Langham Scholar Francis Mathew, from South Asia, is pursuing a PhD on the ‘Silence of God’ in passages of the Old Testament that depict violence against women. It’s a distance-based PhD, offered through Bristol Baptist College – which is where Development Manager Simon Foulds interviewed Francis last year.
Simon began by asking about his background: Francis grew up in a Pentecostal Christian home, but had a ‘light bulb moment’ during a Bible study on sin, salvation and the centrality of the cross.
He studied engineering but strongly sensed the call of God over his life, which he admits he initially tried to run away from. Francis briefly worked for his church, then joined ‘Youth With a Mission’ for a six-month placement. That short-term mission turned into nine years, during which time he met his wife Medonuo Zhotso (they now have a two-year-old son, Asher Lev).
The ‘Silence of God’
They went to a seminary in South Asia, where Francis was mentored by Dr Havilah Dharamraj, a Langham Graduate and professor in Old Testament studies. He completed a Masters, and while writing his thesis, was inspired to further explore the ‘Silence of God’ in three rape narratives (Genesis 34, Judges 19, 2 Samuel 13).
“There is a significant gap in biblical scholarship when it comes to understanding the ‘Silence of God’ in these stories”, Francis explained.
“There is a nature and character of God that’s more consistent with who he is in these stories that I’m hoping to bring out through my research.”
He shared that in his country, sometimes people unfairly judge the victims of sexual abuse, while conversely, others feel that God “doesn’t really care”.
Pastoral care offered to victims
Francis hopes and prays that his research will have a practical impact: “I hope my findings will come alongside the pastoral care that’s offered to victims or survivors of rape and sexual abuse and their families in [my country].”
“I have friends who’ve been abused both in the church and outside as well. Hearing from them, I know how tough and painful it can be when you go through such a crisis in life and go through trauma – it sort of distorts your understanding of not just reality but, added to that, how the Church offers little care to people and their families, you sometimes are at the far end of even losing your faith in God.”
He is currently in the final year of his PhD programme, which is offered through the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence (part of Bristol Baptist College, with degrees validated by the University of Aberdeen). It is a distance-based PhD, so Francis travels to the UK for conferences and extra study once a year.
Grateful for the investment
The Langham Scholars programme and Scholar Leaders (a similar organisation supporting Majority World leaders in pursuit of PhDs) jointly sponsor Francis’ studies. He said that without this support: “There’s no way in the world I would have had the resources to do a PhD in a world-class Institute like this. I’m really grateful for this investment.”
He’s also grateful for the pastoral care given by Langham, as all Langham Scholars are assigned a Scholar Care Coordinator. For Francis, this is Dr Rico Villanueva, who is based in the Philippines. Rico sends him encouraging messages and has regular Zoom calls to check how he and his family are doing.
“Langham is not just interested in me getting a PhD but is really concerned about my life and my heart”, Francis said.
Future plans
When Simon asked what his plans were after his PhD, Francis explained that he would like to be a fully-fledged faculty member at the seminary where he is currently a member of staff within the Old Testament department. He would also love to write, not just for the Academy, but also for the Church.
There are over 50 Langham Scholars from Francis’ country who have gained their PhDs and returned home to be salt and light. Francis said: “We’ve got some very prominent thinkers and practitioners in [here] who are doing this work, but the population … is fairly large and there is much more that needs to be done in our nation.
“I would say I stand on the shoulders of so many giants who’ve gone ahead of me.”
Thanks to your support, Majority World nations are being impacted by the multiplying effect of Langham Graduates like Dr Havilah, and soon-to-be graduate Francis.
Watch the entire interview with Francis, where he expands on the reasons for his studies and the impact his PhD has had on his family.