Let me introduce you to a crown jewel in the State of Texas: Lanier Theological Library. This is one of my favorite places on the planet! Located at 14130 Hargrave Rd, Houston, TX 77070, the library opened in 2010, occupies 17,000 square feet, and has over 100,000 scholarly volumes. It is a wonderful place to do theological research or writing. Additionally, the library contains artifacts that are true treasures from the ancient holy lands.
The library was a treasure to me while doing research and writing, especially during the days of my theological masters program. In addition to an enormous offering of theological resources on any theological topic one might be inclined to research, the library also has numerous private collections that are available for on-site research.
The grounds themselves are an inspiration to visit. There is the Stone Chapel, a replica of a Byzantine chapel from AD 500. Across the ceiling of this beautiful chapel are painted scenes from the Bible of stories from Genesis through Revelation. The chapel is a site where many biblical scholars have shared their faith and knowledge while speaking to capacity crowds. On the library grounds is also the “Hall of Reason,” a larger gathering place for talks and presentations where much learning takes place. Further, throughout the library and adjacent grounds are quiet, inspirational places where one can reflect and decompress while surrounded by theological works that will educate, challenge, and inform one’s Christian faith.
The library was founded by Mark and Becky Lanier. Mark is a renowned attorney from Houston whose Christian faith drives his passion to increase biblical learning and understanding. One of their taglines for the library is that it is a place where one can “advance your theological study and explore your faith.”
You can learn more about the Lanier Theological Library and their many events by visiting https://lanierlibraryandlearningcenter.org. It is worth a visit, but take your computer and be prepared to put in some time studying and writing while you are there.
Leave a Reply