Kirsten Powers, a columnist and TV political pundit, began her career in 1992 as a Democratic Party staff assistant in which she assisted with the transition between president Bush and president Clinton (1). She continued to work with the Clinton administration for the next six years and then worked for the Democrat Party in various roles. Eventually, she transitioned to being a full-time member of the political media. She also serves as a columnist to USA Today, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, and was a contributor on Fox News. She has since joined CNN officially as a commentator on August 22, 2016. Some of her work has also appeared in The American Prospect, Elle, New York Observer, Salon, and the Wall Street Journal.
Although she’s now identifies as a Christian we find that Powers once had a very negative view of Christianity when she was an atheist, “just seven years ago, if someone had told me that I’d be writing for Christianity Today magazine about how I came to believe in God, I would have laughed out loud. If there was one thing in which I was completely secure, it was that I would never adhere to any religion —especially to evangelical Christianity, which I held in particular contempt,” (2) “I derided Christians as anti-intellectual bigots who were too weak to face the reality that there is no rhyme or reason to the world.”
Powers’ mother “was a lapsed Catholic who had no discernable faith” and her father “father was an Episcopalian who took us to church every Sunday.” Her father raised her as a Christian and she tried to believe based on the fact that she admired him so much. But her father soon fell into a dark hole when it came to his belief, “As I teetered on the edge of disbelief, I called my father looking for reassurance. Instead, he confided to me that as much as he had struggled to believe—and at times had possessed a genuine, but fragile faith—he had come to the unhappy conclusion that God wasn’t real.” Her father’s doubts, however, would have a big influence on her, “I was suddenly untethered, and I felt as though I could barely breathe. But there it was: If my father—the most brilliant man I knew— didn’t believe in Christianity, then it couldn’t be true. And so I fell away, too.” Thus from within her early 20s Powers “would waver between atheism and agnosticism, never coming close to considering that God could be real.”
After her college graduation her work exposed her to to what she calls an “aggressively secular” peer group that only cemented her atheist views and her contempt for evangelical Christianity. When it came to her love life her friends set her up on dates because she was single and desired companionship. But Powers had one major boundary and that was “No religious people.” However, to her surprise she found that one man she started dating was in fact religious, “I started dating a guy who mentioned, in passing, that he attended a Presbyterian church. I flinched. But I liked him, and because I was so religiously illiterate, I didn’t understand that some Presbyterian churches are evangelical. I assumed he was a cultural Christian, like the few other Christians I knew.”
The result was some tension in the relationship although Powers continued to have much respect and love for him. He too desired to be with her, “But I warned him that even though I was willing to show up at church from time to time, the chances of me becoming a Christian were less than zero. But it turned out that the church he attended was pastored by a man named Tim Keller, who might be the most persuasive Christian apologist and evangelical pastor of his generation (if not the century). His sermons would weave together threads from philosophy, history, music, literature, and even popular culture. I had never heard anyone talk about the Bible, or Jesus, the way Keller did.” Keller’s apologetics would have a profound influence on Powers, “Each week, Keller made the case for Christianity. He also made the case against atheism and agnosticism. He expertly exposed the intellectual weaknesses of a purely secular worldview. I came to realize that even if Christianity wasn’t the real thing, neither was atheism.”
Powers then began to realize that there was some evidence in favour of Christianity and that this was something that she only started to notice for the first time, “About a year into this unlikely journey I came to the conclusion that the weight of evidence was on the side of Christianity being true. But this was a head decision, not one of the heart. Shortly after arriving at that conclusion, I went on a business trip to Taiwan. During the travel I prayed fervently that God would reveal Himself to me, though I didn’t really understand what I was asking for. And then one morning I awoke from a dream in which Jesus had come to me and said, “Here I am.” I was overwhelmed and frightened because the experience was so real… I tried to write off the experience as misfiring synapses, but I couldn’t shake it. When I returned to New York a few days later, I was lost. I suddenly felt God everywhere and it was terrifying. More important, it was unwelcome. It felt like an invasion. I started to fear I was going crazy” (3).
But when Powers called back home to tell her boyfriend this good news he ended their relationship, “I called my boyfriend, half a world away, but before I had a chance to tell him, he broke up with me. I can see now that his purpose in my life had been fulfilled, but at the time it was quite a shock, if for no other reason than the fact that he was the only Christian I really knew well.”
But Powers really wanted to share this experience with someone who would listen, and so she reached out to a friend, “Who was I going to talk to about this dream? I ended up reaching out to a Christian I had met through my (now ex-) boyfriend and uncomfortably recounted my dream to him. He himself had become a believer through a dream and insisted that I needed to join a Bible study. So I took a breath and headed to the Upper East Side Bible study my friend had suggested. I wish I could remember exactly what was said that first day, because as I stepped out onto the sidewalk after the meeting I was overwhelmed by the truth of the Gospels.”
And what followed would prove to be one of the most joyous moments in her life, “I’ll never forget standing outside that apartment on the Upper East Side and saying to myself, “It’s true. It’s completely true.” The world looked entirely different, like a veil had been lifted off it. I had not an iota of doubt. I was filled with indescribable joy.”
References.
1. Proslogion. 2016. Kirsten Powers: Another Atheist Who Became a Christian. Available.
2. Powers, K. 2015. Kirsten Powers: Becoming a Christian Ruined My Love of Christmas. Available.
3. Powers, K. 2013. Fox News’ Highly Reluctant Jesus Follower. Available.
Bishop's Encyclopedia of Religion, Society and Philosophy 
This is an awesome testimony. Just like the Pharisee Saul, the persecuter of believers, and his Road to Damascus conversion to the Apostle Paul the humble servant.
Isn’t she still an avowed abortion-loving feminist though??
