The Everyday Club

1/25/12 Ed, about 20
I went on a witnessing walk with Brad from church, and we came across an IIT student out for a smoke in front of one of their Greek fraternities. He was open to answering some questions so I began by asking if he had any belief in a future existance of any sort after his life on earth is over. He - Ed - is a chemical engineering student and explained that although he grew up in a culturally Buddhist household he doesn't have any belief in a life to come or in a creator God, since they can't be proven scientifically. He liked the idea of "spirit guides" who lead one through life, but this seemed to be more of a whimsical thought inconsistent with his previous claim of commitment to science. It was cold out and I knew we didn't have time to talk for very long, so rather than go through some of the logical arguments for God's existence, I simply explained the Christian view of God as both our creator and final judge who will hold us accountable for our actions in this life. Ed was open to this possibility, though obviously very non-commital, so I just asked how he thought he would measure up to such a judgment. I used some of the Ten Commandments as a standard for comparison to help Ed see the personal nature of his sin, and even without believing in the authority of the Bible Ed could see he had failed to keep even his own standards according to his conscience. This was a lot to take in for a young guy who was just out for a smoke, being exposed to a world view entirely different from his own and I felt it important to end the conversation before wearing out our welcome. I believe Brad and I may have been part of Ed's first exposure to bibllical truths, and hope we won't be the last.