I don't talk a lot about faith or religion. Most people, I suspect, wrestle privately with beliefs and few appreciate being preached at by wide-eyed converts. I was once one of the latter, and I while I didn't evangelise, I was probably still a tiresome nuisance. Decades later, my passion has abated even as my curiosity has increased.

The truth is that, no matter how far I run, or how much I seek distraction, a still small voice within continues to call me to God. It is not conditioning and it is not madness and it is not even especially direct. Moreover, it is the manner in which my attention is directed towards something that raises again, the question of God, completely out of the blue. This has happened all my life for as long as I can remember.

Most recently I have been tussling with the problem of reconciling theism with science. I understand only too well that scientists cannot factor in metaphysical phenomena when science is being done. But it strikes me that the gulf between faith and science is largely a false dichotomy, geed up by fanatics and special interests on both sides.

I began reading John Lennox, God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?, a few days ago. I find within this lucidly written tome a compelling philosophical rebuttal to the positions taken by aggressive anti-theists like Richard Dawkins (brilliant as the man is). More on that later, perhaps.

I believe fervently in science but cannot support the outright rejection of a super-intelligence (ie God) that was the First Cause. I don't think that science will ever solve the question of 'what came before' and often as not, the simplest explanation is the best. No, I haven't taken leave of my senses - it is possible to rational when it comes to belief - and my doubts remain as prevalent as ever.

I remain open-minded and happy to be challenged, but those challenges need to be supported by truth, by evidence where possible, by inference if necessary.

Abell 370 galaxy cluster (Hubble)