Go Beyond

On Monday the 19th of February in 1973, a friend seated next to me in Algebra class asked me if I had ever read the Bible. When I replied that I did not own a copy of the Bible, she handed me a copy of the New Testament and asked me to read it.

Intrigued, I opened the pages of that New Testament later that evening and started reading. I continued to read every night — and to mark the pages with questions, thoughts, and reflections. I was absolutely fascinated by the life of Jesus and those who chose to follow Him.

The more I read, the more convicted I became that something was missing in my life. Within a matter of weeks, I heard a presentation of the gospel message. For the first time, I understood my sinful condition and my need for Jesus Christ. I repented of my sins and placed my faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

I have never regretted my decision to follow Christ. Walking with Christ is the greatest adventure of my life.

Soon after I started my journey with Christ, the opposition came. It started in a class I took in high school called “Development of Western Thought” — an intensive three-hour class that was research intensive. When I shared with the class that I was a follower of Jesus, the push-back started.

Looking back on that first year as a believer, I am thankful for the push-back because it caused me to learn how to honor Christ as Lord of my life and to make a defense to everyone who asked me to give an account for what I believed, yet with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

Little did I realize how that first challenging year of my journey would prepare me for the coming years. I encountered professors in college who were hostile to the gospel. On one occasion a professor tried to personally humiliate me in class because of what I believed.

I challenged that professor to an open discussion between us — in front of the entire class. He agreed and we spent the next two hours discussing the claims of Christ. At the conclusion, he thanked me and invited me to his office to continue the dialogue. We became friends and from that day forward he treated me with respect.

Hostility to the gospel has been around from the first-century to the present. However, because we live in a day that has no regard for the objective truth of the Scriptures, the challenge of defending the faith is often very challenging.

The rise of social media has given every person with any measure of hostility to the gospel the capacity to publish their personal attacks against the Christian worldview, irrespective of the soundness of their sources, their proficiency in hermeneutics, or the accuracy of their assumptions.

That’s where Tim Barnett comes in. Tim is an apologist and speaker with Stand to Reason — according to their website, “an apologetics ministry dedicated to training Christians to think more clearly about their faith.” Greg Koukl, one of my favorite apologists, founded Stand to Reason in 1993.

Tim has earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from York University, a Bachelor of Education from Ontario Tech University, and a Master of Arts in Philosophy from Southern Evangelical Seminary.

I stumbled across Red Pen Logic with Mr. B, Tim’s YouTube Channel, while following other apologists on YouTube. Tim addresses flawed thinking in essays and social media posts and does it with gentleness and respect as Peter admonished first-century Christians to do.

Tim spent a number of years teaching but, by his own admission, disliked grading until he realized how grading provided an essential teaching opportunity. Using a red pen to grade papers, Tim was able to provide helpful feedback to his students by questioning their assumptions, exposing their errors, and challenging them to think critically.

Tim used his red pen to do more than tell students they were wrong. He wanted to show them why they were wrong so they would not make the same mistake again. He corrected because he cared.

While scrolling through social media, Tim encountered what we all see every day — a lot of bad thinking on display. So, he decided to apply his red pen to this flawed thinking. Thus, Red Pen Logic with Mr. B was born.

What I appreciate most about Tim is that he uses his red pen to address flawed thinking while demonstrating respect. His insights, remarks, and questions will cause you to think deeper about the particular subject under review.

There is too much at stake for Christians today to remain silent in the face of opposition and hostility to the gospel and to the objective truth of the Scriptures. Every Christ-follower must learn to become an apologist or one who gives a defense. But, we must do it in the way prescribed by Peter in the first century — with gentleness and reverence.

I am grateful for Tim and his efforts to speak the truth in love — and with the hope that his feedback will lead others to reconsider their assertions and assumptions. I encourage you to visit Tim’s YouTube channel or Facebook page. He offers us much to consider.