Lieschen Venter
Lieschen Venter lives in Stellenbosch and is a lecturer of Operations Research, the so-called “science of better”. She completed her school career in Somerset West and immediately enrolled for a degree in the mathematical sciences at Stellenbosch University. She obtained her Master’s degree in the economic management sciences funded by a bursary awarded by Sasol Technology. Contractually bound by the bursary, she relocated to Secunda, Mpumalanga to work for Sasol’s Decision Support group. During this time she was also privileged to head up a local congregation church planting team that is still strongly active today. It was during her church planting years that she was able to complete an Honours degree in Theology. After returning to Stellenbosch as an academic, she recently completed her PhD. Her dissertation describes a quantitative simulation model of the South African basic education system using a system dynamic modelling approach. Lieschen describes herself as perpetually online and an information glutton. She has a keen interest in both local and global politics, popular culture trends, cultural expressions of ideology, behavioural pattern recognition, and trend prediction using popular media. She hopes to remain a lifelong student as she continues to search for a satisfying theory of everything.
Living water in the desert of the real

Living water in the desert of the real

Apple recently unveiled its Vision Pro, a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world. The device creates an infinite canvas for apps that scales beyond the boundaries of a traditional display and introduces a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by the user’s eyes, hands, and voice. This is a significant move towards an increasingly digital life in the metaverse, a limitless online reality.

Does AI dream of electric salvation?

Does AI dream of electric salvation?

In the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, the dawn of large language models (LLMs) has ushered in a paradigm shift that continues to blur the lines between human and machine communication. As these digital titans rise to prominence, their unparalleled...

How Should We Then Fight?

How Should We Then Fight?

Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” presents viewers with a philosophy of power that echoes the work of Michel Foucault. Faced with a growing sense that power is wielded against us by corrupt overlords, where do Christians look for a response?

A call for an Apologetic of Beauty

A call for an Apologetic of Beauty

At the height of the scientific apologetic debates of the 2000s it felt like both sides were driving in opposite directions in identical cars, each convinced they were driving towards the truth. Perhaps they were, but they were also driving away from something. And I think what they were driving away from, was beauty.

Shadow and light – Archetypes and the Gospels

Shadow and light – Archetypes and the Gospels

If we combine the 4 Jungian archetypes with the personifications of the tetramorph, can we make a case for Christ as the perfect fulfilment of all that Freud, Jung, Campbell, Moore, and Gilette are looking for? In a society of disordered archetypes, and psychoses of imbalance, can we psycho-analyse Christ in a Jungian framework and find the perfect man? I contend that we can. And that the answer to all our psychoses can be found by spending time in the gospels.