Dear Friend: Have you ever realized there was a time in your life when you should have told someone the truth, but you held back?
Maybe you were afraid of how they would react, or you were afraid of losing the relationship, or you simply struggle with sharing your thoughts and feelings.
Well, this tract is my attempt to say the words that I should have said to my former professor years ago. However, this message is so important that I also felt compelled to share it with you.
Dear Professor: I am not sure if you remember me, but I was in one of your undergraduate psychology classes* a few years back. I’ve since graduated from college, but I am ashamed to say that I never had the conversation with you that I should have had.
You see, Professor, around the time I was finishing up my degree, you began a very impassioned campaign on campus against religion, with Christianity as your primary target. You asserted that there is no scientific evidence for the existence of God. You gathered many student followers to your cause, as well as atheists outside of the university system.
From the very beginning, you openly ridiculed Christianity, comparing faith in Jesus Christ to faith in the tooth fairy. You claimed that Christianity is nonsense, a myth, the product of an ancient, unsophisticated culture. You organized demonstrations on campus, and later even wrote a book advocating for the cultural rejection of Christianity.
You have, however, been willing to debate with Christians on this subject. As you are aware, these types of debates have been going on for years. One side presents evidence it feels is rock solid, and the other side can always come up with a justification to reject the evidence.
Even Jesus said that if a man died and then was allowed to return to earth to warn others that the consequence of unrepented sin is hell, this would not result in religious conversions. It would NOT result in people having faith in God (Luke 16:19-31).
In fact, Jesus clarified that if people would not even listen to human preachers on earth, then people would also reject the evidence of someone coming back from the dead.
That seems like an astonishing claim for Jesus to make. Notice that Jesus touches upon the issue of evidence for the existence of God, Professor, which is what you demand from Christians. The lack of scientific evidence, you claim, is why you reject Christianity.
Let me ask you a question, Professor: if I could prove to your satisfaction (and in accordance with your standards for scientific evidence), that the God of the Bible exists, would you then worship Him? Would you then repent from all known sin, and commit to living a holy life?
If you hesitate to answer “yes,” (or if your outright answer is “no”), then perhaps the issue for you isn’t evidence that God exists, but the issue is your unwillingness to seek God in the first place.
Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
Professor, God and Jesus Christ have provided a mechanism for connecting with them (prayer), thereby making themselves relational and available to you.
You can (through sincere and heartfelt prayer) put a demand directly on God to reveal Himself to you, instead of challenging Christians to meet your demands. Can’t you, Professor, conduct your own research?
There is, however, a barrier between men and God. The Bible says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If we had the ability to review the entirety of our lives (every thought, word, deed, and motive) we would have to honestly admit that we are sinners, and try as we might, we fall short every day to live up to a standard of moral perfection.
We need help, Professor. That is why Jesus Christ came to earth. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the penalty for our sins. The Bible says that, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Jesus came to bridge the gap between sinful mankind and a holy, just God. In order to take advantage of this wonderful gift, we need to repent from our sins and place our faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says we must be born again, receiving a spiritual rebirth through faith in Christ (John 3:3-7).
Professor, you can take a brave step today by deciding to sincerely seek God with your whole heart. And then after you “knock on the door” and He opens it, you can make a life-changing decision by placing your faith in Jesus Christ.
You can do this by sincerely praying a prayer of faith, such as the following:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I ask you to respect the level of faith I have, and to increase my faith. I know I am a sinner and I deserve the judgment of a holy God. I repent of my sins and ask for your forgiveness. I ask you to come into my life as my Lord and Savior. Amen.”
Professor, perhaps you have so much invested in unbelief that the prospect of connecting with the living God feels threatening to you on some level. In other words, maybe you have a greater desire to remain a well-known, successful atheist, widely admired in academia, in the field of psychology, and on campus. I don’t know; I can’t see into your heart.
But it would be tragic for you to choose the fleeting, momentary rewards of earthly fame and lose the profound and everlasting gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Please thoughtfully consider the things I have written in this letter
~Your former student.
*Note: some minor details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
