Barry Welch Testimony
Until the age of 28, I was as staunch an atheist as you can imagine. I saw religion as the cause of the world’s biggest problems and faith as nothing more than wishful thinking. Then I began working with a woman who was a churchgoer and amazed me by being seemingly normal, apart from her commitment to her church and faith. We were waiting for a new building project to start and had lots of time to just chat all day. We spoke a lot about her beliefs and she challenged me to read some scripture and see if I felt the same afterwards. I took up the challenge and expected to feel strengthened in my unbelief. I read Matthew’s gospel – nothing impressed me. I read Mark’s gospel – same thing. I was reading Luke and equally unimpressed until I got to Luke 4:14-21, a passage that grabbed my attention.