From Doubt to Belief

In the minds of many people, science is synonymous with atheism. Statements such as “Science proves God does not exist” and “No educated person believes He does” abound. The Rev. David Fisher, a TWR missionary who served 15 years in Monaco, Swaziland and on Guam, believed this scientific atheism was preventing many from accepting Christ. “Perfectly good gospel seed doesn’t grow well when it’s planted in thorny soil,” he said. So in 1979 he began writing scripts for a broadcast that counters atheistic spins on scientific issues, including interviews with believers professionally involved in the sciences. Today, nearly 30 years later, TWR’s Truth in the Test Tube program and Web cast is still making a difference in the lives of students and young adults.

First broadcast in Russian from 1980 through 2004, the Truth in the Test Tube broadcast began in Mandarin in 2002 and has also aired in three languages of the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. A graduate of Roberts Wesleyan College, Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College, Fisher has also written for Chuck Colson’s BreakPoint broadcast and co-authored the Moody Press book Scientists Who Believe.

The broadcast is making a significant impact on Chinese listeners. From June 2007 to May 2008, Internet users downloaded more than 1.4 million Mandarin episodes. One Chinese man had received the full atheistic indoctrination from preschool through university, said Fisher. “He said that he’d found the program interesting until we mentioned God,” he added. “That was such a ridiculous word that he snapped the radio off in disgust.” But the man kept tuning in during the following weeks. “He found himself changing from a complete skeptic, in increments, to a ‘half-skeptic/half-believer,’” said Fisher, “and finally told us: ‘Now I’m a complete believer. You have rescued a dead soul!’”

Prayer points:

• Pray for David Fisher and the production team as they create Truth in the Test Tube programming.
• Pray for more Chinese listeners to discover the true Creator God and commit their lives to Him.
• Pray for God to open additional opportunities, as producers of TWR programming in 18 languages have expressed interest in using the program.