LCI HISTORY
The Logos and Cosmos Initiative (LCI) is an outworking of IFES’ global vision to impact all of society for the glory of Christ, which is summarized under the goal of Engaging the University (ETU).
The LCI builds on the IFES Big Issues in the University Project, which ran from 2017-18 and was also part of Engaging the University. This exploratory project and consultation aimed to identify big issues that IFES groups were grappling with around the world, and to identify what resources were needed to address them. Regional consultations brought together staff, academics and students from different countries to share and learn about the issues and questions facing Christians in their universities. In the process, participants also learnt how to better integrate their Christian and academic lives and reflected on how to effectively engage the whole university.
In order to help address the issues and opportunities raised by the Big Issues in the University Project, IFES made an application to the John Templeton Foundation (JTF) for funding a project to increase the engagement of the sciences with theology amongst university students. Eventually, funding was received to help create the LCI, a five-year program which ran from September 2020 – August 2025 and provided mentoring, funding and capacity building for Christian scholars in Latin America and Francophone Africa. In 2026, the LCI has continued in those regions in 2026 under IFES regional leadership, and there is an active LCI program in East Asia as well, thanks to a generous grant from Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science (ECLAS). An LCI program is also being planned to start soon in South Asia.
