Though raised with regular church and Sunday school attendance, Jim became disenchanted with religion in his teens, concluding that smart people didn't believe in God. However, he also saw that without a higher being, there was no ultimate authority for right and wrong besides popular consensus. Jim struggled with this tension as he tried to form his own views.
When his family moved from Western Springs to Hinsdale, he started attending a new church. He met a lot of well educated people whose faith made him question his agnosticism. The teacher of the Sunday class for high school seniors was a young executive whose convictions, intelligence, and enthusiasm unsettled Jim's biases. So he began reading a contemporary translation of the New Testament as well as some books by former doubters turned Christian. Within a couple months he came to understand the historical accuracy of the Bible and realized that Jesus' claims and his need to be accepted by God could no longer be ignored. While he still had some doubts he decided to give his life to Christ, curious whether he could actually have what he'd heard about from others. Although that turning point was not accompanied by any miraculous experience, it began a transformation of heart and mind that continues to this day.
Through college and grad school Jim had many opportunities to grow in faith, as well as meet his future bride through a church postgraduate singles group. Their eldest daughter is married to a pastor; their second married a missionary's daughter; and their youngest plans on college after a gap year of mission work.