yet, even if Christians are convicted that we need a “rule of life,” we also need a model for developing a practice. The Morning Prayer service from the Book of Common Prayer (ACNA 2019) offers Christians a practice that walks us through confessing our sin, worshipping God, reading scripture and praying for ourselves and others. Join us in the Johnson Center chapel as we practice this classic Christian formation together.