There is an interesting story in the Book of Acts, Chapter 17. Paul was in Thessalonica, reasoning with the Jews, and was giving evidence that Jesus was their Messiah. There were many who were persuaded that this was true, but a large number of them formed a mob and set the city in an uproar.

Paul slipped away from the crowd and went to Berea, into the synagogue of the Jews. We are told, “These were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received Paul’s words with great eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see whether they were true.” And many of them believed.

I believe many modern people are not noble-minded because they are not searching for what is true, particularly when it comes to God and faith.

A great example of a noble-minded person is author Lee Strobel. He graduated from Yale Law School and became the legal affairs editor of The Chicago Tribune. He described himself and his wife, as, at that time, “decadent atheists,” and, then, one night, everything changed,

Leslie stunned me in the autumn of 1979 by announcing that she had become a Christian. I rolled my eyes and braced for the worst, feeling like the victim of a bait-and-switch scam. I had married one Leslie—the fun Leslie, the carefree Leslie, the risk-taking Leslie—and now I feared she was going to turn into some sort of sexually repressed prude who would trade our upwardly mobile lifestyle for all-night prayer vigils and volunteer work in grimy soup kitchens.

Instead I was pleasantly surprised—even fascinated—by the fundamental changes in her character, her integrity, and her personal confidence. Eventually I wanted to get to the bottom of what was prompting these subtle but significant shifts in my wife’s attitudes, so, I launched an all-out investigation into the facts surrounding the case for Christianity.

Setting aside my self-interest and prejudices as best as I could, I read books, interviewed experts, asked questions, analyzed history, explored archeology, studied ancient literature, and for the first time in my life, I picked apart the Bible, verse by verse.

I plunged into the case with more vigor than any story I had every pursued. I applied the training I had received at Yale Law School as well as my experience as legal affairs editor of the Chicago Tribune and over time the evidence of the world—of history, of science, of philosophy, of psychology— began to point toward the unthinkable.

For his research, Strobel traveled all over the country interviewing scholars, which he records in several of his books. Once he began studying ancient manuscripts, he sought an individual whom he considered the top authority in this field, Bruce Metzger. Eighty-four years old at the time, Metzger was incredibly well-educated. He held a Master’s and PhD from Princeton and another Master’s from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he had also taught. He’d been awarded five honorary doctorates from five different colleges and had written scores of books. This is what Strobel says about him,

If you scan the footnotes of any authoritative book on the text of the New Testament, the odds are that you’re going to see Metzger cited time after time. His books are mandatory reading in universities and seminaries around the world. He is held in the highest regard by scholars from across a wide range of theological beliefs.

Strobel spent several hours with Metzger, and when the interview ended, they had this final exchange,

As we stood, I thanked Dr. Metzger for his time and expertise. He smiled warmly and offered to walk me downstairs. I didn’t want to consume any more of his Saturday afternoon, but my curiosity wouldn’t let me leave Princeton without satisfying myself about one remaining issue.

“All these decades of scholarship, of study, of writing textbooks, of delving into the minutia of the New Testament text—what has all this done to your personal faith,” I asked.

“Oh,” he said, sounding happy to discuss the topic, “it has increased the basis of my personal faith to see the firmness with which these materials have come down to us, with the multiplicity of copies, some of which are very, very ancient.”

So, I started to say, scholarship has not diluted your faith?

He jumped in before I could finish my sentence. “On the contrary,” he stressed, “it has built it. I’ve asked questions all my life, I’ve dug into the text, I’ve studied this thoroughly and today I know with confidence that my trust in Jesus has been well placed.”

He paused while his eyes surveyed my face. And then he added for emphasis,

“Very well-placed.”

After months and months of searching and researching, the unthinkable struck him. Christianity is true. And being noble-minded, Lee Strobel surrendered his life to Christ.

Richard E Simmons III is the founder and Executive Director of The Center for Executive Leadership and a best-selling author.