Johnson determined not to let his unfortunate experience happen to others, so five years ago he founded the Chesterton House – the name comes from the British author Gilbert Keith Chesterton – which helps Christian students integrate faith with scholarship.

“I want to make it easier for students to find the resources to make connections between their intellectual and religious life,'' he said.

The Chesterton House, and others like it across the country, do not simply stress mental exercise, but encourage students to participate in the creation and critique of cultural forms that influence everyday life.

Feeding the brain may be the beginning point, but feeding the flock is a large part of the intellectual journey.

“Chesterton House dares to get involved in the academic debate and inject fresh, intellectual Christian thought,'' Pothen said. “Whether through demonstrating that religion and science are both important spheres of knowledge ... or by reminding us Christians of our responsibility to bring hope to the world through the smallest of actions.”

One thing Chesterton House is not, or at least tries not to be, is a highbrow haven for spiritual elites to impress each other with their knowledge. Instead, the idea is to positively influence culture, which explains why the House hosts movie nights.

“God has given wisdom and insight not only to those he saved but those he created,” Johnson said. “So even Hollywood movies still get to themes of brokenness of the world and loneliness and alienation and strong yearnings for the world to be a better place.”

The movie list includes everything from the tame to the tense; small independent foreign films to the more commercial “Fight Club.”

  The House, located a block off campus, also organizes lectures, conferences and round tables hosted by nationally-known speakers such as former Cambridge physicist John Polkinghorne.