Significant amounts of traffic in my social media feeds today announced that Scott Adams, creator of the "Dilbert" cartoons, converted to Christianity at the end of his life. I was excited, but then I read what he wrote:"
If you are reading this, things did not go well for me.
I have a few things to say before I go.
....
Next, many of my Christian friends have asked me to find Jesus before I go. I'm not a believer, but I have to admit the risk-reward calculation for doing so looks attractive. So, here I go:
I accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior, and I look forward to spending an eternity with him. The part about me not being a believer should be quickly resolved if I wake up in heaven. I won't need any more convincing than that. And I hope I am still qualified for entry.
Did Scott Adams experience Christian conversion? Humility requires us to acknowledge that God is the judge of that. Honesty, on the other hand, requires us to state clearly that this statement in no way describes Christian conversion. If Adams is relying upon the sentiments expressed in this "final message" from him, the he has devastatingly miscalculated the risk-reward calculation. If we take him at his word, and if these were his sentiments when he died, then he died apart from the salvation offered by the gospel.
On Sunday, January 25, 2026, our congregation at First Baptist Church of Farmersville will hear a sermon from the latter half of James 2. Adams's declaration is not saving faith. It is not even sincere faith. He states plainly that he is not a believer. To shift to a Romans 10 framework, although there is confession with the mouth (keyboard?) in this statement, there is no believing in the heart. There's certainly no expression of repentance in any form.
It's not my inclination to pile on at the moment of someone's death, but it is my duty and my life's mission to make sure that people understand the Christian gospel—what it is, and what it is not—and duty therefore compels me to dispel any uncertainty created by this statement and to say directly and clearly: Adams's words do not describe Christian conversion, and the ideas that he has articulated are not the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you are not a Christian, I want you to know the joy of real Christianity. A person becomes a Christian when that person:
- Admits to being a sinner, takes unwavering responsibility for that, feels remorse for that, and expresses a desire to change
- Believes that Jesus, the eternal Son of God, died on the cross for our sin, was buried, was resurrected on the third day, is alive, and will forgive those who come to him in faith and repentance
- Confesses (declares) that Jesus is now and forever the Savior, and the Lord (boss, master) of their life from that moment forward.
