Students react to religious debater

With his feet planted on the red brick of the Commons
Plaza, Cliffe Knechtle stood with his arms folded across
his chest, surrounded by a ring of students.

“God is not a fairy tale,” he said. “God is not something
people made up in their heads. God is real.”
Knechtle, a Christian apologist, was on campus last
Monday through Thursday debating VCU students on
topics ranging from the existence of God to the historical
reliability of the Bible.

Knechtle is the focal point of an organization called
Give Me an Answer, and he has toured college campuses
across the nation for more than 20 years.

The reactions to Knechtle’s dialogues were varied.
Although some students respected Knechtle’s right to his
opinions, others were offended by his assertion that the
Christian faith is the only truth.

“I don’t mind him having his view. I don’t like him
pushing it on the masses,” said Stephen Paulette, a
freshman majoring in chemical engineering. “How can
he say that (the resurrection) happened, but the Muslim
witnesses were wrong?”

Other students saw the debates as an expression of
what makes VCU a great liberal arts school.

“The moment we begin to limit what topics are eligible
for discussion is the moment we undermine the very
reason we are attending VCU,” said Ben Westcott, a senior
studying philosophy.

Timothy Reed, director of University Student Commons
and Activities, said VCU should welcome a variety of
speakers.

“It aids … the dialogue available on campus,” Reed
said.

Justin Patterson, an international relations major who
was watching the event while sitting at a table with a
few friends, said he appreciated Knetchle’s non-hostile
attitude.

“Compared to other people, this guy’s a pretty nice
guy,” Patterson said, adding that he warns against a
speaker getting too confrontational.

“Free speech is a two-way street … if you have an
agenda and you are going to present it militantly, expect
to get flak back.”

Students had varying opinions about how Knechtle
answered the many questions the crowd offered.

“Some people he ignores. He averts the subject sometimes,”
Patterson said.

Reena Thomas, a freshman studying biology, felt
differently.

“You can ask him anything. He has a basis for everything,”
she said.

So why does Knechtle voluntarily stand up in front of
students and answer their questions? He said his goal is
to introduce people to his closest friend, Jesus Christ.

Chris Daniel, the campus minister for Christian campus
group Reformed University Fellowship, said his reason for
helping to bring Knechtle to VCU was “to demonstrate
the reasonableness and reliability of the claims of the
Bible in order to encourage Christians and challenge
non-believers.”

Knechtle said he not only visits VCU, but he also visits
many other campuses in a similar setting. This is the third
time Knechtle has visited VCU. He said VCU students are
particularly eager to talk about their opinions.

“People really want to discuss their worldview, what
they believe,” he said. “I enjoy that openness.”

Cliffe Knechtle acquired his undergraduate degree from
Davidson College and later attended Gordon-Conwell
Theological Seminary. Give Me an Answer tapes his debates
and conversations and edits them into a 30-minute television
show, which is aired in several countries, including
the U.S., Australia, India and New Zealand.

The program can be seen on the organization’s Web
site, http://givemeananswer.org.