I’m currently reading Geerhadus Vos' Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments (The Banner of Truth Trust, ISBN 978-1-84871-432-8), and I came across the following passage where he examines ‘the ingredients of faith in general.’ What I found striking is how Vos essentially argued that in the case of Abraham (and applicable to us in general), facts did not precede faith. In other words, when God first called Abraham, he had legitimate reasons to ignore God since he had no prior dealings with God....

Those close to me might grow tired of hearing me sing the praises of a Professor R. W. L. Moberly. He is little known in the Christian circles I grew up in – Reformed, Evangelical, Protestantism – but since I attended his lectures on the Old Testament at Durham University, my thoughts about the Bible and theology have been greatly influenced by his approach(es) to the Christian Scriptures. I recently finished reading his latest book, The Bible in a Disenchanted Age, in under a week and have been blown away by how relevant this book is in the current cultural climate as well as in my personal Christian journey....

I was in a dissertation workshop today and what our module convener said there struck me. He said that thinking and writing should never be separated. And I heartily agree, perhaps my inability to think writing has been due to my lack of writing. So I am trying to pick this habit up again. Also, in one of my classes, we are translating Genesis 1-9 from Hebrew to English. Our lecturer guides us, and he makes comments about the Bible as we progress....

It is strange how our feelings are often beyond our control. Naturally, we cannot help but feel angry when we are offended or see injustice; we cannot help but feel sadness when we are hurt, or the people around us are; we cannot help but feel joy when something goes right for us or for people we care for. I believe this is true for most of us – unless we put in great amounts of effort to suppress our emotions....

On the road to the airport Heading towards my moment of glory Leaving third world deficiencies For greener pastures on yonder hills. We who leave, are like Argives and Trojans Battling for glory and armour Blind towards the carnage and death Wrecked around them. What I see when the stamps before my eyes are removed Are men sweating to make ends meet, Migrant slaves struggling to eke out a living in a foreign land Young men resigned to lives of hard labour for want of education Women young and old working to put bread on their kitchen tables....

I had a chat with my father on the eve of departing to the UK with a fine scholarship tucked under my belt – not having a lot of financial cares to burden my family. And as we were reflecting on God’s goodness, thoughts about others less fortunate came crowding into my mind and the sobering reality that for one who has received so much, there are many others who are not given such an opportunity....

I’m starting to import the posts from my older blogs, publishing them according to the original post dates, but also indicating the re-publish date I think leaving is a significant part of people’s lives, especially when they leave for someplace far and for something new. Different places often represent different stages of life. For example, in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, we start at Gateshead – the beginning of Jane Eyre’s story and travel to Lowood where she grows up and then to Thornfield where she matures and then end up at Ferndean where she settles and the bildungsroman ends....