"Following the Evidence" - by Rev. Weldon Bares

Have you ever heard of Lew Wallace? He was a Union general during the Civil War. He later served as governor of New Mexico and ambassador to Turkey. In addition to that, he was a literary genius.

In 1876, he had a long conversation on a train ride with the famous atheist Robert G. Ingersoll. In their time together, Ingersoll argued to the best of his ability against the Christian faith.

Lew Wallace then decided to research and write a book that would disprove Christianity once and for all.

But in the process of writing this book, everything changed. Lew Wallace discovered the historical evidence for Jesus of Nazareth to be solid and irrefutable. As he was writing the second chapter of the book, he gave his life to the One he had been trying so hard to disprove.

He later wrote the novel, “Bun Hur: A Tale of the Christ,” a wonderful novel about the time of Christ. Many have come to believe in Christ as a result of reading this book.

President Ulysses Grant was so enthralled with the novel that he sat up 30 straight hours to read it from cover to cover. It was the best-selling book of the 19th century. It has been called the most influential Christian book of that day and time.

Lew Wallace said, “After six years given to the impartial investigation of Christianity, as to its truth or falsity, I have come to the deliberate conclusion that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Savior of the world and my personal Savior.”

He followed the evidence and became a believer.