Following is the text of a letter which Alan the Managing Director of an IT company in Bridgnorth sent to a journalist called Phil, on the Shropshire Star Newspaper.

Dear Phil,

I read your article and was struck from the start by your interest in the activity, institution, trappings, enquiring belief and social aspects of the religious experience. You might be surprised to hear the writer was, from the age of 21 to 47, a confirmed, content, rational and well reasoned atheist.

As a child, I did the Sunday morning service and Sunday school at 3 in the afternoon. Went to a Church of England junior school, was well taught in the doctrine of the age! As a youth, I met one man who I realised had a true faith and he was a good influence on me and many other kids in the secondary modern school I attended. I trained as an engineer and had a great appetite for things scientific. I made a hobby of astronomy (not astrology I hasten to add) and was dumb struck by the unimaginable immensity of our universe. I was an addict of all the radio and TV documentaries and natural history programs.

Throughout my life and yours we have been taught by those we trust about a man centered, science based, evolutionary existence, with God as an optional but uncomfortable extra (that tends to mess the whole thing up) but is there if you need him. I proved o myself that God did not exist.

At the ripe old age of about 23, my first son, an 18 month old was killed in a road accident. I had no faith and yet was helped in practical ways by an Anglican High Church Priest called Father Fred. It was no reflection on him but the experience of loosing a son brought me to face the issue of, "Is there a life after death? Is there a God?" Well, after much heart searching, I finally answered that question! I was free! There was NO God! I am what I am. WYSYWYG: What You See Is What You Get, to use the jargon of my profession. When my days are up I will be buried or burned and that will be that. That's fine. What freedom! What a release from all that half understood cold knowledge with no evidence of any truth in it. Wow. Let's get on with all the wonders of life and man's discoveries and see what we can make of this universe in which we live.

My life progressed wonderfully. I was successful in my career, I loved my work, I loved training and learning new things and in every way life was great. My convictions and understanding grew and I was, even though I say it myself, quite a good atheist! I could debate, discuss, argue most people to a standstill with reason, logic, 'science' and 'facts' until I or they were blue in the face. My views were rock solid. I had no fear of death other than I would prefer it to be peaceful, in one piece and a long way off. The facts are all there for a Godless universe, science has proved it. I believed it. We see it endlessly on TV and our children hear it in every lesson at school! We know it's true. Don't we? Even so-called religious people will do handstands to accommodate it, even though it is directly opposed to much of the 'book' of their faith!

But then...

In the summer of my 46th year, my then wife and daughter went on holiday with some friends as I was too busy being a businessman to join them . When she came back she had been, with her friends, to a church in a tent on the camp site they had stayed at in Cornwall. She had enjoyed the service and asked if I would take her to Church in Bridgnorth, our hometown. Of course I wouldn't. I was not going to be a hypocrite. I said that if she wanted to go that was OK with me, but, 'You won't get me in a church.'

She gently asked several times over the months. My answer was unchanging. One morning, just after Christmas that year, 1990, my wife and I had had, 'one or two words'! I can't even remember what it was about now. Her parting shot, (you know the one that hits below the belt just as she left the room) was to say 'Well you wouldn't even take me to Church when I asked you!' In a fit of pique, frustration and anger I shouted 'OK then! If that's what it's going to take to get things back to normal round here, it's Sunday today, come on I'll carry your handbag.' My attitude was disgraceful, arrogant, angry, you name it. But we found a church and went in.

Well Phil, that morning I was challenged by what I heard, and most of all by the faces of the people I met. They were different. They took time to come and meet me. They clearly knew something, or as I was to realise later, someone, I didn't. Over the next five months this God who I knew did not exist, was just turning my life upside down. What I realised was that what you refer to as religion, is only a matter of one person's opinion, belief, custom or practice over another. What happened to me was nothing to do with all that religious stuff. It was to do with a 'calling' God, whose existence I was still denying, taking His time through His Holy Spirit to gently convince me that He was who He said He was!

I did not come quietly or easily! In fact I fought tooth and nail. Everything I stood for was on the line here. He was patient though and was not about to give up on what He had started. I did eventually come to know that this living Lord Jesus Christ had sought me out, to prove to me He was alive and wanted to give to me the wonderful gifts that only He is empowered to give. You see it's nothing to do with what we have been indoctrinated with, or making a choice about what to believe, it's to do with coming to know and recognise that Jesus is alive, and that He loved me, even though I had denied Him, not just three times but probably three hundred or even three thousand times.

ME a Christian!

On 19th May 1991 I prayed to this Jesus and asked him to be Lord of my life and committed my life to Him. That's what it's all about! He accepted me, just as I was, He will accept you, just as you are right now. He wiped my slate clean. He and I made a new beginning. I started a new life and it's wonderful. Wonderful! Truly full of wonder! It's not a matter of whether you are religious or not. It's a matter of hearing the knock on the door when He knocks and remembering that as it says in scripture, 'He stands at the door and knocks, and whoever invites Him in HE WILL COME and eat with them'.

You see, there is no handle on His side of the door. You have to do the opening or He stays outside. It's my/our/your choice. He is a gracious God and will not crash into your life. He gave you free will. He will not take it away again. He only enters in when you open the door. He is not bothered whether you are religious or not either. What He wants is for you to get to know Him as Lord of your life, receive from Him all that He has for you and move into a new life. I did, and I would not go back for anything. He is a gracious and loving God who is prepared to spend time helping you understand that He is who He said He is, was and will be. That God did raise Him from the dead and can do the same for you, granting you (and me) a place in His eternity, with Him.

Please don't try to excuse me by saying all those usual things about people needing a crutch, wimps, and do gooders. When God sought me out I still denied He existed. I was convinced I did not need Him or anyone. I was quite content with my lot and I was getting on quite nicely thank you. I was doing it my way. How wrong can you be! Thank you Lord for your grace and mercy, even to someone like me.

Don't be religious.

So Phil, I hope you're not religious. I hope at some point you will open your heart and mind to the one called Jesus, ask Him to reveal himself to you, find a Church or a fellowship that knows this Jesus and is preaching Jesus and His Gospel. Or join one of the many Alpha courses around the county which are designed to help people who have more questions than answers.

Religion will not earn you a seat with the Lord Jesus in that place called paradise for all eternity, neither will good works! Jesus will. God bless you Phil for your courage and frankness in your article. I hope and pray my letter has helped in some way to answer your question.

Yours sincerely

Alan Vincent