GLOBAL SCHOLARS CANADA

Dr. Wendy Helleman – professor pioneer and global scholar

Dr. Wendy Helleman is a specialist in the Early Church fathers and their Greek philosophical contemporaries. More than a researcher of ancient texts, she and her husband Dr. Adrian Helleman, registered Christian Studies International in 1995.

Its purpose was to redistribute the wealth of Canadian Christian academics worldwide. They then flew through the newly opened Iron Curtain to teach philosophy and theology in Moscow, sharing their Christian worldview through their teaching, research and writing.

Their efforts and example opened a pathway for other Canadian Christian professors to follow suit, including to countries like China, Nigeria, The Gambia and Sierra Leone. Sadly, the executive director of CSI died suddenly in 2013, and Wendy became interim executive director for one year. She continues to promote the mission of what is now called Global Scholars Canada, equipping students to lead in the churches and academies of their nations. Now semi-retired, Dr. Helleman recently copublished Early Christianity: A Textbook for African Students. Written with her African colleague Musa Gaiya, the book comes with a Christian perspective deliberately accommodating to African beginnings, Muslim perspectives, women’s roles and the persecuted church.

This is significant for the interfaith, gendered landscape of African universities today. Dr. Helleman is a professor pioneer, global scholar, and visionary Christian leader who continues to find fresh opportunities for transnational mission. www.GlobalScholarsCanada.ca