A Christian worldview course taught by author and speaker John Stonestreet marks the beginning of a partnership between BibleMesh and the International Alliance for Christian Education (IACE).
BibleMesh has “a lot of expertise in the digital world,” IACE President David Dockery said. “We’re borrowing that expertise, and they willingly share it with us because they really believe in the mission of IACE.”
Launched in 2020, IACE seeks to unify and resource Christian educational institutions that hold historic biblical convictions. Two years into that mission, the alliance recognized a need to develop basic courses in Christian higher education that could be utilized by its 70-plus institutional members—from secondary schools to graduate schools. IACE had expert lecturers and course content but needed help packaging that content for online delivery. That’s where BibleMesh came in.
“We will have a content expert or two serving as the teacher of the material in each of the courses,” Dockery said. BibleMesh “helps us shape the course in ways that are faithful to online educational philosophy, helping us move from being a collection of video lectures to a course design with syllabus outline, resources, and assessment opportunities.”
IACE’s focus is connecting presidents and other senior-level leaders at Christian schools, as well as developing younger leaders. It facilitates research on Christian higher education and provides a platform for addressing public policy and cultural engagement issues.
Dockery, IACE’s founding president, is distinguished professor of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Previously, he served as president of two Christian higher educational institutions: Union University for nearly 20 years and Trinity International University/Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for five years.
As IACE became increasingly international, its leaders asked if there was a way to deliver content in a turnkey model useable across the globe. When they connected with BibleMesh, the answer was a resounding yes.
“BibleMesh’s mission is to provide trusted theological education, and we love to partner with organizations who share that passion,” said Jacob Shatzer, BibleMesh course development director. “When we work together, we can serve institutions, teachers, and students well so that they in turn can serve God throughout the world. This new worldview course is exciting because it is foundational and transformative for how students think about their academic interests, their callings, and all of their lives.”
The worldview course features lectures by Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and voice of BreakPoint, a nationally syndicated radio commentary. The course introduces the concept of a worldview, explains several rival worldviews to Christianity, and details the Christian worldview. Assignments include midterm and final exams along with a research paper.
Though designed for undergraduate students, the course is versatile. Adding extra assignments would make it suitable for graduate students. Some secondary schools may opt to utilize it for advanced students. While the course is geared toward IACE member institutions, individuals may purchase access.
In partnership with BibleMesh, IACE plans to launch at least one new course each year. Similar partnerships with BibleMesh could benefit other Christian educational groups, Dockery said.
Along with helping publishers and individual schools, he said, BibleMesh “could come along and work with other educational organizations like IACE and serve them effectively.”
For more information about IACE, visit https://iace.education/. For more information about BibleMesh, visit https://biblemesh.com/.
David Roach is editor of the BibleMesh blog.