Celebrating first fruits: latest news from our galas and webinar
“At the LCI, we have learned that by integrating our faith with our disciplines, we not only better understand the world God created, but we also bear witness to His glory,” shared LCI staff member Gustavo Sobarzo at the LCI Latin America Project Showcase on 25 January.
“This is much more than a dialogue between science and the Christian faith: it is a call to be transformed and to transform, to live as agents of God’s Shalom in our communities.”
In January and February, friends and supporters of the Logos and Cosmos Initiative joined two regional online galas and heard Catalysts share how their science and theology projects are bearing fruit for the kingdom of God.
Raising up thought leaders in the science-theology dialogue has always been at the heart of the LCI. The presentations at the Project Showcases spoke volumes about how Catalysts are living up to their name and bringing gospel-centred change to their communities. Some of these change-makers are publishing books and resources, while others are spearheading new initiatives or applying their faith and academic expertise to big issues in their contexts.
“The Catalysts we have trained over the last four years – about 50 in total – can speak confidently about what they have learned about the relationship between science and theology, and they are passing on their knowledge to others,” said LCI staff member Dr Chabi Eteka, who introduced the Francophone Africa gala on 1 February. “Today, we celebrate the influence and impact Catalysts have had in their national movements and their respective countries and societies.”
Eyes opened to new perspectives
During both events, several Catalysts shared perspectives from students and participants who have been impacted by their LCI-funded projects.
Liliane Alcântara Araújo from Brazil, for example, talked about how her project is exploring the relationship between theology and food justice, which considers the root causes of unequal access to adequate nutrition. She has led several training events for students in ABUB, the IFES national movement in Brazil, about this topic, and shared a few student testimonies during her presentation.
One physics student said:
“I came to understand that promoting conditions of justice is to announce that the kingdom of God is coming and has already arrived. Jesus multiplied the bread and the fish twice. On both occasions, he fed a multitude, but there was no waste. What a lesson! Today my attention is focused more on waste and on what kind of food I have been eating and more: what actions of mine contribute to the food insufficiency of other people? Before Liliane’s talk, I didn’t even know that this topic had anything to do with the Christian message, and today it is no longer possible [for me] to separate these two aspects.”
Liliane is continuing her project by developing a practical guide for leaders of the IFES movements in Brazil and Uruguay containing strategies on how students can address issues of food and nutritional security, and the environment from a theological perspective.
At the Francophone Africa gala, Lesly Sandra Guebon Bende from Cameroon, explained how her project is bringing together theological and humanitarian approaches to try to increase the representation of women in PhD programs in her country.
She has conducted literature reviews and surveys to better understand the barriers to women’s participation in PhD programs. In December, she organized a conference about how to address the gender gap in doctoral programs. More than 80 participants attended and heard from a multi-disciplinary panel of speakers including university professors, a pastor, humanitarian experts and a government ministry representative.
One of the speakers, Dr Marlène Sokeng Fomena, a faculty member at the University of Dschang in Cameroon, spoke briefly at the end of the Francophone Africa gala, and explained:
“Lesly showed us the challenges that women experience when considering starting a PhD. Women need training and leadership development, and this takes a multidisciplinary approach from faith, culture and science. The community is looking to Christians to be a living testimony of how faith can transform society.”
A growing interest in the LCI’s model
In addition to our two regional galas, Program Manager Sophie Van Houtryve was invited to speak about the Logos and Cosmos Initiative at a conference in the UK, hosted by Developing a Christian Mind at Oxford. DCM Oxford organizes two annual conferences that provide spaces for graduate students and academics at the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University to consider how they integrate their Christian faith and their academic life. Speaking at a panel discussion, Sophie shared examples of how the LCI is equipping scholars to be thought leaders and to lead groundbreaking projects in their contexts.
Also in February, Sophie, Gustavo and Dr Eteka were interviewed at one of the IFES-USA office’s monthly webinars. They joined Kevin Van Horne, Executive Director of IFES-USA, on February 13 for a conversation about the impact of the LCI over the last four years.
“The consensus for us is that our grassroots model has really worked,” Sophie shared. “The Catalysts have been on a journey of transformation through the learning that they have experienced, the mentoring they have received, the projects they have led and the Christian community that they been part of.
In addition, their projects have blessed and complemented the ministry of their IFES national movements and have opened doors to new audiences of students who perhaps might not feel ready to attend a Bible study but would be interested in coming along to a Christian dialogue event.”
- If you would like to watch the video of the IFES-USA webinar (in English), please email us.
- Visit our projects webpages for more information about all LCI-funded projects.