This is a true story of something that happened just a few years ago at
USC.
There was a professor of philosophy at USC 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 stand up to him. Sure, some had argued in class at times, but
no one had ever really stood up to him. Nobody would go against him because he had a
reputation. At the end of every semester, on the last day, he would say to his class of
300 students, "If there's 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 does believe 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 could do nothing but stop and stare. Most of the students were convinced 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 get
enrolled in the class. He was a Christian, and had heard the stories about this professor.
He had to take the class because it was one of required classes for his major. And he was
afraid. But for 3 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 or did 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 could 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 then ran out of the lecture hall. The young man who had stood up proceeded to walk to
the front of the room and share his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. Three hundred
students stayed and listened as he told of God's love for them and of His power through
Jesus.