Welcome to the Official Website Of
Bovas Abraham
Author Of The Clash of Heavens: A Journey of Discovery with Angels
About the BookWhy is the topic of religion so contentious? Since childhood, everywhere he goes, Chacko sees a “clash of heavens” between people of different religions. He was brought up in the Christian Mar Thoma Church in a small village in India in the 1940s and has practised Christianity throughout his life. However, as he travels around the world, from India to Canada via Ghana, and witnesses political transitions and coups, acts of terrorism and war, and learns more about various religions, he is drawn into deep discussions with friends about belief, the Bible, and God. Was Jesus really a historical figure? Why are there different versions of the creation story? How does Darwin’s Theory of Evolution fit in? Why is God referred to as “Father,” and not “Mother” or “Sister”? Who is God?
Along his journey of discovery and truth, Chacko meets “angels” from all walks of life who contribute to his outlook on humanity—but also bring him to question himself even more. Will his quest ever end? |
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The Clash of Heavens: A Journey of Discovery with Angels explores the spiritual conflicts that can both disconnect and connect us from each other, the courage it takes to question the beliefs you’ve been taught in order to find your own truth, and how religion has shaped the world, from practices and folklore to beliefs and actions.
Readings:
(coming soon)
Reviews
"It was delightful to read Dr. Abraham's book. I had the pleasure to write with him two professional statistics books before, and I knew that Bovas would be able to pull off the task of authoring a book on fiction. Congratulations, Bovas.
Bovas talks about his book as fictional. But this book conveys so much more of Bovas and his spiritual strength, and his life-long empathy for friends and neighbors. The book follows his family roots in Kerala and his Christian upbringing. It follows his teaching experiences in Ghana, his statistics graduate student experience in Canada and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his career as university professor at Dalhousie and Waterloo in Canada.
I first met Bovas and his delightful wife Annamma and their two lovely daughters Linzy and Linn when Bovas and I were graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They were our best friends, and we were impressed by the Christian values that guided them to follow a most meaningful life. In this book Bovas has much to say about India and the various religions that shape this country. His view is always one of inclusion - one that bridges people and never divides them. Bovas also tells interesting stories about being an immigrant in the US and Canada, describing the hardships and joys that go along with starting a life far away from home, but never forgetting the cultural roots and the Christian compass that shaped his life. He stayed connected with his friends and family in India, and he managed to adapt his Christian belief to the new social norms of North America.
I am sure you will enjoy his book and the deep insights into a life well lived. I and my wife Lea are so fortunate to have become friends of his family."
- Dr. Johannes Ledolter and Prof. Lea VanderVelde, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
"An interesting immigrant story taking the reader from Kerala to Ghana and on to Canada. While there are some nice folktales about these places, there is also excellent history about Kerala, and the Malankara Syrian Orthodox church with its various derivatives. The book also contains a philosophical discussion on modern science (especially the advances in physics) versus religion and the literal belief in stories from the bible."
- (from Google Play) Jagdish Rajan
I have personally gained several insights from the book :
- I know the contents of the Bible were written by people - however, I have never thought about its significance.
- Father Nallavan's thoughts, the fact that the current generally used version of the Bible (especially New Testament) was written potentially decades later, even by some of them who had no physical interaction with Jesus, and the fact that most authors had Jewish upbringing and influence - are all items I had never given much thought about in the past.
- Josy's reflections are excellent.
Chapter 12: on Christianity in Kerala, historical evolution of different 'groups': this is a topic of great interest to me; this chapter is probably one of the most comprehensive compilations I have ever read on this area. However, I get the distinct impression that this chapter appears to have been written hurriedly (or tried to shorten it significantly ??).
And finally - Chacko had an excellent life. Coming from a humble background in a rural village setting and going on to a very successful career and life, and travelling the world etc..
