Over the past year, God has used your support of Global Scholars to equip African professors through Program 500. This initiative is training Christian scholars to write and publish from a Christian worldview. As Dr. Osam Temple, our Regional Representative for Anglophone Africa, describes it:
In the next five years, they hope to flood the intellectual space with African Christian literature and unashamedly defend and propagate the Christian worldview in the African context. By doing so, they also hope to inject African Christian voices into the global cultural discourse.
So far, 32 professors have engaged with Program 500. Each cohort of participants lasts six months and involves intensive reading, small-group discussion, and online modules.
Feedback so far has been encouraging. Here is what some Program 500 participants have shared about their experiences:
- “The meeting in Nairobi and the readings are meeting the point of need. … I feel like I have a new mission in the university and I am aware that I have something new to say. … But there’s also a sense of prayerfulness.” (Sam, Tanzania, Theology)
- “This came at the right time in my life. Program 500 is a game changer for many of us. … This gives us another dimension for how to impact lives.” (Paul, Kenya, Plant and Microbial Sciences)
- “I am really humbled by the privilege of participating in this program, both as a facilitator and as a participant. I am dealing with people, many of them far more senior than me, but I admire their humility to stoop down. … It shows that we are dealing with the body of Christ.” (Alexander, Nigeria, Language Arts Education)
I hope you are encouraged by how these professors are seeing their work in a new light. I look forward to seeing how God uses Program 500 participants to make a difference in Africa and beyond. Thank you for making this kind of impact possible through your gifts and prayers.
Listen to the September episode of the College Faith podcast. My guest today is Dr. Robbie Castleman, emeritus professors of Biblical Studies at John Brown University. She has studied, ministered to students, and taught at a number of very different types of schools. As a result, she is a helpful guide to understanding the similarities and differences between different types of colleges and universities.
In this episode of the Thinking Christianly podcast, we discuss Chapter 1 of my new book, Have We Lost Our Minds?: Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing. We cover why it is critical for Christians to acknowledge well-done science, the implications of the assertion that the brain is fundamentally what we are, and more.
Our October prayer calendar is now posted on our website. Download the prayer calendar to pray for professors, students, and current needs in higher education.