Dr. Don Bierle of Sioux Falls, S.D., provides answers to questions about who God is and whether the Bible is true.

-- I Peter 3:15b

By all appearances, Dr. Don Bierle had it all. That is, everything but the answers he needed.

Through his high school and college years, the Scotland, S.D., farm boy was a gifted athlete and student who also had a gift for wanting to ask uncomfortable questions about faith and the Bible that others in the traditional church of the time would not or could not answer.

“They did not see the need nor did they see the appropriateness,” said Bierle, now 70 and the grandfather of six. “They saw faith as a traditional thing. You have grace, and you do without questioning.”

God’s plan unfolded and prevailed on the young Bierle, however, as his earlier skepticism and questions became the basis for the development of an evangelistic organization known today as FaithSearch International – a ministry devoted to helping others overcome doubts by unveiling Biblical truths.

Days of youth, days of doubt

As a teenager, Bierle was a model of discipline, physically fit and morally straight: no smoking, no alcohol, no partying. He said he followed the moral guidance of his parents, who provided his strong sense of what was right and wrong.

And he was a Christian or so he thought.

To Bierle, a Christian was someone who behaved, someone who did the right things.

“I know the church must have talked about Jesus Christ dying on the cross, but that message somehow didn’t stick,” he said. “What stuck was the moral behavior that was necessary to prove and to sustain the faith.”

Though viewed by others as “religious,” Bierle grew more in doubt than in faith, seeking but not necessarily finding answers to basic questions he had from reading the Scriptures. 

“I saw them as stories,” said Bierle, who viewed much of Bible simply as religious literature that people made up. “Certainly I was not convinced that they were legitimate history that actually happened.”

Bierle attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., and the former Westmar College in LeMars, Iowa. He then followed his interest in biology by studying for his doctorate in the late 1960s at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

There he met two chemistry professors who took the time to listen to the skeptical student who brought his burden of doubts and questions to the open and willing ears of his new friends -- one of several turning points in Bierle’s life. He attended their church, listened and absorbed the evangelical message there.

Eventually, Bierle confessed the sinner’s prayer, only to discover later that the greatest transformation of his life would be even more dramatic and life-altering -- “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2b)

Though he had confessed his faith in Jesus for forgiveness of sins, Bierle’s determined pursuit of truth in the Scriptures brought him to a crossroads in dealing with remaining doubts during a personal study of the Book of Job.

“I got angry with God because I didn’t think what happened to Job was fair,” he said, reflecting back to his own personal doubts at the time as he questioned the justice and righteousness of God. “I thought God was the villain, so to speak. I couldn’t understand Job’s response. He doesn’t even take a stab at any of the answers -- he surrenders.” (Job 40:3-5)

But then Bierle felt the Holy Spirit speaking to him as he continued reading to the end of Job, sensing deeper conviction with each verse about God’s power and wisdom.

“And the question every time was, ‘Don, who do you think you are?’” Bierle said.

That night, in those moments of truth and conviction, Bierle found the key to his lifetime search, his skepticism and his sin. He dropped to his knees beside his desk and wept openly.

“God revealed to me not only the sin of pride but made it clear to me that He sees and knows everything,” Bierle said.

He then spent precious time talking to the Lord about his life and his future, suddenly feeling a release he had never experienced before.

“I didn’t have to win all the time; I didn’t have to be No. 1,” Bierle said. “God had won the war, so to speak.”

Like Job, Bierle had surrendered and was ready for God to remold him and his future.

A new direction for old concerns

With eyes and heart wide open, Bierle could now find answers in the Scriptures, noting that God did indeed address science in the Bible – a deep concern he had harbored. His commitment to studying and proclaiming the Scriptures to others grew into a deep-seated desire for ministry as he completed his Ph.D. in 1969 and -- while subsequently teaching biology at Sioux Falls College – leading Bible studies.

Bierle eventually accepted an administrative position at the St. Paul Bible College (today, Crown College, near Minneapolis, Minn.,) that led to his becoming academic dean there.

However, he felt his true calling was to a unique evangelical ministry designed particularly for those searching the Bible for answers, as he had done for so many years. He requested a sabbatical, earning a master’s degree in New Testament studies at Denver Seminary. He then returned home two years later to St. Paul Bible College to continue as a professor of Bible and biology.>

From there, Bierle began creating the groundwork for what initially would be a part-time ministry called Home Inspirational Studies.

For a series of six-week meetings, Bierle led studies in private homes in the Twin Cities area where Christians, non-Christians and skeptics alike were invited to listen and ask the “why” questions about the truth of the Bible, such as “Is there a God?” and “Is the Bible true?”

Such gatherings grew quickly in popularity, with sometimes up to 150 attending -- packed tightly into private homes, with people situated wherever they could to listen. Having clearly seen the popularity of this concept in its part-time form, Bierle left his position at the college in 1992 to concentrate his full energies on the development of his evangelism and discipleship ministry. 

Home Inspirational Studies changed form and grew nationally and internationally over the years, eventually becoming today’s FaithSearch International, now headquartered in Chaska, Minn. Its initial curriculum, contained within Bierle’s first book, “Surprised By Faith,” grew with the organization. It now consists of an extensive series of books, workbooks and modules, Bible studies and other resources employed in seminars offered by FaithSearch, its international evangelists and on its website.

The ripening fields of the 21st century

Today, Bierle remains fully committed to building the ministry that will reach an increasing crop of skeptics among today’s youth – particularly those under the age of 30.

“(Christian churches) are still resting on tradition, and we suppose that when a young person no longer goes to church they are in disobedience, rather than examining how did we raise that person and what reasons would they have had to stay in the church,” Bierle said.

He often is concerned that those who have made a confession of faith in Christ may not be given discipleship training from local churches, specifically to continue the work of building their new faith. Instead, some churches may feel that existing classes and Sunday school may be sufficient.

Compounding this problem is a tendency Bierle sees for some churches to place an emphasis on entertainment to attract and retain young people. He instead encourages them to focus more on providing answers for the serious questions of faith that tend to grow from people newly convicted by the Holy Spirit.

In In addition, Bierle poses a very personal question for seekers of truth: “Are people motivated enough that they really want to know, or would they rather just keep asking the questions? Why not go and find it for yourself?”  

Bierle’s path of questioning and earnestly searching for answers has blazed a trail leading others to experience the wonder and awe of truly knowing why they believe.

FaithSearch International

• Proclaiming the Gospel with evidence.
• Offering FaithSearch books, Discovery curriculum, multimedia and special topical resources in several languages

Main Office: 105 Peavey Road, Suite 200, Chaska, Minn., 55318

Phone number: (800) 964-1447

Website: www.faithsearch.org

Sioux Falls office: 27022 Rolling Thunder Lane, Sioux Falls, S.D., 57108

Phone number: (605) 213-0627