Is a machine programmed by «Third Parties»?

This booklet, written in 1983 in the city of Porto, Portugal, aimed to open a dialogue between university students and us, missionaries with the Student and Professional Movement for Christ (www.campuscrusadeforchrist.com).

The Movement’s goal was to present the plan of salvation through its best-known booklet, “Four Spiritual Laws.”

The task of every missionary in the Movement was to find ways, day by day, to read the booklet with someone who had not yet accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The booklet had been prepared in the United States and did not take into account the growth of agnosticism in Europe.

After several attempts to share the four spiritual laws booklet, I came to the conclusion that it would be very difficult to speak about a plan from God for a human being who did not even believe that God existed and, in their view, had an answer for God’s non-existence (or lack of need) supported by science; at the time, the Theory of Evolution was not a theory for many, but a proven fact.

I OPEN A PARENTHESIS HERE:

I have met many true Christians who believe in God’s Creation within a context of time, and not in seven 24-hour days. They are sincere Christians who believe that Darwin’s theory of Evolution does not affect the Biblical narrative at all. For them, the Bible was not written as a science book, but as a book of faith. I believe differently, but I understand, respect and admire those who harmonize their faith with evolution.

In my case, however, the reality was that hundreds of university students would not even give me a chance to have a dialogue when the conversation began with the existence of God.

This little booklet does not claim to be the answer that will make those who do not believe in God change their position. However, it was used as one of the tools for building bridges of dialogue. In the course of those conversations, dozens of young people in Portugal and Africa (Angola and Mozambique) realized that evolution is a theory, paused to take a position, and took a step toward Jesus Christ.

After almost 30 years, I leave here my thanks to Pastor José Gonçalvez for believing in what God wanted to do in my life and opening the doors of the Student Movement; to the Meixieira couple for illustrating the book; to Manuela, then a medical student, who helped me greatly with Portuguese; and to everyone who encouraged me. It is a small work, but it was important in the journey of my life, and I know that God used this booklet in dozens of lives.

I am currently a missionary in Brazil.

For more information, contact me by email: wainer@email.com

To learn a little more about part of our mission in Rio, visit the Grupo Mosaico website - www.grupomosaico.org

Wainer Guimarães