If a person has been presented with good evidence for Christian truth, there may or may not be a conversion to Christianity. There is usually a struggle on a volitional level or on an emotional level. C. S. Lewis writes:
He is deliberately trying not to know whether Christianity is true or false, because he foresees endless trouble if it should turn out to be true. He is like the man who deliberately `forgets' to look at the notice board because, if he did, he might find his name down for some unpleasant duty. He is like the man who won't look at his bank account because he's afraid of what he might find there. He is like the man who won't go to the doctor when he first feels a mysterious pain, because he is afraid of what the doctor may tell him.The man who remains an unbeliever for such reasons is not in a state of honest error. He is in a state of dishonest error, and that dishonesty will spread through all his thoughts and actions: a certain shiftiness, a vague worry in the background, a blunting of his whole mental edge, will result. He has lost his intellectual virginity.1
Christian believers are not immune to doubts, even when they have had exposure to Christian evidences, for similar reasons. In fact, there are powers of darkness that cause unbelief. These are real spiritual forces controlled by Satan. There are demons of unbelief, doubt, skepticism, and incredulity, just as there are demons of pride, greed, lust, envy, and hatred. These spiritual forces are especially effective during times of weakeners or temptation. C. S. Lewis writes:
There will come a moment when there is bad news, or he is in trouble, or is living among a lot of other people who do not believe it, and all at once his emotions will rise up and carry out a sort of blitz on his belief. Or else there will come a moment when he wants a woman, or wants to tell a lie, or feels very pleased with himself, or sees a chance of making a little money in some way that is not perfectly fair: some moment, in fact, at which it would be very convenient if Christianity were not true. And once again his wishes and desires will carry out a blitz.2
As Christians, we must "fly by the instruments," recognizing at such moments that, whether or not we happen to be in the right mood to be believers, the Christian faith is nevertheless completely true, and we will be held accountable for our actions, particularly in the light of our knowledge of the truth.
1 C. S. Lewis, God In The Dock, ed. Walter Hooper (Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970), p. 111.
2 C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan, 1943), p. 123.
