Pam Reynolds was only 35 when doctors prepared her for one of the riskiest brain surgeries ever attempted. To reach an aneurysm deep in her brain, surgeons had to cool her body, stop her heart, drain her brain of blood—leaving her clinically dead for over an hour.

When Pam awoke, she stunned her medical team. She described watching the surgery from above her body—detailing instruments, conversations, even the music playing. Then she described a tunnel of light and encounters with deceased relatives who told her she must return to raise her children.

This wasn’t a hallucination. Pam’s heart had stopped. Her brain had no activity. Yet she witnessed and heard things later verified by others.

Pam’s story is one of hundreds documented Near-Death Experiences (NDEs)—experiences that strike a fatal blow to materialism, the dominant philosophy that humans are nothing more than machines.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor, in his new book The Immortal Mind, lays out four characteristics of NDEs that materialists cannot explain. He calls this the Pam Reynolds Challenge.

First, clarity of thought. NDEs are marked by heightened, crystal-clear awareness —the opposite of what a dying brain produces.

Second, out-of-body perception. Witnesses accurately see events they could not perceive naturally.

Third, encounters with the dead. NDE survivors only meet deceased people, never the living.

Fourth, life-changing transformation. The fear of death is erased and lives are permanently reshaped.

If the brain alone created consciousness, none of this would be possible. The evidence points to a simple truth: we are not flesh alone—we are souls.

Skeptics often say belief in the soul is unscientific. Science itself now disagrees. Our ability to conceive of infinity, to grasp abstract logic, to yearn for eternity—none of these can be reduced to neurons firing. As Dr. Egnor notes, logic and mathematics are immaterial realities. They cannot arise from mere chemistry. Modern neuroscience is finally affirming the truth that consciousness is more than brain chemistry, and death is not the end.

Egnor warns that atheism and materialism were never meant to last. Their real purpose? To knock down Christianity and open the door to something older and darker: paganism.

Look around. Child sacrifice through abortion. The mutilation of confused children. Drag queen story hours grooming preschoolers. Euthanasia and assisted suicide marketed as “compassion.” Pornography flooding screens. Moral relativism at every turn.

This is the revival of paganism and its obsession with sex, blood, and the destruction of innocence. At root lies a rejection of the soul.

Science now echoes Scripture: we are not accidents, not animals, not machines. We are immortal souls, created to live forever. This truth has immense cultural consequences—and personal ones.

This convergence of faith and science ought to embolden us and stir up even more urgency to get out and share the gospel. When our time comes, we will all step beyond the veil. Scientific evidence now affirms that your soul will go on. The Bible assures us it will face the judgment of God.

Only by placing trust in Christ can we be carried safely into an eternity with Him. This is the message, the good news, that people are searching for. Let’s give it to them! Let’s use the momentum of young people seeking God, a nation needing hope, and science uncovering answers long held in the Bible.

The culture may be collapsing into pagan darkness. But the truth stands firm. Christ is risen. The soul is immortal. And the hope of eternal life remains for all who believe.