Sean McDowell – Testimony
As far back as I can remember, I have always believed in Jesus. From bedtime stories of David and Goliath, to memorizing Bible verses at Awanas, to vacation Bible school, my parents did a great job of raising me and my sisters in the faith. Although I don’t recall the first time I prayed the “sinner’s prayer”—after all, I was only four!—I have always known that the world was created by God (Gen 1), that it was ravaged by sin (Rom 5:12), and that I needed to believe in Jesus for salvation (Rom 10:9). I had the privilege of growing up in a Christian home where my parents not only taught me what it means to be a Christian, but they modeled it in their daily lives. The older I get, the more grateful I become for my upbringing.
Some of my confidence in Christianity, however, was undermined the summer after my first year in college. It started when I came across skeptical writings on the Internet and in various books and articles. They raised questions I had never considered before and caused me to doubt much of the worldview I had held dear since my childhood. Is Jesus truly the only way? Can I really trust the biblical accounts of the life of Christ? Why do so many people believe in Darwinian evolution if God created the world? Is Christianity even true? Wrestling with these questions was difficult and sometimes even painful. Yet, it was necessary if I was ever going to truly own my faith.
I finally got up the nerve to share my doubts with my dad. Reluctantly, I said, “I want you to know how much I love and respect you, Dad, but I don’t really know what I believe about these things. I’ve never come to my own conclusions about them.” His response shocked me. Immediately he replied, “Son, I think that’s great.” What? How can this be great? He must have misheard me! But he continued, “I heard you, son, and I think it’s great because you care about the truth, and you don’t want to believe things just because you were told them. You need to find out if Christianity is true. But in your search, I hope you’ll take to heart the positive things you learned growing up.” And to make a long story short, that’s exactly what I did.
I have since committed my life to helping Christians develop a biblical worldview—to see that all of life makes sense when viewed from a biblical perspective. Despite what our world claims, Christianity truly is the good life worth living (Matthew 6:33). Helping people to think biblically about all of life, to apply their faith consistently, and to engage the world for Christ is my greatest joy and passion.