This is a true story of something that happened just a few years ago at USC.
There was a professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed
atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire
semester attempting to prove that God couldn't exist. His students were
always afraid to argue with him because impeccable logic. For twenty years,
he had taught this class and no one had ever had the courage to go against
him. Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever really
gone against him because of his reputation. At the end of every semester on
the last day, he would say to his class of 300 students, "If there is anyone
here who still believes in Jesus, stand up!" In twenty years, no one had
ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say,
"Because anyone who believes in God is a fool. If God existed, he could
stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a
simple task to prove that He is God, and yet He can't do it." And every
year, he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it
would shatter into a hundred pieces. All of the students would do nothing
but stop and stare. Most of the students thought that God couldn't exist.
Certainly, a number of Christians had slipped through, but for 20 years,
they had been too afraid to stand up. Well, a few years ago there was a
freshman who happened to enroll. He was a Christian, and had heard the
stories about his professor. He was required to take the class for his
major, and he was afraid. But for three months that semester, he prayed
every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what
the professor said, or what the class thought. Nothing they said could
ever shatter his faith...he hoped. Finally, the day came. The professor
said, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The
professor and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood
up at the back of the classroom. The professor shouted, "You FOOL!!! If
God existed, he would keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit
the ground!" He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out
of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleat of his pants, down his
leg, and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away unbroken.
The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the
young man, and then ran out of the lecture hall. The young man who had stood,
proceeded to walk to the front of the room and shared his faith in Jesus
for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God's
love for them and of His power through Jesus.