Lee Strobel's Journey to Faith

Lee Strobel: Author. Apologist. Evangelist. Article by John G Frazier III, Ph.D.

From Atheism to Faith

Lee Strobel was an award-winning journalist for the Chicago Tribune and he has written numerous books about the historical and scientific evidence for the Christian faith. In his book, “The Case for a Creator,” he tells about his journey from atheism to faith in Jesus Christ.

Science appealed to Lee Strobel when he was growing up because it represented something he could be sure about, something that provided a basis for confidence. Even though his parents took him to church, his faith in God weakened more and more as a teen when his questions about faith were rebuffed or were answered inadequately by those in ministry in his church. Consequently, he could find no firm basis for faith.

While sitting in a biology class in 1966, he was exposed to information that led him to become an atheist. At about the same time, the “sexual revolution,” which challenged all our society’s morals, was going on, and this influenced his life as well. Once he concluded that there was no God, he said he “reveled in my newly achieved freedom from God’s strictures, …and from…being held accountable (by God) for my actions.” And “as a journalist, I was unshackled to compete without always having to abide by those pesky rules of ethics and morality.” ¹

Five years later when his wife Leslie became a Christian, he was appalled. How could she do this? She was a rational person. In his mind, Christianity was based on irrationality and wishful thinking or legend. But in just a few months, Leslie began to change. She became more loving, kind, and caring. At this point, his attitude shifted and he began to ask himself about what or Who was responsible for such a change. What he saw forced him to question his assumptions about his atheism.

The Investigation

As a journalist, a writer, and an intensely curious person, he launched an investigation into the Christian faith which lasted about two years. He determined from the beginning to pursue all his questions “about faith, God and the Bible, and…to go wherever the answers would” ² lead him.

First, he decided to seek answers to three specific questions: He wanted to determine if the images of evolution which led him to atheism were still valid. Then, he wanted to know if science and faith are forever at odds, or if the two can be reconciled. Finally, he wanted to learn if current scientific evidence can provide evidence for the existence of God.

Second, he made plans to interview top scientists representing various scientific disciplines He chose “doctorate-level professors who have unquestioned expertise, who are able to communicate in accessible language, and who refuse to limit themselves only to the politically correct world of naturalism or materialism.” ³

Third, in the interviews, he would play the part of the skeptic, asking the tough questions, the same kind of questions he asked when he was an atheist.

In the course of his investigation, he re-examined the theory of evolution to see if it stood up to current scientific inquiry, and he examined the scientific evidence found in a number of scientific disciplines to discover if this evidence would affirmatively point toward the existence of God.

Two Major Conclusions

First Conclusion: As the result of his search, he came to two major conclusions. The first was that the theory of evolution was not valid. When faced with the scientific implausibility of the primary images of evolution, and with evolutionary theory’s inability to provide explanations for either the existence of the universe or the existence of life, he was forced to conclude that he could no longer believe in Darwin’s theory.

Next, Lee Strobel inquired about the relationship between science and faith. What he found is that science tells us about God and the Bible speaks about scientific issues. And, when we rightly understand each, science and the Bible agree. He learned that these are not two separate realms, as popularly thought, but are very much related. The God who created the universe and who inspired the Bible agrees with himself. The truth he presents in creation agrees with the truth he presents in Scripture.

Now Mr. Strobel was ready to conduct an affirmative evidence investigation. He looked into six scientific disciplines to discover if they would provide evidence supporting the existence of an intelligent Designer. These included the disciplines of cosmology, physics, astronomy, biochemistry, biological information, and human consciousness.

Second Conclusion: After examining the evidence for an intelligent Designer, he came to the conclusion that: Modern science points toward the existence of an all powerful transcendent God who designed and created the universe and birthed life on planet earth. He realized that the existence of such a Creator was required to account for all of the scientific evidence.

In the end, he came to believe that God exists and became a follower of Jesus Christ.

To me, this is an astounding story, because it is a story about someone who is well educated, highly intelligent, confident, successful in his vocation and in his personal life, and a confirmed atheist who became a believer. When he saw something that began to change his mind, he didn’t run from it. He investigated it using the intelligence God had given him. Fortunately he was open-minded and was willing to listen to the information which eventually led him to Christ.

References

Strobel, Lee. The Case for a Creator. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004, p 27.
Ibid. p 29.
Ibid. p 30.