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About the Christian Scholars’ Conference

The mission of the Christian Scholars' Conference is to create and nurture an intellectual and Christian community that joins individuals and institutions to stimulate networks of scholarly dialogue and collaboration.

The conference was created in 1981 under the direction of Dr. Thomas H. Olbricht, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Pepperdine University, and has since been hosted by several universities associated with Churches of Christ. The conference calls together scholars from a wide variety of disciplines in the liberal arts, sciences, business, law, education and medicine to develop their own academic research and to reflect on the integration of scholarship and faith.

In service to its mission, in 2008 the CSC adopted a model wherein the conference is hosted at Lipscomb University and every fourth year rotates to a supporting university (or organization). Our recent history and future plans:

  • Lipscomb University (2008, 2009, 2010)
  • Pepperdine University (2011)
  • Lipscomb University (2012, 2013, 2014)
  • Abilene Christian University (2015)
  • Lipscomb University (2016, 2017, 2018)
  • Lubbock Christian University (June, 2019)
  • Lipscomb University (June 9-11, 2021; June 8-10, 2022)
  • The Lanier Theological Library and Learning Center, Houston, TX (June 7-9, 2023)
  • Future Dates (June 5-7, 2024, The Lanier Theological Library and Learning Center, Houston, TX)

The conference is funded by registration fees and the Thomas H. Olbricht Christian Scholars' Conference Endowment Fund. If you would like to contribute to the Thomas H. Olbricht Christian Scholars' Conference Endowment Fund, please click here.*

Advisory Board

The CSC advisory board is made up of the following members, predominately provosts, from liberal arts universities associated with the Churches of Christ.

The advisory board meets once a year and takes an active role to: encourage and recruit generative peer-review leaders, invite a wide range of participants beginning with their respective universities, ensure financial support for their faculty's conference travel and fees, help raise scholarship monies to promote participation amongst graduate students and faculty of color, provide leadership and participation during the conference and to help create and enact wise and effective developmental strategies consistent with the CSC mission.

Join us in 2024!

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James Cone with conferee at the CSC in 2017

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Pulitzer Prize winner Marilynne Robinson delivering the CSC plenary address

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Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), delivering the CSC plenary address.

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US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith delivering the CSC plenary address

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David Brooks engaging conferees during breakfast at the CSC

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