Saunders Center for joy and human flourishing

Welcome to the Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing at Abilene Christian University. Our center is dedicated to exploring and promoting the essential elements of a joyful and fulfilling life, inspired by the lifelong work and vision of Landon Saunders.

Our Mission

The Saunders Center aims to:

Foster interdisciplinary research on joy, well-being, and human flourishing
Equip the ACU and broader community with strategies for enhancing quality of life
Engage students, faculty, and the broader ACU community in meaningful dialogue about what constitutes a good life
Integrate faith perspectives with contemporary insights from psychology, philosophy, social sciences, and the arts

Our Approach

At the Saunders Center, we believe that joy and human flourishing are not mere abstract concepts but achievable states that can be cultivated through intentional practices, meaningful relationships, and a deeper understanding of the most important questions humans can ask. Our work is characterized by the messages Landon himself wrote that he hoped all ACU students would know:

You are worth more than you think you are.
Try not to hurt anyone.
Make joy your star of navigation for your life.
Always be a part of a community of friends that talks about what really matters in life.

Join us as we explore the pathways to a more joyful and flourishing life, building on the legacy of Saunders and the Christian mission of Abilene Christian University.

Upcoming Events

Cliffs and coastline in Ireland

The Good Life and Celtic Spirituality

IRELAND | SUMMER 2025

Follow Dr. Richard Beck and Dr. Claire Davidson Frederick of the Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing to Ireland as they explore notions of the Good Life, Contemplative Spiritual Practices, and Celtic Christianity. Taking a cue from Beck’s book, Hunting Magic Eels, they will explore how the Celtic Christian tradition, with its deep reverence for nature, mysticism, and the sacralization of the everyday, can help modern Christians reconnect with a sense of awe, wonder, and reverence for the divine in the world around them. In this unique Saunders Center offering, students will follow Beck and Frederick on a journey that takes them into the heart of ancient spiritual traditions that will reinvigorate their current Christian practices with a sense of mystery and attention to the sacred.

Saunders Center Staff

Claire Davidson Frederick Photo

Director

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Dr. Claire Davidson Frederick

Dr. Claire Davidson Frederick is the Director of the Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing at ACU. Before starting this position, she spent eight years at Lipscomb University teaching in the College of Bible and Ministry and serving as Program Director for the ENGAGE Youth Theology Initiative. Claire has degrees from Rutgers University (BA), Lipscomb University (MDiv), and McCormick Theological Seminary (DMin). Her doctoral project, entitled “Gathered with the Saints: Reimagining Worship in the Age of Coronavirus,” won the John Randall Hunt Prize for Outstanding DMin Thesis in 2021. Her writings are also featured in Finding Their Voices: Sermons by Women in the Churches of Christ (ACU Press, 2015); Women Serving God (John Mark Hicks, 2020); and LEAVEN: Journal of Christian Ministry.

Claire co-planted All Saints Church of Christ in 2016 and served as their liturgist and worship minister until her move to Abilene. Before that, she served as a family minister at the Woodmont Hills Church in Nashville and was an accomplished singer / songwriter in the country music industry for fifteen years. Claire is married to musician Kyle Frederick and has two daughters, one son-in-law, and three free-range grandkids.

Richard Beck Photo

Senior Fellow

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Dr. Richard Beck

Dr. Richard Beck is Professor of Psychology and Senior Fellow of the Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing at Abilene Christian University. During his teaching career, Richard has been honored twice as ACU Teacher of the Year. Richard has also been recognized as Honors Teacher of the Year and has won the College of Arts and Sciences Classroom Teaching Award and Faith Integration Award.

Outside of the classroom, Richard travels the world as a sought-after speaker and an award-winning blogger and author. Richard’s most recent books are The Shape of Joy: The Transformative Power of Moving Beyond Yourself (Broadleaf Books, 2024), Hunting Magic Eels: Recovering an Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age (Broadleaf Books, 2021), Trains, Jesus and Murder: The Gospel According to Johnny Cash (Fortress Press, 2019) and Stranger God: Meeting Jesus in Disguise (Fortress Press, 2017).

Richard is married to Jana Beck, a high school theater teacher, and they have two sons, Brenden and Aidan. He is an elder and adult faith Bible class teacher at Highland Church of Christ and leads a weekly Bible class for fifty inmates at the maximum security French Robertson Unit in Abilene.