Today Madeleine graduates with her LLB (Bachelor of Laws). She started this 17 years ago, took time out to have two of our children and started again in 2008. Despite a car accident, injury and constant pain she has persevered and today receives recognition for her achievement.
I am so proud of my wife, her determination, character and grit in doing this has been an inspiration to me.
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In Pursuit of an LLB
Tags: Law Studies27 Comments
A common objection to belief in the God of the Bible is that a good, kind, and loving deity would never command the wholesale slaughter of nations. In the tradition of his popular Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan teams up with Matthew Flannagan to tackle some of the most confusing and uncomfortable passages of Scripture. Together they help the Christian and nonbeliever alike understand the biblical, theological, philosophical, and ethical implications of Old Testament warfare passages.
Today's New Atheists proclaim themselves our culture's party of reason. It is a claim they cannot sustain. Reason is the New Atheists' weakness, not their strength and in fact, the Christian faith is a far better place to look for True Reason. Making their case accessible to the first-time inquirer as well as the serious student, this top-flight team of writers presents a sound defense and a strong introduction to the true reason uniquely found in Christianity.
The book begins by examining foundational philosophical approaches to the Bible as well as the methodological challenges those philosophies create for interpreting the Bible. It then addresses textual and historical challenges and how to deal with them. Finally it looks at ethical, scientific, and theological challenges demonstrating the Bible's moral integrity in relationship to contemporary moral emphases.
Many philosophers have considered the strengths and weaknesses of a virtue-centered approach to moral theory. Much less attention has been given to how such an approach bears on issues in applied ethics. The essays in this volume apply a virtue-centered perspective to a variety of contemporary moral issues.
The challenge of a seemingly genocidal God who commands ruthless warfare has bewildered Bible readers for generations. A range of expert contributors engage in a multidisciplinary approach that considers this issue from a variety of perspectives: biblical, ethical, philosophical and theological.
The nineteen essays here raise classical philosophical questions in fresh ways, address contemporary challenges for the church, and will deepen the thinking of the next generation of apologists. Packed with dynamic topical discussions and informed by the latest scholarship.
While New Atheists like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and others proclaim loudly their rationality, clear thinking, and incontrovertible scientific arguments, others are beginning to wonder how genuinely rational they are. Have they proved anything? Have they argued convincingly? Have they pinpointed any real challenges to the credibility of Christian faith?
Go madeleine! You’re an inspiration to us all!
Congratulations, Madeleine!
I’m very new to this site but I just wanted to add my congratulations for a long task faithfully completed.
That’s a wonderful achievement, enjoy the celebrations today.
Congratulations, Madeleine. Time to bask–at least for one day and its hangover. 🙂
Congratulations on your amazing achievement! You’re an inspiration to those who persevere through difficulty!
Congrats!
So, what’s next? 🙂
Well done!
17 years to do a 4-5 year degree what a disgrace. Taking up the governments money and my tax revenue.
I spit on this achievement.
Congratulations, Madeleine!
I hope you have some very significant life achievements, D.Legg. You better have if you are spitting on what Maddy has just done-remember just under 30% of the population ever gets a degree. Personally I think Maddy has done very and hope she uses it for good and contribute positively to society.
Congratulations. Very, very inspiring 🙂 Who knows what you’ll get up to next!
Thanks Matt and thanks everyone. It has been a very long and very cool day surrounded by family and friends.
As for what next, well that could be a number of things… I am just over the half-way mark through my Certificate in Professional Legal Studies (the NZ equivalent of the Bar Exams). Profs will be finished at the end of November then I will be admitted to the bar at the first admission ceremony of 2011 which is on March 18.
Depending on where in the world we are living next year when I attain bar admission and what Matt’s employment status is and what the number of hours I am medically cleared to work has crept up to I will make a call as to what next – work or Masters thesis. Things should hopefully be clearer by the end of the year.
As for being some kind of disgraceful bludger D Legg I really must correct you – I took up far less of the government’s money and “your tax revenue” than most students do.
I began with 2 years full time in ’93 and ’94. Then I had one year off to have my second child. Then I did 2 years part-time so I could work as well as study. Then Matt and I lost a child so I took a break from study which ended up being an 8 year break where I worked on and off to supplement Matt’s income. Then in 2008 the company I was working full-time for as a Commercial PA and Legal Assistant bonded me to complete my degree part-time – so they paid for my fees as part of my remuneration package.
Despite taking 17 years to complete I never exhausted my 4 years of student allowance payments, I doubt I even used half of it and I was a tax payer through most of that time. Further my student loan will be completely paid off before we leave the country next year.
As I explained in the related post linked to above I had a lot going on which got in the way of my finishing my degree but I was determined to keep chipping away at it.
Well done Mads! So now you’re bothered lettered and ready to move on to greener pastures!
Congratulations, regards to Matt for this victory
New guys… 😉
Congratulations, and the law degree’s also a pretty good achievement.
Congratulations and welcome to the legal profession. I hope a life in the law is as good for you and your family as it has been for me and mine.
YEEEEEEAH BOOIIIII! Congrats Madeleine and also Matt, but mainly to Madeleine haha your story was touching sista. Looks like you two have better days to come eh, don’t worry.
D. Legg’s just talking smack eh, don’t even bother about him. 17yrs is choice after all you’ve been through. Ka pai
Well done! A great big pat on the back to ya! Cheers, and best future wishes to you, Matt and the kids.
Congratulations, Madeleine!from my heart
My mum was wearing a silly hat.
Comments are now closed due to the retard school-boy comments that keep getting left here.
Ok.
That previous comment was just a test. Looks like your comment closing system does not work the way you want.
I think I know what I did. We never close comments or moderate things (and so we should not have to) so I am not familiar enough with how that functionality works. I think I have it sussed now.
We’ve now decided to moderate rather than close comments.
Thanks for clarifying that.