Signs & Wonders Blog

Jon is the former mayor of Fargo, ND  and an outspoken critic of religion. Dear Jon, I’m a Christian missionary who has read many of your articles published in The Forum and in your blog. My motive for writing this letter is not to stir up a debate but inspire you to think about a few things since you call yourself a “freethinker.” First, let me point out that I once thought of myself as an atheist but was really more of an agnostic. While growing up in the Fargo-Moorhead area, my parents made me attend a traditional Lutheran church that gave me wrong perceptions of Christianity. For years, I questioned God’s existence until hearing a motivational speaker point out how the order of our universe is evidence of a Creator. Not long afterward, I prayed to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. My life hasn’t been the same since. I read that you once considered yourself a believer but had walked away from the faith. Throughout my 24 years of doing street minis...

Once I had a discussion with a young man who said he didn’t believe in God. He even claimed God was a liar! This man tried proving his point by referring to Genesis 2:17, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Because Adam didn’t physically die the same day he partook of the forbidden fruit, this supposedly makes God a liar. People who don’t want to believe the Bible often select verses taken out of context in attempts to prove there are contradictions. Jesus said in Matthew 18:17, “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”  Before we address the accusation that God lied in Genesis 2:17, let’s look at these verses… “God is not a man, that He should lie…” - Numbers 23:19 “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.” - 1 Samuel 15:29 “ He who has received His testimony has certified that God ...

One sign we are living in the last days is people easily taking offense (Matthew 24:10).  This certainly holds true with non-Christians not wanting God in any part of their lives whatsoever.  Gideon Bibles were recently removed from all 137 rooms of a lodge owned by the University of Wisconsin.  This was in response to a complaint filed by the Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation.   FFRF Co-President Dan Barker made the following statement, “We atheists and agnostics do not appreciate paying high prices for lodging, only to find Gideon Bibles in our hotel rooms, sometimes prominently displayed, knowing they contain instructions, for instance, to kill ‘infidels’ and ‘blasphemers,’ among other primitive and dangerous teachings.”   Barker’s statement is ludicrous for a couple reasons.  First of all, high hotel rates have nothing to do with whether or not there are Bibles in the room.  Gideons International has been distributing copies...

This past week while walking by a table at a coffee shop, I noticed a Time magazine from earlier this year with the cover story “What If There’s No Hell?” My initial reaction was the title should instead read, “What If There IS a Hell?” Christians have nothing to lose by following the Lord except for their sin, sickness, and poverty. The heathen risk spending eternity in the lake of fire. I posted my thoughts about this magazine cover on my Facebook page. One friend responded with her belief that using hell for a fear tactic is satanic. Romans 2:4 does say it’s the goodness of God that leads one to repentance. Personally, I prefer to hear more about the love of God than “fire and brimstone” preaching. On the other hand, Jesus gave many warnings in the gospels about hell.  A fellow minister shared an interesting analogy with me. If you saw your children playing on a busy street, wouldn’t you immediately holler at them to come back into the yard? Of course, you would. A car...

This morning while surfing the Internet, I learned that subway ads are coming out next Monday in New York City declaring “You Can Be Good Without God.” This won’t be the first time this sort of thing has happened in the Big Apple. Earlier this year, a group of atheists sponsored bus posters that read, “You Don’t Have To Believe In God To Be A Moral And Ethical Person.” Similar signs have also appeared on buses in Chicago, Toronto, and London. Immediately I thought of Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1 which both affirm, “ There is none who does good.” Ecclesiastes 7:20 reads, “ For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” How should Christians respond to atheists? While unbelievers need to hear the truth of God’s word, we must remind ourselves that it’s the goodness of God that leads one to repentance (Romans 2:4). Sinners need to hear about a God who wants to do good things in their lives. As David said in Psalm 52:1, “The goodness of God endures continua...