A professor and his students

Source: The Alternative - Josh McDowell

This is the true story of something that happened just a few years ago at
the University of Southern California. 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 of his 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 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 in twenty years,
they had been too afraid to stand.

Well, a few years ago there was a freshman who happened to enrol. He was a
Christian, and had heard the stories about this professor. He was required
to take this 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 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 and into the pleat of his pants, down his leg
and of 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 an hour, 300 students stayed
and listened as he told of God's love for them and His power through Jesus.

Useful link: www.thealternative.net.au