by Hatty Shimazaki (31/3/2021)
In memory of Rev. John Williams, PhD (1926-2021), a clergyman and a former chemist, who dedicated his life to the teachings of Christianity and a quest to combining science with his Christian faith
It is a great sadness to announce that our much-loved friend, the Reverend Dr John Williams (aka 'Jaffa' Williams), peacefully passed away at home on Monday, March 22, 2021. He was 94 years old.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1926 to his English parents, John spent a blissful childhood there with his elder sister and younger brother. He was sent to the UK for his education at the age of eleven and lodged at his aunt living in Southampton. However, shortly afterwards there was the outbreak of World War II. It was a dark time for John as he separated from his parents for six years to experience the Blitz (1940-1941) and survive the most devastating war.
John stayed in Southampton to enter the University when the war was over. He was rather shy but enjoyed sports activities to become a sprinter, thanks to his long legs(!). He also studied hard and showed talent in research of chemistry, for which he was offered a place to start a PhD. He spent most of his time in the laboratory but one day his supervisor said, 'John, let's stop these experiments. We failed at the project.' It was a hardship but John didn't give up. He enthusiastically persuaded his supervisor with a new plan and worked hard on it. He remembered a magical moment when he woke up to find a beautifully crystallised material (presumably nitrate). The good result had produced some journal papers and formed the core idea of his thesis. (See references below.)
His time at the University of Southampton was promising for another reason. John met a lovely lady, Ann, who was studying English, History, French, and Music as a first-year student at the University. They knew each other through Christian activities. He occasionally spoke about the wonderful time they spent in the canteen as well as how nervous he was during his first visit to Ann's parents in Norfolk at Christmas.
It was about this time he grew stronger as a Christian and believed in God's plan for each person. Interestingly, He had brought John back to Africa with an appointment as a lecturer at Makerere University College, Kampala, Uganda. He was happy to continue his research in chemistry but experienced another hardship as he left Ann in the UK until she completed her degree. Above is a photo John gave Ann. He looks very handsome, isn't he!?
After 2 years and a half of separation, John and Ann got married and started family life in Uganda. I do not know much about their life there nor his time as a clergyman after coming back to the UK. But, I can relate to some of them I learned from John. They were blessed with their first child, Susan, and Ann started to teach English literature at school in Uganda. They were able to pick up avocados from their garden, thanks to the mild and stable climate of Kampala. John often compared it with wet British weather, especially when it was windy and miserable. To him, having different weather was romantic and God's blessings. In fact, he started to develop skin problems because of the strong sunlight in Uganda, although he enjoyed his life there. However, God responded to John's prayer and healed it, which became a sign for him to realise God's calling. It was about 20 years since John had started his research in chemistry...
John and the family came back to the UK as he studied at a theological college in Cambridge. He was trained as a clergyman in the Anglican church and started his ministry there. Before three years had passed, John was offered a vicar's position at Highfield Church annexed to the University of Southampton in 1966. Here John and Ann were blessed with their son, Stephen, and a daughter, Rebecca. John's connection to the University as a former chemist was highly appreciated. It was also a time churches required a drastic transformation to appeal to younger generations. John was flexible and open to changes. For example, he did not hesitate to introduce modern style worship music along with the traditional ones. His ministry had supported the well-being of young Christians at the University, and John was awarded another (honourary) doctorate for his service to the community.
John finished his role as a vicar at Highfield in 1990 and then took up a ministry for a short time in Winchester. After retiring he settled back in Southampton in a nearby parish of St James by the Park. St James is evangelical and has involved its congregate to participate in services and other activities. John was invited to read sermons regularly at St John's (which belonged to the same parish) and St James. His last two sermons are accessible online (see below). The time he had leadership in ministry and afterwards had been challenging for Christians. The rapid progress of science cast shadows on the interpretations of the bible. Many people left Christianity (or religions) because of what they learned at schools, such as Darwin's theory of evolution or the big bang theory. But, John as a scientist believed science and the Christian faith were compatible. He dedicated his late-life to explaining what looked ambiguous or paradoxical in the bible via his assiduous reading and writing.
It was about this time I met John at St James. He was my friend, a mentor, and father-figure in the UK. Although I had some knowledge of Christianity while I was in Japan, it wasn't practical. It was also my weakness in understanding English literature, especially that of the eighteenth- and nineteenth- centuries. Except for some radical writers of those times, English novelists, such as Jane Austen, were apparently Christian even though they didn't discuss it foremost. I had numerous questions to John and he became my living bible. Reflecting back over ten years ago, it's difficult for me to explain how John taught me. But, I started with questioning some fundamental beliefs for Christian, such as What is the trinity?; How Jesus was resurrected?; Why in the gospel of Matthews, the male genealogy is emphasized and it's important that Joseph was a direct descendant to Abraham and King David, even though Jesus was not actually Joseph's son but Mary's?
