Testimony of former atheist Michael Bird, a New Testament historian and theologian.
“I grew up in a secular home in suburban Australia, where religion was categorically rejected—it was seen as a crutch, and people of faith were derided as morally deviant hypocrites. Rates for church attendance in Australia are some of the lowest in the Western world, and the country’s political leaders feel no need to feign religious devotion. In fact, they think it’s better to avoid religion altogether.
As a teenager, I wrote poetry mocking belief in God. My mother threw enough profanity at religious door knockers to make even a sailor blush.
Many years later, however, I read the New Testament for myself. The Jesus I encountered was far different from the deluded radical, even mythical character described to me. This Jesus—the Jesus of history—was real. He touched upon things that cut close to my heart, especially as I pondered the meaning of human existence. I was struck by the early church’s testimony to Jesus: In Christ’s death God has vanquished evil, and by his resurrection he has brought life and hope to all.
When I crossed from unbelief to belief, all the pieces suddenly began to fit together. I had always felt a strange unease about my disbelief. I had an acute suspicion that there might be something more, something transcendent, but I also knew that I was told not to think that. I “knew” that ethics were nothing more than aesthetics, a mere word game for things I liked and disliked. I felt conflicted when my heart ached over the injustice and cruelty in the world.
Faith grew from seeds of doubt, and I came upon a whole new world that, for the first time, actually made sense to me. To this day, I do not find faith stifling or constricting. Rather, faith has been liberating and transformative for me. It has opened a constellation of meaning, beauty, hope, and life that I had been indoctrinated to deny. And so began a lifelong quest to know, study, and teach about the one whom Christians called Lord.”
Continue reading at Wintery Knight.
Bishop's Encyclopedia of Religion, Society and Philosophy 
I’ve never heard of (1) a well-informed atheist who becomes a Christian for (2) intellectual reasons. More here:
There are NUMEROUS well informed atheists who left atheism for Christianity. And pretty much ALL atheists who left Christianity did it for deeply fallacious reasons, esp. ones that depend directly or indirectly on the a priori fallacy of methodological naturalism which converts science from truth seeking into propaganda.
Here are just a couple:
Dr. Walter J. Veith (Ph.D. in zoology) was one of the top scientists in S. Africa and a former virulent atheist/Darwinian who ridiculed religion. But over time, evidence of different types (esp. prophecy, experiences with supernatural forces and scientific evidence for creation theory) caused him to become a Christian creationist. He shares his experience in this presentation:
“From Evolutionist to Creationist” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlJH7A5NHT8
NEW INTERVIEW: Here Dr. Veith tells how he moved from being a hardcore Darwinian to Creationist based on scientific evidence and the persecution he endured for just questioning the establishment.
amazingdiscoveries.tv/media/629/951-interview-with-walter-veith-1/
See his “Genesis Conflict” for a summary of fuller evidence that caused him to become a creationist.
http://amazingdiscoveries.tv/c/10/The_Genesis_Conflict_-_English/
http://walterveith.com/ amazingdiscoveries.org/
See also http://www.grisda.org an SDA organization of creation scientists.
And yet evolution is the scientific consensus. Overwhelmingly. What argument from you could possibly get me to conclude that this consensus (y’know, of the people actually qualified to evaluate the evidence) is wrong?
And another one. This is one of the top 10 lectures on the creation science vs. Darwinism issue that I am aware of at present (Evolution’s Achille’s Heels that just came out may be even better..highly recommended).
It’s by a NASA scientist, Spike Psarris, who was an atheist and then became a creationist due to scientific evidence…and only later became a Christian. There are a LOT like him who know that they were duped and lied to by the secular establishment due to materialist fallacies that deny the majority of scientific and historical evidence.
DEFEATING ATHEISM (and Darwinism) WITH SCIENCE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh1cXwhY1sE
He basically talks about scientific facts such as:
1) Kinesins and numerous aspects of cell biology have incredible complexity that rivals and surpasses our best technology. ALL known scientific inferences require that these must have designers/Creators. Darwinism has no mechanism or scientific explanation for how these might arise without intelligence. It only has fairy tale assertions and denying the majority of scientific evidence/inferences.
2) There are over 100 methods of dating the earth that point to a young earth (only 40 unstable ones disagree). Diamond ages and soft tissue in dinosaur fossils are 2 examples that contradict an old earth (and now plate tectonics does too).
3) He explains the difference between repeatable and historical science which is like the difference between the boiling point of water and forensic/CSI science.
4) He demonstrates how all materialist theories of moon origin have been falsified and the creationist one vindicated.
5) He demonstrates how several planets should not even exist with materialism, and only creation science can explain their existence.
6) He has a brilliant section on how the idea of phlogistan ruled science for ~100 years and did better than all competitors, but was then found to be wrong (esp. from ~35:00). Man’s ideas about science are always HIGHLY imperfect and filled with errors. New false concepts keep popping up, but all versions of materialism keep getting falsified with time.
7) He finishes with a brilliant section on 7 ways that atheism can’t fit with science, especially objective science:
He has a website here: http://www.creationastronomy.com/
csf.cccm.com/archives.html (some articles are listed here)
[…] Michael Bird, prominent Australian New Testament historian and theologian. Lectures at Ridley Melbourne, teaching areas are on Synoptic Gospels, Paul’s Letters, Systematic Theology: […]
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