> Jonathan,
>
> Hi and welcome. Thank you for introducing yourself. If you are interested,
> I first introduced myself on 25 Dec 1996 which you can find in the archives,
> but I feel that I need to add to that introduction in order to answer your
> questions, sorry for the length of my response.
John
Thank you for the welcome and for sharing you struggle. I find myself having
sympathy with both your own position as well as those of others who have responded
to it. I am sure our faith is broad enough to accommodate all these different
approaches. To use a Biblical analogy, we need people like Joseph, Esther and
Daniel, who serve God through their vocation, people such as Moses and Nehemiah who
use their secular training more specifically in the service of God's people, and
those such as Peter and Amos, unlearned, but powerful by the Spirit.
For myself, I see my research as an act of worship and service to God. I also see
the wealth and greatness of nations being redeemed and incorporated in the new
heaven and earth, in the new Jerusalem (Rev 21: 26). To me, this suggest that there
are things which we achieve in this life to God's glory which are of eternal value.
In Christ
Jonathan