On this 9th day of January 2025, Raphael Zion Itai Yohanan Nur Laurent declared his vocation of public scholarship. Henceforth dedicating themselves to the service of propagating knowledge in recognition of its transformative properties. In this declaration, the **Public Scholar** professes faith in The Christ, affirming that their vocation is rooted in a sincere belief in God’s justice, the dignity of all people, and the sacredness of creation. This vocation is confirmed through a period of at least twenty four months reflection and shaped by his spiritual convictions. We pray the fruits of this action continue to guide their pursuit of scholarship and community organising. We pray Raphael, Zion Itai Yohanan Nur Laurent, is faithful to his this service to the community. The Public Scholar s compelled to act decisively as a steward of creation's pervasive flourishing. To live out the Biblical mandate to “**speak up and judge fairly**; **defend the rights of the poor and needy**” (Proverbs 31:9) they must bear witness to the grim reality of poverty which distort God's will for creation. The Public Scholar must be fearless in their speech and conduct and is cautioned against remaining uncritical of those “**who make unjust laws and issue oppressive decrees**” (Isaiah 10:1). In this vocation, they affirm that such challenges require individual compassion and structural transformation. Guided by Christ’s declaration that “**whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me**” (Matthew 25:40), this Public Scholar seeks the wisdom of the marginalised and, following Christ's example, to dismantle systems of exploitation and indignity. An apt manifesto for their work is to “**let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream”** (Amos 5:24). Or, put another way, working to actualise restorative practices, economic equity, and the flourishing of all people as bearers of God’s image (Genesis 1:27). Notwithstanding the invitation to God's goodness, the violence of armed conflict persists to canker the lives of millions. The prosecution of war, in its scale and intention, defaces the image of God in humanity and desecrates the sacredness of creation, embodying the chaos and violence that Scripture condemns as the outworking of sin and rebellion against God’s order (Genesis 6:11, Psalm 34:14). From Cain’s violence against Abel to the wars that devastate our world today, war reflects humanity’s estrangement from God and is the greatest manifestation of the persistence of evil in this fallen world. The prophetic vision to “**beat swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks”** (Isaiah 2:4) and *Christ’s blessing upon peacemakers* (Matthew 5:9), this vocation affirms that war must be condemned. And, such denunciation must ordinarily manifest in active resistance through the pursuit of peace, justice, and reconciliation. This Public Scholar Raphael, Zion Itai Yohanan Nur Laurent, is now convicted with engaging openly, ethically, and unrelentingly in the exchange of ideas, ensuring that knowledge is accessible. This embodiment of hope is an outward sign of a future world where righteousness and peace **“kiss each other”** (Psalm 85:10), embodying the charge to be **“salt of the earth”** and **“light of the world”** (Matthew 5:13-14) **DECLARATION BY DEED** This scholar presented this declaration as an accompaniment to the artefact, offered to mark this occasion of transition. The artefact articulates the scholar’s foundational commitments, situating their vocation within a framework of shared principles, ethical convictions, and the pursuit of justice, knowledge, and service. We pray that they undertake their service with humility, to the joy of their God and the flourishing of all creation. ---