Why the Corner of College and Clayton?

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Imagine a place where people revile you because you are a Christian.  They get angry at the mention of the name of Jesus and curse you for even bringing Him into the conversation.  A place where many of the people once claimed to follow Christ, but have since decided it was all a lie.  Many people who claim to be Christians deny the Bible as the Word of God, claiming it was written to oppress the masses.  Sound like a place in dire need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  

 

This is Athens, GA,  the home of the University of Georgia.  The downtown area, if you are not familiar, runs alongside campus and hosts around 40 bars.  On any given Thursday, Friday or Saturday night the streets come alive with these young people that I mentioned above.  There are some who profess to be Christians and seem to be well grounded, but for the majority that is not the case.  I have spoken with countless college students that were raised in Christian homes but now reject everything about Christ.  

 

With the help of much humanistic, evolutionary and atheistic instruction these kids walk away from their faith in total rebellion against God.  It is truly heartbreaking to see many of these kids literally claim to love Satan and hate the God who gave them life.  I cannot repeat many of the awful things that spew out of the mouths of these young people.  

 

I always look around and think, if these were my children, I would want someone out there challenging their  beliefs with the Gospel of Jesus.  That keeps me going back.  I pray that God might use me and the other brothers that frequently minister on the streets of Athens to be an answer to the prayers of parents who feel like they have lost their children to Satan.

 

One fairly recent conversation comes to mind. 

 

One Thursday night a young man asked if he could interview me about my religious activities and beliefs, for one of his class assignments.  I agreed and when I had fulfilled my commitment, I turned the interview on him.  I discovered that although he was raised in a Christian home, college had convinced him that God was not real and the Bible was a fairy tale.  I witnessed God wipe away his smug, arrogant attitude almost instantly when I asked him if his parents knew he had rejected Christianity.   He admitted they did.  When I assured him his parents were praying for him everyday he almost began to cry.­  We talked a while longer and I shared the Gospel with him and encouraged him to make sure he had the right answer for eternity.