The Conversion of an Evolutionist
Priorities in Presenting the Faith: an apologetic of evangelism (Part 1)
With this post, we begin a series by Dr. John C. Whitcomb on evangelism. He begins with some personal stories, talking about his own conversion and early work in evangelizing the lost. From that introduction, he will turn to a discussion of what evangelism really must depend on in our skeptical world.
My personal experience with Christian apologetics began in February 1943, when I was a student at Princeton University. It had not been my privilege to be raised in a Christian home nor to attend a Bible-teaching church. But God, in His grace, used a couple of Christian students at the university to invite me time and time again to attend a weekly Bible class being taught by a Princeton alumnus and former missionary to India.
The Gospel message was graciously presented, and after several months of such teaching, I surrendered to the claims and the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As far as I could tell there were no other Christians in the student hall where I stayed at that time, but I had made several good friends, one of whom was a sophisticated intellectual from a wealthy home. I was convinced that the conversion of such a man could bring great changes in the student hall, so one day I invited him to attend our Bible class.
My hopes were high, because I was prepared to convince him that no one else could match this Bible teacher who had led me to the Lord. The conversation, as I recall over the years, proceeded as follows: “Harry, here is a teacher who can really make the message of the Bible clear and convincing. Why not come with me on Sunday afternoon and see for yourself?”
“The Bible?” he replied. “Why should I take time to study a religious book that is already nearly two thousand years out of date? You know yourself that there isn’t a single science professor here at Princeton who takes the Bible seriously on the origin of the world. The idea of creation by divine fiat is no longer held by intelligent people. I really have no interest in the Bible.”
Stung by this flat rejection of God’s Word on the basis of a scientific consensus, I retreated to my Christian friends. Were there any publications of a scholarly nature, I asked, that could help my friend see the weaknesses of evolutionism and thus the possibility of supernatural creation?
Except for a few small booklets, nothing came to hand; but armed with these I approached Harry again. He was surprisingly gracious. “Thanks for going to all the trouble of collecting these booklets for me. I really didn’t know that anyone who takes Genesis literally could write a book. I’ll tell you what I’ll do. Some day, if I ever have the time, I’ll look into it.”
That was it. It was a polite but final brush-off.
I was deeply dismayed at this and similar failures to convert my friends to Christianity, and discussed the problem with my Bible teacher. “What’s wrong with me? Is it my personality, or do I need more time to collect better arguments?” Instead of lecturing his new disciple on the intricacies of biblical apologetics, he very wisely invited me to join him in a brief visitation to one of the other dormitories where a new student had five months earlier somewhat rashly filled in a survey card indicating his interest in attending our Bible study class.
As the door swung open in response to our knock, pipe smoke poured into the hallway. “I’m John Whitcomb and this is the Bible teacher of the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship. Is Tom Smith here?” A trampling of feet and the crash of a table lamp were heard as various figures fled in terror, leaving our victim to fend for himself against unwanted intruders.
“The Princeton Evangelical Fellowship? Oh yes, I guess I did sign a card last fall; but I’m not interested in the Bible anymore. I used to think it was true, but five months of study here has been enough to convince me it is full of errors.”
“I’m fascinated to hear you say that,” my teacher quietly commented. “Tell me, what particular errors did you discover in the Bible that convinced you it is not true?” This was unexpected. Was a firm rebuff not sufficient to end this uncomfortable conversation? Surely the general consensus of this great university was sufficient to silence anyone who still believed the Bible to be true?
Tom thought for a moment and answered, “Jonah and the whale! There’s your proof. No educated person today could believe for one moment that a whale could have swallowed a man and then spit him out on the shore alive three days later!”
Here was the crisis for me. How could we handle this direct challenge to the historicity of the book of Jonah? Perhaps we could find in the university library some books on whales that would demonstrate their ability to swallow men alive. Perhaps we could even find historical evidence of men who had actually survived such an ordeal. That would convince him that the book of Jonah is as infallible as the rest of the Bible!
Providentially, it was my teacher who answered him first. “Tom, I’m frankly very thankful that it is the book of Jonah you seem to be struggling with. There is no more fascinating book in the Old Testament then Jonah. Some day, if we have time, I would like to discuss with you the entire message of that book, which was alluded to by Christ Himself for a very important reason.
“In the meantime, however, would you mind if I explained to you why I have come to believe that the Bible is the Word of God and therefore true in all its parts?”
Impressed with the irresistible graciousness and confidence of this man who seemed to know from personal experience the God of Whom he spoke, Tom gave his cautious consent.
“Tom, I felt the way you do about God’s Word when I was a student here thirty years ago. I thought I had all the answers I needed concerning life. But I was wrong. In His infinite love, God reached down to me in my deep personal need and showed me through the familiar words of His matchless Book that my root problem was sin , deliberate alienation from God Himself.”
What he heard was not a scientific, historical, or philosophical, defense of Christianity, but a Gospel-saturated testimony directed prayerfully to his heart.
As I recall the conversation, Tom did raise some questions about Christianity and the Bible.
The questions were not totally ignored, but the answers were always amplified by new perspectives on the Gospel and appeals for surrender to Christ. It was this approach that ultimately led to a proud university student acknowledging the lordship of Christ in his life.
All of this forced me to take a new look at some basic factors of Christian apologetics that I had seriously neglected. I have come to believe that my initial ignorance concerning these biblical principles also characterizes many frustrated and fruitless Christian workers today.
More tomorrow.
Dr. John Whitcomb is well known as a theologian and apologist. Among his many books are The World that Perished and The Genesis Flood (with Dr. Henry Morris). This series of articles is reproduced with permission.
You can contact Dr. Whitcomb via his website at: www.whitcombministries.org
Listen to Dr. Whitcomb’s sermons: www.sermonaudio.com/sermonsspeaker.asp