RTB Then and Now: A Brief Retrospective

When we launched Reasons To Believe 25 years ago, we had only one reason to think we could possibly lead a ministry: a strong sense that God had called us to do so. Otherwise, the idea seemed crazy. It still seems crazy, but here we are. Through these 25 years, our eagerness to participate in fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission has only intensified!

While assembling a few photos and memories for inclusion in a special commemorative edition of The Fingerprint of God, we began to reflect on all that has changed since 1986. From a communications standpoint, a dramatic transformation has occurred. Until this first book came forth in 1989, the ministry’s only print resources included a few typed papers and a booklet, Genesis One: A Scientific Perspective. Yet God was already using Hugh’s lectures and the story of his journey to faith in Christ—recorded on cassettes—to inspire faith and equip others for evangelism.

Back then personal computers were a luxury and the Internet seemed wildly futuristic. Today we use such exotic means of communication as podcasts (audio and video), e-Zines, web streaming, social media, and more. Our aim, as always, is to make our presence and message known via all means possible.

The tiny band of devoted supporters  we began with has grown into a sizeable and still growing community of faithful friends who sustain us in prayer, finances, volunteer labor, technical expertise, good ideas, and many other forms of encouragement. A training program that began with one course and a few tape recordings is now an online institute and academy offered for credit at universities and seminaries. Chapters have sprung up across the country and in other parts of the world—something we barely dared to imagine. Our scholars now receive invitations to speak at major conferences, even in other countries.

While the means and opportunities for delivering our message have changed dramatically, RTB’s mission and message remain the same. In the simplest of terms, we describe ourselves as “fishers of men [including women]”—and as fishing guides—blessed with an endless supply of fresh bait from the frontiers of science. Each new discovery adds more weight to the case for the reliability of God’s Word and another reason for faith in Jesus Christ, the one and only Savior.

Article by Hugh and Kathy Ross.