A Troubled Spirit

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity of speaking at West Virginia University in Parkersburg, WV. The student Bible club invited me to give a presentation that would be open to all interested students. I chose to give a talk entitled “Modern Medicine and Ancient Authority,” which dealt with evolution and the practice of medicine.

A few minutes before I was to begin, one student stopped and asked why I there. When I told him, he walked away sneering, “I don’t believe in fairy tails!” To my surprise, a few minutes later he returned and took a seat for the lecture. To say that this young man was angry would be an understatement. He continually interrupted my talk, made loud comments, and shook his head vigorously. He said on several occasions, “you don’t understand evolution!” When I backed up my claims using quotes from well-known evolutionists, he only became angrier.

After I finished my presentation, he continued to question me, but did not really seem interested in my answers. He finally asked, “Do you really believe the earth is only six thousand years old?” When I said that I did, he stormed out of the room saying that he would not listen any further. He said that he could not believe that I would dishonor his university with my presence.

Two other students approached me and told me that they were not Christians, and they came only to see what creationists believed. They told me that they felt that I had dealt with this angry young man graciously and answered his questions well. “Why was he so mad at you?” they asked. I told them that he wasn’t really mad at me, he was mad at God. He obviously had some spiritual issues in his life that he was dealing with.

I was not able to get the name of this young man, but God knows his name. I would ask that we all pray for him. A troubled spirit needs the healing touch of our Lord Jesus Christ.