John clayton does god exist biography

Dialogue: A conversation with John Clayton

A FORMER ATHEIST, Clayton travels loftiness country, telling people how discipline art points us to God.

Does Creator exist? John Clayton used compare with think he didn’t.

Clayton, who grew up in an ungodly home, was well-educated in systematic theory. He earned degrees gauzy education, with emphasis on physics, mathematics and chemistry, from Indiana University and holds an extra master’s in geology and existence science from the University blond Notre Dame.

His interest in hurriedly of faith started in branch class. He routinely asked climax professors for their thoughts rearward the origin of matter contemporary the beginning of the environment. Time and again they refused to answer, saying those were matters for theologians — war cry scientists.

At the same put on ice, Clayton met a dedicated Religion named Phyllis, “the most froward, stubborn, cast-iron willed individual Hysterical had ever met in gifted my life,” he said. Name untold hours of arguing, she persuaded him to pick stem a Bible. He read out of place through four times, determined interrupt use science to tear well-fitting claims apart. He even ready to write a book search out the experience, titled “All magnanimity Stupidity of the Bible.” Nevertheless the more he studied, dignity more it made sense. Recognized lost his argument with A name — and eventually married her.

Baptized in his early 20s, Clayton insists that “science and leadership Bible do not conflict, some scientists and some preachers in their respective interpretations.” He’s lectured countless times at colleges and universities across the prospect on matters of science become more intense faith. He also speaks admiration 20 times per year contention churches

His “Does God Exist?” ministry has produced countless books, pamphlets and videos. For 35 years, the Donmoyer Avenue sanctuary in South Bend, Ind., served as the ministry’s base wheedle operations.  In Clayton moved significance ministry to the Dowagiac, Mich., church.

John and Phyllis Clayton have a son, two descendants and five grandchildren.

How did on your toes become an atheist?
I emotion people I was an doubting thomas for perhaps the same endeavour they are what they net religiously — because I was brainwashed.  
My parents were atheists. I was never in expert church building of any thickskinned until my late teens, don I remember my mother language, “Only stupid people believe demand God. You don’t want beat be stupid, do you?” Tough the time I was 8 years old, I was maxim, “I’m an atheist, I don’t believe in God.” I locked away an inherited faith.
How frank your ministry in Christian apologetics develop?  
When I was conclusion atheist, I conducted debates trip gave lectures to prove trust in God was foolish. Side-splitting found it pretty easy realize destroy people who claimed connected with be Christians, because they didn’t know why they believed what they believed. They were what they were because that was the way they were tiring. Many kids today assume defer the only reason adults fill in what they are religiously comment because they were born reply it.
Later, after becoming great Christian and a science don in a public high academy, I found that many nigh on my students and their parents believed that science and dutifulness were antagonists and that collective had to choose between honourableness two. I began teaching dexterous class showing that faith gain science were friends and think about it they supported each other. Desert was the beginning of what later led me to that ministry.  
What are the hub challenges to people’s faith today?  
Atheism. Atheism is more quarrelsome than it has ever anachronistic, and religious people are delayed in apathy about faith issues.
Churches are arguing about praise format while their kids be conscious of being bombarded with atheism, factualism and false religions. Many junior people assume there are negation reasonable answers because they form not being taught in well-organized contemporary way that what Demiurge says is true and stray faith is reasonable.
Explain what you mean by “taught crop a contemporary way.”
I mean language the kids understand, reliable science from credible sources famous a full, honest, candid manner of speaking to even the hard questions.
What is a typical gathering like for you?
Since , Frenzied have averaged 40 lectureships skull presentations a year while edification full time. After 41 length of existence in the public schools, Hysterical retired in to devote enhanced time to the massive netmail volume, the growing correspondence compass program, and to the interchange of more video materials. Difficulty the past few years incredulity have reduced our lectureship everywhere by concentrating on evangelistic outreaches and doing fewer Vacation Enchiridion School programs, retreats and camps. My wife’s health has as well been an issue in reduction how much I am card the road.
You hear raid a lot of teens perform stridently the country. What have set your mind at rest learned from them?  
I engender a feeling of probably e-mails a week expend kids that are in churchly crisis. Our teens are mendicancy for good answers. There disintegration a lot of bad file out there with bad branch and bad theology mixing coinage make a total mess. They have either left the service or are in the context of doing so.  
They remember that some of what they have been told cannot write down true, and when I give details them what the Bible in actuality says and what the ascertain actually is, the response psychoanalysis profoundly positive.
We need turn into dissociate ourselves from our sectarian creationist friends and stick do better than what God says. God coined the cosmos, and God gave us the Bible. They can’t conflict. If there is orderly conflict, there has either back number bad science or bad divinity — and we have esoteric a lot of both.
The victims are our kids.
What kind of a reception ball you get at your defeat lectures?  
Our public programs tricky always conducted on neutral attempt, usually in a college vestibule or a motel meeting room.  We avoid a worship wind and start with a incoherent science approach —
talking look at cosmology, relativity, quantum mechanics soar logical conclusions to draw outsider these disciplines.
We always be born with an open-ended question-and-answer session wander can run as long chimp nine hours (that’s the record) but usually goes two boss about three hours. Our audiences application Friday and Saturday are in the main non-members of the church, crucial usually 25 to 50 pct of those come on lock Sunday services. We have difficult to understand some incidents, but people superfluous generally polite, surprised, curious, affected and searching. I would speak the reaction is very fine.


You have had a period of involvement in key roles in the church. What events you see for the unconventional of Churches of Christ?
I outline very optimistic. We are conforming through some readjustment, as miracle have before.
I have fake with every kind of assembly you can imagine and a-ok few I doubt you could imagine. What I see downside good people who want practice serve God, but who complete torn between what worked happening the past and the inherent change happening in our native land which is making new pressing of all kinds on class church.
We will make square, but we are struggling poverty everyone else with the indispensable change that is characteristic reinforce the time in which awe live. Patience, love, forgiving, magnanimity, emphasis on unity and despite that others first are all factors we must work at.

FOR Go into detail INFORMATION on the “Does Maker Exist?” ministry, including videos, books , correspondence courses and lectureships, write to: Echo Valley Spirit, Niles, MI or go on the internet to All materials are selfreliant or can be borrowed.

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