I write this post to offer my sincerest congratulations to my good friend Glenn People’s (who runs an excellent blog here). Today Glenn Graduated from the University of Otago with a PhD in Philosophy for his research thesis entitled Religion in the Public Square. Glenn’s thesis was an examination and critique of the thesis, propounded by numerous contemporary liberals such as Robert Audi and John Rawl’s that religious premises should be excluded from public discourse and debates about public policy.

Glenn and his wife Ruth have been good friends of Madeleine and I for some years. I met Glenn when I was doing my Masters in the Philosophy department at Waikato Uni. At that stage Glenn was a music student at the Waikato Polytechnic with a keen interest in Theology. Since then we have followed each other around the country, I followed Glenn to BCNZ in 2000 where he did his BD and followed him to Otago Uni in 2002. Oddly enough there was a kind of symmetry in our careers. Glenn did a Bachelors and Masters in Theology before switching to Philosophy. My under grad and masters were in Philosophy before I switched to Theology. We also both began in Waikato moved to Henderson and then to Otago,. We always joke that he and Ruth will now follow us to Auckland so the circle is completed.

Apart from our similar interests Glenn and his family have been close friends and confidents Madeleine and I really miss the time we spent with them in Dunedin and the mutual support we could offer each other as PhD students struggling to provide for a family on Otago University Scholarships.

Anyway, I wont prattle on, Glenn it's your day today, congratulations, its good to see all the hard work has come to fruition. I hope you and Ruth enjoyed the pomp and hype of the ceremony and your achievements were given the honour and recognition they deserve. We wish you continued success and look forward to the next time our paths cross.