When I first entered the university as an undergraduate many years ago, I fell in love with academic life and decided that I never wanted to leave. I got my first university teaching job when I was 22, and have stayed in academia ever since. I am currently an Assistant Professor in the area of Applied Linguistics, though if anyone asks, I tend to prefer just saying that I teach.
I am also a Christian. I believe in God, in Jesus, and in the truth of the Bible.
It is sometimes said that academia and Christianity don’t mix well, that people who enjoy and are committed to academic thought can’t possibly also be passionate about their Christian faith. Well, that’s a myth.
For many years, I was wary about questioning the Christian beliefs that had been introduced to me as a child. I was afraid that I would find myself unconvinced by the “evidence” that was available and that this would chip away at my already-not-very-strong faith. But, ironically, the more I tried to stay away from questioning my faith, the weaker it got.
These days, I don’t bury my head in the sand any more. And what I’ve found is that the more seriously I subject God, Jesus, and the Bible to scrutiny, the surer I am about my faith. And the more I am willing to take steps of faith, the more God reveals Himself to me. More and more these days, I am discovering that true joy in this life is found only in living for Jesus.
If you are interested to find out more about what I believe, then do read on. I hope you will enjoy reading what’s here, and be blessed.
Photograph taken in 2009 at The Pen Room, a museum in Birmingham, UK, celebrating the city’s position as the centre of the world pen trade in the 19th century.
