Christian inspiration, facts, philosophy and debate

My grandfather, J.M.S. Baljon, was a theologian. He was a minister for part of his life, but his heart was with science, and he managed to get a job in the Islamology department. Eventually he became a professor and his lectures all over the world were testimony to how much he was appreciated.

His father, J.M.S. Baljon, was also a theologian. He was more interested in the people of the parish though and for much of his life lived in the East Indies (as Indonesia was then called): family report has it he was one of the few Dutch able to appreciate the 'natives' on their own terms. It's clear growing up in Indonesia my grandfather first got interested in Islam.

His father, J.M.S. Baljon the first, was also a theologian. He was one of the first in the literary Bible interpretation school. This great-great grandfather and my grandfather made books that ended up mentioned in the Open Library. The 19th century one is not by my grandfather of course.

My parents left the church but raised their kids with the children's Bible. We still tend to read the Bible when (if) we get together for Christian holidays. I'm sure my parents never expected two of their kids to be seriously interested in alternative spirituality (yes, one of those kids is me).

But as this lens shows, I have not totally left behind my Christian roots...

And my mom, when she left behind her work in a psychiatric institution a few weeks ago, invited a speaker on Christianity and Psychiatry.