Center for Faith & Scholarship

The Center for Faith & Scholarship is a Christian study center located at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. Started in 2003, the Center's mission is to represent the Christian intellectual tradition within a public research university and to encourage the exploration of contemporary cultural questions from within the framework of a Christian worldview.

CFS works with students, faculty, departments of the university and other religious organizations. Believing that higher education is, at its heart, a vocation consistent with recognition of God as creator of all things, the Center seeks to investigate the implications of new discoveries and theories for the Christian faith as well as to bring the insights of the Christian tradition and a Christian worldview contemporary issues.

To further this mission, CFS sponsors lectures and seminars, often in conjunction with departments of the University of Michigan. Noted scholars from around the United States and the world visit with students and offer public presentations of their work. CFS also sponsors graduate fellows groups to encourage thoughtful reflection on faith and learning, as well as community discussion groups in the area of science and religion. A film series meets monthly to view current and classic films as an exercise in cultural critique (and, let's be honest, for entertainment, too).

CFS also hosts courses in theological and biblical topics to enable students to speak intelligently about their faith. The Center also maintains a 3000-volume library of theological and biblical resources for use by interested persons. Located in the Campus Chapel (1236 Washtenaw Ct.), the Center is to be found on the eastern edge of the University of Michigan's central campus.

Staff

Director

Rolf Bouma directs the Center for Faith & Scholarship. He received his Ph.D. from Boston University in the field of Systematic Theology. In addition to thesis work on biotechnology and a theology of nature, he also has been extensively involved in science and religion dialogue.

In 2003, Rolf was appointed as Lecturer in environmental ethics as part of the University of Michigan's Program in the Environment. He also teaches theology at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Each January, he joins the staff of the Au Sable Institute to teach environmental ethics at ASI's Greak Lakes campus.

Rolf also holds M.Div. and Th.M. degrees from Calvin Theological Seminary and has served congregations in Grand Rapids (Eastern Avenue CRC) and Boston (Hope CRC, Framingham, MA). He also obtained a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School (1982). His wife, Sandra, is a nutritionist and registered dietician at the University of Michigan Hospital. They have three children: Dietrich, Lindsey, and Jalen.