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While it hasn’t been a full year since the last article which I wrote, it certainly feels like it to me. It also has been the longest period of time which has elapsed since I’ve written an article for this website in the more than ten years of its existence. Read more …
A few weeks ago, our minister quoted an excerpt from a conversation between John Chrysostom and an empress. She threatened him with exile and execution. He replied valiantly that she could do nothing to take away his ultimate treasure and comfort. It is a poignant story. But as I sat there, listening, a doubt crept in.
Our perception of the world and reality is largely shaped by what we learn about it from others. Changing that perception can be jarring, but also liberating and beautiful. I felt that God—through His Word—thrust me unto a particular journey to do a course change. Read more …
Paradoxes amuse us, yet can leave us unsettled. For the person who has a spirit open to wonder, a paradox speaks to how there are things we cannot know or understand. To an analytical mind, this is anathema: a paradox is only useful in proving or disproving some postulate, but otherwise just idle nonsense. Investigating paradoxes have driven us to deeper understanding of the world and philosophy for millennia, starting with ancients such as Zeno of Elea, Protagoras of Abdera, and Epimenides of Crete1. Read more …
When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, the sea of change swept in a whole new vocabulary for most people in the country. The “Rainbow Nation” was our new identity: celebrating not only a diversity in skin tone, but cultures as well. Read more …
It is a cliché for a student at the University of Stellenbosch—which is nestled in the centre of a world famous wine region—to fall in with a group of friends who are (or become) wine connoisseurs. Read more …
“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” This phrase, from Matthew 22:21, has been used as a proof text of the separation of church and state; where the religious duty ends and the secular authority begins. Read more …
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a period of acute stress for many people. Pastors and Christian congregants—who are to set their minds “on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth” (Colossians 3:2)—have not been exempt. Community, fellowship, the coming together of people, and sharing together in one another’s lives are important in Christian living. Many Christians took (and still take) exception to governments enacting restrictions on gatherings and preventing them from meeting together for worship. This, in turn, has led to divisions within churches. Read more …
There is a remarkably recent and consistently recurring phenomenon of scepticism towards new vaccines. This should not be a surprise: it is wise to be cautious of putting things into our bodies that we do not know or understand. Read more …
My previous article looked at the wonders of vaccines “at face value”. However, we do not live in a perfect world, but rather a fallen world; one tainted by sin and suffering. Read more …
I recall clearly, aged six, going for my vaccinations. It was necessary for me to be able to go to school—the next phase of life I was eagerly anticipating. My uncle was our doctor and administered the shots. I did not cry, but put up a brave face through the pain and discomfort. Read more …
Earlier this year, the Lord blessed us with the birth of a beautiful baby girl. This changes my wife and I—our priorities, responsibilities and identities—in radical ways. Read more …
For many people, Christmas 2020 is not going to be merry. Where there used to be happy family gatherings with delicious Christmas lunches or dinners, there will only be solitude. The chatter and laughter of a jolly crowd will be replaced by silence and quietness. Christmas, as some would say, has been cancelled. Read more …
During her pregnancy, my wife at times displayed some strange behaviour. Sometimes she felt teary where she otherwise would have been composed. Other times she overreacted, displaying a degree of frustration or sadness more than the situation warranted. It could be frustration or sadness. As a husband, I had been warned about this: “be patient and recognize that it’s the hormones.”1 This is not some chauvinistic put-down: it is simple biochemistry (to which even my wife readily admitted). In essence, my wife reacted in ways she did not want to, but could not help. In a way, her emotions, feelings and perspectives were at odds with herself. Read more …
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