The Everyday Club

12/4/10      Bill and Jennifer - both about 40
I dropped Anne off at a store to do some Christmas shopping and headed to a nearby Burger King to strike up a witnessing conversation. A couple were there nearly finished with their lunch and I greeted them, telling them I am from a local church and asking if they'd be willing to answer a few questions about their beliefs. They were willing, so I pulled up a chair and we had a nice long chat, which was very friendly for two reasons: 1.) Because I was asking them about their beliefs (Catholic) and responding to their answers in a conversational way; and 2.) Because early in the conversation, they had stated that they had tried to read the Bible but had given up, so I gave them some friendly advice on how to read the Bible as a beginner. This seemed to establish me as the religious authority, which helped as I directed my questions toward an understanding of their sin, God's righteous wrath and judgment, and His love and mercy so evident in Jesus. They seemed to agree with this all the way to the end, until Bill said "Ï still prefer to believe in a God who doesn't think my little sins are any big deal". Now it was time to state firmly that this belief was in direct contradiction to the Bible, that he was constructing in his imagination an idea of "God" that he was more comfortable with, and that he needed to rely on God's revelation of Himself in the Bible rather than his own idea of what God might be like. It was getting late, so this is the challenge I left them with.