Christian was born in California where he attended high school and studied molecular biology as part of a special after school program learning advanced biochemistry techniques. Christian moved to Reno and worked as a training coordinator for a local grocery store while attending college. After graduation, Christian began work as a graduate research assistant in the UNR pharmacology department studying uterine smooth muscle and received his Ph.D. in pharmacology. After graduation, Christian worked teaching biology and as a postdoctoral researcher.

When not teaching or doing research, Christian plays guitar, studies Japanese and Hebrew, enjoys studying ancient Judean and Israeli religious and cultural texts, and watches Japanese cinema.