As a clergy, John explained these queries by referring to passages in the bible, of course, but he also used some analogies, such as 'Schrödinger's cat' in quantum theories (how a cat in a box could be both dead and alive) and Picasso's paintings, which often describes two different viewpoints simultaneously existing in an image. My research in Free Indirect Discourse is also about the ambiguity in a passage, as to whether the narrator's voice or a character's is represented. In my understanding of the English language, the speaker must clarify her opinion and say 'yes or no'. However, we omit the subject in Japanese. 'I' can be 'you' or 'we', simultaneously. We can also easily change our statement, depending on the interlocutor's attitude, by just adding a negation at the end of the sentence.
John was fascinated with these ideas and further explained how Europeans think linearly but Easterners would do so in a circular way. This is true - the Japanese believe in the ancient Chinese philosophy, 'yin and yang' (shadow and light), in which ostensibly opposite forces complement each other to create the whole. John also explained how the right brain and the left brain of human beings function differently for intuition and rational thinkings, but both work harmoniously. The two functions of a brain are used by birds when they are flying for a long distance too. Then, I explained Buddha's statue which has eleven faces simultaneously. Thus, we often enjoyed lengthy discussions and debates together.
The conversation with John was as if it was only yesterday, and it is hard to believe that he'd never come back... He had been vaccinated for Covid-19 in January and the goal to the end of lockdown was so close. Like his family, I was hoping he would live up to 100 years and complete his book, which would have been full of his stimulating ideas...
But there's something important I realised when I was making a reference to his articles and sermons below. John often mentioned how he obeyed God's calling and gave up his passion for the research of chemistry. However, as the data shows (please click), John's articles continued to be referenced until 2007, even though they were published by the early 60s! As a researcher, I must say this is remarkable, especially for science. Only a few genuine works deserve scholarly attention after a decade, while the majority would be forgotten. In my opinion, John's research must have helped establish a basis for modern chemistry.
I am so privileged to have known John and shared his last 10 years of life. May he be having a peaceful rest in heaven (and perhaps, he'll continue writing there...).
Last note:
John's funeral is to be taken at St James by the Park on Thur April 1st, 2021, 13:30- (BST).
Due to the restrictions of Covid-19, it will be streamed online at:
(Please click! You can also read messages from his friends and write your own on this page.)
～ References to John Williams' selected works ～
Articles:
Chapman, N.B., James, J.W. and Williams, J.F.A. 1952. 'Synthesis of NN-dialkyl-N′-benzyl (or-ethyl)-N′-1 (or 2)-naphthyl-ethylenediamines as potential histamine antagonists', Journal of the Chemical Society (Resumed), pp. 4024-4026. https://doi.org/10.1039/JR9520004024
Chapman, N.B. and Williams, J.F.A. 1952. ‘Bromination of 2-methylnaphihalene’, Journal of the Chemical Society (Resumed), pp. 5020–5023.
Chapman, N.B. and Williams, J.F.A. 1953. 'Optically active forms of 1-methyl-2-2′-pyridylethylamine', Journal of the Chemical Society (Resumed), pp. 2797-2799.
Williams, J.F.A. 1953. ‘A variable—temperature vapour-jacket for fractionating columns’ (Note), Vacuum, 3(4), p. 472.
Williams, J.F.A. 1961. 'Filling of antibonding orbitals. Part 1.—Double bonding in saturated compounds', Transactions of the Faraday Society, 57, pp. 2089-2098.
Williams, J.F.A. 1962. 'Filling of antibonding orbitals—II: Chemical bond properties', Tetrahedron, 18(12), pp. 1477-1486.
Williams, J.F.A. 1962. 'Electronic effects of alkyl groups—I: Absorption spectra of mono-aryl carbonium ions in sulphuric acid', Tetrahedron, 18(12), pp. 1487-1493.
Thesis:
Williams, J.F. 1969. Transport processes in solid rubidium nitrate [Unpublished PhD thesis]. The University of Southampton.
Sermons:
Williams, J. 2017. 'Awesome Peace' (Isaiah 9:1-7), in a series of God is Bigger than You Think [Online]. 17 December, St James by the Park, Southampton. Available from: https://www.stjamesbythepark.org/uploads/7/2/5/8/72587411/sermon_171217.mp3
Williams, J. 2019. 'I Believe in Science' (Job 42:1-6; Romans 11:33-36), in a series of Could Never be a Christian Because... [Online]. 10 February, St James by the Park, Southampton. Available from: