In Jamaica, Elie Henry Receives Honorary Doctorate, Challenges Graduates to Cultivate Christ-Centered Minds

Former Inter-American Division president says the future will require more than technology—it will require lives transformed by Christ.

August 14, 2026 | Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica | Byron Buckley, NCU and IAD News Staff

Northern Caribbean University (NCU) conferred an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree on Elie Henry, Ph.D., former president of the Inter-American Division (IAD), during its 103rd Commencement Ceremony in Mandeville, Jamaica, on Aug. 9, 2026, recognizing his decades of distinguished Christian leadership and ministry.

Henry, who now serves as associate director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty at the General Conference, also delivered the keynote address to the university’s 595 graduates, urging them to cultivate transformed minds rooted in Christ as they prepare to serve in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and rapid technological change.

Accepting the honorary degree, Henry described the recognition as both “humbling and inspiring.”

“To receive the degree of Doctor of Divinity honoris causa from an institution whose mission I deeply admire is both humbling and inspiring,” he said. “I receive it first as an expression of God’s grace for every opportunity to serve, every lesson learned, every responsibility entrusted to me and every life that has crossed my path.”

Henry thanked the university’s board, administration, faculty, and students, saying he accepted the honor not as the conclusion of a journey but as “a renewed invitation to continue serving Christ, His church and His world with humility and faithfulness.”

A Transformed Mind

Turning to the graduates, Henry reminded them that while earning a degree was a significant accomplishment, their greatest achievement was the person they had become throughout the educational journey.

Speaking on the theme, Transformed Minds for Christ-centered Futures, he built his message around Romans 12:2, presenting three convictions about what it means to live with a mind transformed by Christ.

Henry said God’s preferred way of changing the world is by transforming people before changing circumstances.

A transformed mind, he explained, sees neighbors instead of competitors, stewardship instead of personal achievement, hope instead of fear, and Christ not merely as a teacher to admire but as the Savior to follow. Pointing to Moses, Henry noted that although the future leader of Israel received the finest education in Pharaoh’s palace, it was his years as a shepherd in Midian that prepared him to lead God’s people.

Called to Bless Others

Henry’s second conviction centered on purpose.

“When God transforms a mind, He never does it for that person alone,” he said. “He transforms us so that we may become a blessing to others. Your profession is God’s platform for your mission… When you belong to Christ, every profession becomes holy ground.”

He reminded graduates that advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping industries, communication, healthcare, and research, but technology cannot replace the qualities produced by a life transformed through Christ.

“Artificial intelligence can generate information, but it cannot generate wisdom. It can recognize patterns, but it cannot love a patient. It can process language, but it cannot pray with a suffering family. It can imitate conversation, but it cannot reflect the character of Jesus Christ.”

That responsibility, Henry said, still belongs to transformed men and women.

“The future will never need Christ-centered minds less than today. It will need them more,” he said. “The greater challenges of your generation will not be solved by technology alone. They will require integrity, compassion, discernment, courage, and hope. These are qualities no machine can manufacture. They are the fruit of lives transformed by the Holy Spirit.”

The Future Belongs to Transformed Lives

Henry concluded that the future ultimately belongs not simply to educated minds but to lives transformed by Christ.

“The world has many educated people,” he said. “What it longs to see are transformed people—people whose character reflects Christ, whose presence brings hope, and whose lives make the gospel believable.”

He closed by challenging graduates to remain faithful throughout their lives so they might one day hear Christ’s words: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”