#59: Testimony of a Former Atheist: Jon Noyes
Hello thinker,
We continue our apologetics series on the testimonials of former atheists who became Christians. Most of this material is based on the work of Dr. Jana Harmon. [1,2] Jana has a ministry called, Side B Stories, in which she talks with former atheists and discusses their faith journeys. She also wrote the book, Atheists Finding God, in order to answer the questions: what would it take for a skeptic to become a Christian, and what did it take for those who became passionate followers of Christ?
This month we hear the story of Jon Noyes, a pastor and an apologist in the ministry, Stand to Reason. He describes his journey as “Facing the Reality of Atheism.” Jon was driven to fully live out his life-long atheism, but his pursuit was challenged when he began to consider which worldview best fits reality. You can view and hear his testimony here (10 minutes):
For those who would rather read about Jon’s story, here’s my summary followed by comments on lessons learned for our own witnessing consideration.
Jon’s life changed during his 20s when he met Rhianna (later his wife); they started dating but he was a non-believer and did not know, initially, that she was a Christian. He tells the story about an email from his brother that mocked Christianity. He thought it was funny and shared it with Rhianna, but she was not amused. “That event started something amazing in my life – a journey.”
Rhianna took Jon to her church where he met and talked to the pastor, and asked lots of questions. The pastor was honest and admitted he could not answer all of his queries. He also gave Jon a book on apologetics. After much reading and thought, I eventually “came to the place in my life where I thought the Christian worldview was the best explanation for the way things really are”; atheism was clearly not the best explanation.
“My conversion isn’t one of those miraculous things where God appeared to me or he spoke to me and one moment I went from atheism to Christianity. Mine was a process and somewhere in that process I said I am going to live consistently with the world around me.”
In Jon’s journey, he experienced what he calls “3 bumps” when trying to live consistently with his atheism; all were painful. “I experienced what I call the “bump of bad.” His major objection to Christianity was the problem of evil. And “it became in increasing problem, not for the Christian to answer, but for me to answer as an atheist. [I began asking,] what is evil on my worldview. I couldn’t answer it.”
The second bump was the bump of stuff. Jon asked, where did everything come from? Why is there something rather than nothing? His naturalistic worldview could not explain all the wonders of creation that were evident to him.
The third bump was the bump of me. Jon thought about his own awareness of himself - that is, his consciousness. “We know who we are and that we exist. We have a soul, and we have a conscience because of that soul.” His atheism could not explain this.
As all of these “bumps” – questions and issues that Jon was wrestling with – overwhelmed him and “something had to give. I found myself . . . starting to believe in the Christian worldview.” The more he dug into Christianity and talked to Christian apologists, he began to realize that the Christian worldview accurately addressed reality, not his worldview of Naturalism.
Jon said he is often asked, why are you a Christian. “I’m not a Christian because it makes me feel good. I’m a Christian because it’s true. I’m a Christian because I think Jesus really rose from the dead. I ground my worldview in facts, in knowledge. Do I have all the answers? No.” But Christianity has provided good, solid answers to (most of) his questions. And his life has changed; “everything in the inside has changed. I became a pastor and Christian apologist but, ultimately, I have this relationship that can’t ever be severed with an eternal God.”
What might we learn from Jon’s experience?
First, we should seek to learn skeptics’ reasons for non-belief; that is, we should first ask questions before telling them why they should believe. It appears John’s girlfriend’s pastor did just this. And, like the pastor, be honest and admit when we don’t have an answer to their questions (but, find the answer and follow-up later, of course!).
Second, the problem of evil is often cited as a reason for non-belief. We should expect to hear this and be prepared to discuss it. While the Christian response may not fully satisfy non-believers, be sure to ask them how their worldview addresses this issue. Other worldview responses are wholly unsatisfying and skeptics may not realize this. When we ask for their view of the problem, they may begin to sense the inadequacies of their own worldviews.
As we’ve seen in these case studies, every non-believer has his or her own story and objections. When we listen and ask questions, we not only begin to understand what their objections to Christianity are, but we also gain their respect. They usually appreciate our willingness to listen and understand their own point of view.
In Christ,
Doug
[1] Dr. Jana Harmon is a Teaching Fellow for C.S. Lewis Institute Atlanta and serves as an Adjunct Professor of Cultural Apologetics at Biola University. Her doctoral research examined the religious conversion of atheists to Christianity; she studied the perspectives and stories of 50 former atheists. Jana received her Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham, England, and views apologetics through a practical, evangelistic lens.
[2] Dr. Harmon’s ministry is called, Side B Stories: https://sidebstories.com. You will find the videos I highlight in my notes on her website as well as over 50 podcast interviews of former skeptics (now Christians).