Convert Vision

Ten lepers are healed; one returns to give thanks to Jesus. That person has what we call “convert vision.”

Uh-oh. Kevin Ellstrand, aged 16, has decided to follow Jesus.

The “uh-oh” comes from his parents.

As in many families with teenagers, Kevin’s parents are concerned about some of the choices he has made. But in Kevin’s case, those choices involve sex, drugs and violence only insofar as he has decided to avoid those things.

If this Arkansas youth lived in your town, you’d probably like to have him as a member of your youth group. Two years ago, Kevin underwent a religious conversion and, as a result, says Kevin, he “started following Christ with all my heart.” He has since been on a mission trip to Mexico and he participates in a weekly Bible study group.

The problem is, his parents are not religious people, and they are troubled by some of the more zealous of Kevin’s positions. For one thing, he doesn’t accept evolution. Both his mom and dad have earned advanced academic degrees, and they find Kevin’s non-scientific...