Born-again daughter showed me the way

BBC TV antiques expert David Harper had never considered Christianity, but when faith transformed his daughter’s life he began an investigation of his own. He told Chris Rolfe the story.

Before my daughter Hetti became a born-again Christian just over two years ago, we lived in constant fear for her.

She’s a singer-songwriter in London, and for several years had been involved with the heavy rock scene, making very dark music.

She became deeply depressed while experimenting with spiritualism and although doctors tried to help her with therapy and antidepressants, nothing worked.

We were constantly terrified about what might happen next.

Never did we expect that she’d find Jesus.

Someone suggested praying, so Hetti prayed in desperation that Jesus would either let her die or save her.

He saved her, and the change I witnessed in her was remarkable. She is a completely new person.

I saw in her a light, a joy and a purpose which I gratefully, if nervously, monitored for over a year. It was an immense relief to witness her continued and growing happiness.

I was worried all this joy was just a phase. It wasn’t.

I’ll admit this watching period was a time to look for faults in her Christian belief system; for reasons for me not to believe and for the honeymoon period to end.

It didn’t, so in December 2024 I decided to research what had transformed her. I’d look at Christianity without bias and investigate it from the very beginning. Nothing academic, just an ordinary inquisitive layman looking for answers.

I was, and had always been, a confused agnostic. I’d looked at many belief systems over the decades without finding any satisfying.

story continues…