About

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psalm 36:9; Listen to or read Psalm 36.)

Welcome to In Thy Light. My name is Laurence, and on my blog I write to reflect the glory of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

Brief Biographical Sketch

I grew up in the suburbs of Kansas City, a typical boy who played sports and Nintendo. Eventually, I joined a premier soccer club team and spent most of my spare time figuring out how to become a professional goalkeeper. When some serious injuries forced me to re-think my purpose in life, I decided to volunteer for a parachurch organization instead of heading straight to college for soccer.

Two years later I entered Clearwater Christian College with a passion to become a lawyer and future judge; I wanted to “change the world,” so to speak. Little did I know that in God’s providence a couple college courses in apologetics, two trips to China, meeting my first Muslim friends, and meeting my first Presbyterian friends would turn the course of my studies, and my life. I changed my major and finished college with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Bible & English), enrolled in ‘05 at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, went under care of the South Presbytery of the OPC, and hope to be ordained as a minister of the Gospel and to complete postgraduate studies in theology.

Research Interests

Reformed theology & philosophy (esp. dogmatics, covenant theology, and apologetics)

The recovery of the “big picture” of our triune God and His Gospel is a crying need in the post-everything age. Correlatively, the robust covenantal theology of past centuries needs to be recovered and further developed in Reformed churches. And a comprehensive apologetic (especially regarding epistemology and philosophy of science) needs to be maintained against the new-old forms of autonomy/idolatry/unbelief.

Reformed Biblical Theology

After a generation or two of piecemeal, atomistic study of individual texts, Christ’s bride finds herself needing to regain the context, the history, of her own salvation story within which the texts find their purpose. It is time to hold the forest in balance with the trees. Just as dogmatics gives the big picture of reality in a world created, sustained, and redeemed by God, biblical theology gives the big picture of the Bible’s redemption story, a panorama vital to believers’ identity and hope.

Islam

American Christians are slowly beginning to notice the minarets popping up in their neighborhoods and hijabs in their grocery stores. How do Christians form friendships with their new Muslim neighbors? What is the Muslim way of life? Do Muslims believe in Jesus too? These and related questions the church must begin to grapple with if she wants to maintain her steadfastness in her Great Commission.