Tie-ups should be initiated with one or preferably multiple reputed International (Christian Theological and other) Institution(s).
Similarly, relationships with certain significant international Christian Missionary organizations (e.g., RZIM, Max Lucado, Joyce Meyer, Billy Graham Organization, NGOs like Jimmy Carter’s Habitat For Humanity, publications like Christianity Today, Christian Post, etc.), should also be explored.
NOTE: We must however avoid Far-Right, ultra-conservative organizations, as these may attract controversy and negative public attention, create bad PR and quite possibly render it harder to communicate God’s Word and His Loving Grace to the masses in India. It is recommended that we stick with organizations and institutions that uphold a more liberal and inclusive view of Christianity, Life and Society, emphasizing God’s Love, rather than God’s Wrathful Judgement as portrayed in parts of the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament.
Once these international institutional relationships are in place, faculty-, student- (and any other-) exchanges and rotations, and inter-institutional degree programs / collaborative work / research should be encouraged. This would greatly improve the profile of Bishop's College and bring it greater international recognition and positive exposure.
Spanning over 2 centuries, Bishop's College and Serampore College have a colorful history around which it would behoove us to create a compelling PR narrative further romanticizing the institutions and the unique circumstances of their existence. Such a story needs must of course romance the story of the pedestrian progress of Christianity in India during the epic epoch of the British Raj.
India is an attractive yet hard-to-penetrate target for western evangelists seeking to do God's work, i.e., carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28). Bishop's College can be positioned as a platform / entry point / diving board for those well-funded western Christian theophilic organizations who seek to carry out their calling in these 97.8% non-Christian pastures of 1.2+ Billion.
The combination of the above factors and a skillfully crafted narrative could also be leveraged to raise investment funds from suitable sources to greatly expand, enhance and consequently further empower the institution that is Bishop's College today.
A 'Director of International Affairs & Business Development' (?), perhaps assisted by a small team of student assistants (and faculty-members), will be needed to take ownership of this effort and drive it.
For review, an initial few possible institutions for potential collaboration are listed below. |
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS |
CHRISTIANITY
- Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
- European Theological Seminary (Freudenstadt, Germany)
- Johannelund Theological Seminary (Uppsala, Sweden)
- MF Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo, Norway
- VID Specialized University, formerly the School of Mission and Theology (Stavanger, Norway)
- University of Helsinki, Faculty of Theology
- University Of Eastern Finland, School of Theology, Joensuu, Kuopio
- Theologisches Seminar St. Chrischona (tsc) (Basel, Switzerland)
- Tyndale Theological Seminary (Badhoevedorp, The Netherlands)
- Evangelical Theological Faculty, ETF (Leuven, Belgium)
- University of Bologna, Italy
- Wycliffe Hall of Oxford University, England
- Ridley Hall, Cambridge (Cambridge, England)
- Westcott House Anglican Theological College, Cambridge, England
- Edinburgh Theological Seminary (Edinburgh, Scotland)
- London School of Theology (London, England)
- London Theological Seminary (London, England)
- King's Evangelical Divinity School (Broadstairs, Kent)
- Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Cornell University, Religious Studies Program, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Stanford University, Religious Studies Program, San Francisco, California, USA
- Dartmouth College, Department of Religion, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
- Graduate Department of Religious Studies - Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- University of Chicago Divinity School
- Duke University Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Vanderbilt University Divinity School (Tennessee), USA
- Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Asbury Theological Seminary (Kentucky and Florida), USA
- Fuller Theological Seminary (California, Arizona, Washington, Colorado, Texas), USA
- Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, USA
- Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, USA
- Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
- Biola University, La Mirada (Greater Los Angeles), California, USA
- Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois, USA
- Crown College, Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota, USA
- George Fox University, Newberg, Oregon, USA
- Northwest Christian University, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Huntington University, Huntington, Indiana, USA
- Azusa Pacific University, Azusa (Greater Los Angeles), California, USA
- Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas, USA
- Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts, USA
- Denver Seminary, Littleton, Colorado, USA
- Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Malone University, Canton, Ohio, USA
- Eastern University, St. David’s (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania, USA
- Houghton College, Genesee Valley, New York, USA
- Northwest University, Kirkland (Seattle), Washington, USA
- Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington, USA
- College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Missouri, USA
- Whitworth University, Spokane, Washington, USA
- Messiah College, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
- Calvin University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
- Taylor University, Upland, Indiana, USA
- Covenant College, Lookout Mountain (Chattanooga), Tennessee, USA
- Hope College, Holland, Michigan, USA
- Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
- Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
- Regent College of Theology,Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Huron University College of Theology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Montreal School of Theology | Faculty of Religious Studies of McGill University, United Theological College, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Wycliffe Collge, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Séminaire de Québec | Faculty of Theology and Religious Sciences de'la Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Crandall University Department of Theology, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
- Melbourne School of Theology, Wantima, Victoria, Australia
- Alphacrucis College, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- University of Otago, Theology Programme, Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand
- University of Auckland, School of Theology, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand
- Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy, Kiev, Ukraine
- Kiev Theological Seminary (Russian / Ukrainian Orthodox), Kyiv, Ukraine
- Evangel Theological Seminary, ETS, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Odessa Theological Seminary, Odessa. Ukraine
- Eurasian Theological Seminary, Moscow, Russia
- Near East School of Theology, Beirut, Lebanon
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JUDAISM
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, Center for the Study of Christianity
- Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Jerusalem, Israel
- Yeshiva University, New York City, USA
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ISLAM
- İstanbul University, Faculty of Theology, Istanbul, TurkeY
- University of Al Quaraouiyine, School of Islamic Studies, Fez, Morocco
- University of Ez-Zitouna, Tunis, Tunisia, Higher Institute of Islamic Civilisation and Theology
- Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt, Department of Religious Studies
- University of Jordan, Faculty of Shari'a (Islamic Studies)
- University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies
- Qom Seminary, Qom, Iran
- Emir Abdelkader University, Constantine, Algeria
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MISSIONARY ORGANIZATIONS
- Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
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