- Dr. John Zachariah, Ottawa, Canada
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Bovas Abraham's book on "The Clash of the Heavens". It has a lot of wonderful insights about growing up in a village in Kerala in the 1950s. I was smiling when I was reading about young Chacko and his adventures. I grew up in a somewhat similar environment, and it brought back a lot of wonderful memories of growing up in a village in an Indian community in Malaysia. Bovas has fantastic memory, and I'm amazed at how he can recall even the small details. I wish there were more details about Chacko's life after marriage. This is a great read, and I recommend it strongly.
- Dr. Vijay Nair, Wells Fargo, Charlotte, NC
(Also Donald A. Darling Professor Emeritus of Statistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI)
Bovas talks about his book as fictional. But this book conveys so much more of Bovas and his spiritual strength, and his life-long empathy for friends and neighbors. The book follows his family roots in Kerala and his Christian upbringing. It follows his teaching experiences in Ghana, his statistics graduate student experience in Canada and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his career as university professor at Dalhousie and Waterloo in Canada.
I first met Bovas and his delightful wife Annamma and their two lovely daughters Linzy and Linn when Bovas and I were graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They were our best friends, and we were impressed by the Christian values that guided them to follow a most meaningful life. In this book Bovas has much to say about India and the various religions that shape this country. His view is always one of inclusion - one that bridges people and never divides them. Bovas also tells interesting stories about being an immigrant in the US and Canada, describing the hardships and joys that go along with starting a life far away from home, but never forgetting the cultural roots and the Christian compass that shaped his life. He stayed connected with his friends and family in India, and he managed to adapt his Christian belief to the new social norms of North America.
I am sure you will enjoy his book and the deep insights into a life well lived. I and my wife Lea are so fortunate to have become friends of his family."
- Dr. Johannes Ledolter and Prof. Lea VanderVelde, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
"An interesting immigrant story taking the reader from Kerala to Ghana and on to Canada. While there are some nice folktales about these places, there is also excellent history about Kerala, and the Malankara Syrian Orthodox church with its various derivatives. The book also contains a philosophical discussion on modern science (especially the advances in physics) versus religion and the literal belief in stories from the bible."
- (from Google Play) Jagdish Rajan
I have personally gained several insights from the book :
- I know the contents of the Bible were written by people - however, I have never thought about its significance.
- Father Nallavan's thoughts, the fact that the current generally used version of the Bible (especially New Testament) was written potentially decades later, even by some of them who had no physical interaction with Jesus, and the fact that most authors had Jewish upbringing and influence - are all items I had never given much thought about in the past.
- Josy's reflections are excellent.
Chapter 12: on Christianity in Kerala, historical evolution of different 'groups': this is a topic of great interest to me; this chapter is probably one of the most comprehensive compilations I have ever read on this area. However, I get the distinct impression that this chapter appears to have been written hurriedly (or tried to shorten it significantly ??).
And finally - Chacko had an excellent life. Coming from a humble background in a rural village setting and going on to a very successful career and life, and travelling the world etc..
- Dr. John Zachariah, Ottawa, Canada
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Bovas Abraham's book on "The Clash of the Heavens". It has a lot of wonderful insights about growing up in a village in Kerala in the 1950s. I was smiling when I was reading about young Chacko and his adventures. I grew up in a somewhat similar environment, and it brought back a lot of wonderful memories of growing up in a village in an Indian community in Malaysia. Bovas has fantastic memory, and I'm amazed at how he can recall even the small details. I wish there were more details about Chacko's life after marriage. This is a great read, and I recommend it strongly.
- Dr. Vijay Nair, Wells Fargo, Charlotte, NC
(Also Donald A. Darling Professor Emeritus of Statistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI)
Read the book?
Don't forget to leave a review on Amazon or in the Contact section below.
Thank you for your support!
Don't forget to leave a review on Amazon or in the Contact section below.
Thank you for your support!
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About the AuthorBovas Abraham is Professor Emeritus at the University of Waterloo and an honorary member of the Statistical Society of Canada. He has coauthored two scientific books for university students: Statistical Methods for Forecasting (1983) and Introduction to Regression Modeling (2006).
Bovas enjoys reading, travelling, going for walks, and playing pickleball and cards. He also loves history and both ice and field hockey. Bovas lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with his wife. |
