Skeptical Grad Student Gives Faith Another Chance

By Elizabeth Bahe

Eric Westervelt, a Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan, disagreed with the Michigan Christian Grads. MC Grads is a group co-sponsored by Grad Resources -- a ministry of Campus Crusade -- and The Navigators, another parachurch organization. Yet Eric attended their meetings for 3 years.

"I kept going because they were nice people," explains Eric, "but when they would give talks on spiritual topics, I thought they were all nuts."

Eric and Campus Crusade staff member Chuck Roeper, met every 6 months, but Eric declined to talk about anything spiritual.

Frustrated, Eric decided to defend his opposing position -- so he read the Bible. Two-thirds of the way through, he began to accept what it said, and surrendered his life to Jesus.

Now, 2 years later, the electrical engineer studying biped locomotion (2-legged robots) looks for ways to introduce others to Christ. Eric's priorities have clearly changed.

"The goal of my life now is not to become some famous professor, but to be a man who lives humbly for Christ," Eric says.

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