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
do you want true and pure religion ? trees have true and pure religion. cats and dogs have true and pure religion. CHILDREN HAVE TRUE AND PURE RELIGION. adults have: toxic, abusive, dogmatic, oppressive, murderous, molesting religious political constructs. and the three worst offenders the world over are the abramic cults: judaism, catholicism{xianity} and islam.
Love this!
So happy for her finding the Truth.
Now go all the way and check out the Catholic Church!
Why should she? There’s nothing truly Christian about the Catholic Church.
This is a wonderful example of God’s love for us and when we call on him he will answer
Read (KJV) Acts 11:21-26 For the beginning of Christianity. Acts 11:26; And when he had found him (Saul/Paul) he brought him into Antioch. and it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church (not a building, but the body of Christ) and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Christianity is not a religion, going to church, being a member of a church, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Catholic, etc are Religions. The term, “Religion” is used usually in a bad sense in the bible. It refers to mankind’s attempt to reach and merit favor with God. True Christianity, on the other hand, is God reaching down to unworthy, sinful man, offering His Mercy, Grace and Love. Christianity is something that is all accomplished by the Grace of God and by His power, and that alone. The Grace of God has made the way back, (Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;) for every human being without lifting a finger. Salvation is accessible for anyone to go into the door of the sheep fold. So salvation is not something that people have to work for or grasp at, but rather it’s right in front of every human being. Now there has to be an exercise of will. God has to open our eyes and hearts, But on the other hand man has the prerogative to reject it. God wants us to get it straight. Yet Salvation can be by nothing that man can do, but it’s all been accomplished by the work of the Cross.
and He (God) is just in being the Justifier of those who BELIEVE. God has paid the total price for mans sins (the work of the Cross) so now God can be just in justifying the UNBELIEVER. And so God mandated that as soon as Adam sinned and as soon as every son of Adam has sinned, what has to be the result? Death! The soul that sinneth has to die, It’s a command of God, but God gave man a loophole. Yes we have to die, but we do not have to die in ourselves, we can take Christ’s death as our substitution. An this is the whole concept of Salvation. If we will just simply believe “The Gospel” ( 1 Corinthians 15:1-4) then Christ death takes our place. That’s what we call substitutionary death of Christ. He took my place, and he took yours. So that’s why Paul has to teach that the “Old Adam” has to be crucified, he has to be put to death because he’s a sinner. Romans 6:7 “For he that is dead is freed from sin (or old Adam)” Romans 6:8 “Now if we be dead in Christ (if we have identified with that death then that’s when we died, and that all comes by faith when we believe the Gospel) we believe that we shall also live with him.”
How do we know the Bible is really the inspired word of God?
(1) The Bible contains prophecies of future events written hundreds
(and sometimes thousands) of years in advance which have been fulfilled and/or are still being fulfilled. Daniel 8-12, Mathew 24, The book of Revelation, Jeremiah 30
(2) God has a long-term prophetic plan for the Nation of Israel which will be fulfilled, God has kept them alive as a nation for over 4000 years, despite the efforts of many powerful nations wanting to destroy them and drive them into the sea.
2 Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man
(but here is how it came about. The word “Holy” means set apart. Holy men of God spake, not as they dreamed it up, not as they remembered what they heard around a camp fire, or what had been handed down from generation to generation) but these Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. There is not another book written that makes prophetic statements like our Bible does. Prophecy shows beyond a shadow of doubt that this book is the “Word of God”. God is so immense, so powerful, so wonderful, that we have nothing with which to compare Him. The only way to get a true picture of Him is from His Word.
Attributes of God
(1) God is Sovereign. He is absolute Psalm 8:4, Romans 9:19-21
(2) God is Grace and Love Romans 5:8-11, 20-21
(3) God is Infinite. He is without end-without limit
(4) God is Omnipresent, God is everywhere Psalms 139:7-17
(5) God is Omniscient. He is all knowing
(6) God is self-existent. He has no beginning, He has no end.
Genesis 1:1
Why Did God Create Us?
We are objects of God’s love. Now to be a object of love, what does the giver expect in return? Love, and that’s why He made the Human race. Angels couldn’t respond, and so He made the Human race with that indwelling attribute of will to either respond to His love or reject it.
1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Side Bar: Nowhere in the Bible does it tell the Woman to love her husband, It tells the Man to love his wife and she will respond to his love. Love is that wonderful thing that everyone needs plenty of.
The information in the Bible is endless. From Genesis to Revelation it all fits. There is a need to separate the Old Testament “Gospel of the Kingdom” under the Law, from the “Gospel of Grace” New Testament. Law and Grace won’t mix. I’ve hardly scratched the surface of the “Word of God” It could take years to fully explore the Bible.
It sound like Kirsten, when you believed (Faith) in the Gospel of Grace the Holy Spirit came into your life. You may ask yourself, how do I know I’m really saved? Several Ways: Do you have a hunger for the word of God? Do you enjoy being with God’s people? Do you enjoy prayer time, and taking your needs to the Lord? Do you believe in God, but more important, Do you believe the “Word of God” IT”S A THING OF THE HEART The Holly Spirit comes into your life, He begins to lead and guide and direct to the place where we don’t have to have rules and regulations, The Spirit does that.
Fear nothing; God is always with you, and His Merciful Love
Trusting in His Grace and Mercy
So refreshing to hear the Truth being explained in a kind, knowledgeable way. I believe Titus 2:4-5 explains the older women are to ” 4 admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” Thank you for being bold in your faith.
She, as all Christians, must now grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are instructed to come out from among those that are against the Word of Truth and be separate from them. This however does not mean we don’t have anything to do with them. As Christians we are to be a light in the darkness and show the love of Christ. Hate the sin but love the sinner.
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