 | Reverend Terry G. Fox is Senior Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church. He is Chairman of the North American Mission Board, member of its Executive Committee and the FamilyNet Broadcast Communications Committee, as well as numerous other subcommittees. He's listed on the Who's Who Among Outstanding Corporate Executives. He is a sought after speaker and has traveled and ministered in many places in the United States, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Rev. Fox and his wife Barbara have three children. You may contact him at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 South Topeka, Wichita, Kansas, 67211; phone (316) 262-1452; or Fax (316) 262-4704. |
Religion
2006-02-01 14:17:00
How to talk religion with a non-believer?
My best friend sums up his feelings about Christianity and salvation as follows: "I am perfectly content as a non-Christian. I do not believe in an afterlife and would never consider a religion so restrictive and exclusive as Christianity anyway." My family and I are Christians, but I do not feel I am ready to get into a conversation with him about this. I do know he reads this column. Can you provide your comments for me to refer to when I do visit with him?
ANSWER: There is probably nothing you could say now that would change anything. He has decided how he wants to live right now. I remember saying to a young man who told me this that I would pray that he would be miserable...but I am not sure it helped. You can be sure that your friend will encounter some of the storms of life that will shake his confidence in himself.As St. Augustine said, "God has made us for Himself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Him." It sometimes takes a few years before some people realize that the things of this world never satisfy the deepest needs of the human heart. Often disappointments, accidents or failures open the eyes...or fear of death. These may be the gifts of God for those so blind. Sometimes such a person sees joy in the life of a Christian who is going through great difficulty or loss, and this causes him to see what he is missing.True joy is missing apart from Christ. So continue your friendship, show love even if it is not reciprocated, and pray for him to become miserable now, rather than for eternity.
