Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Taste


My dad sent me this & I loved it... wanted to share...

At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year, they have what is called "Baptist Day". On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every event, the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center.


One year, they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. Dr. Tillich spoke for two & a half hours proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar & book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the "historical resurrection", the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who in fact, never rose from the dead in the literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions....


After about 30 seconds, a old, dark skinned preacher with a head of short-cropped white woolly hair stood up in the back of the auditorium. - "Doctor Tillich, I got one question" - he said as all eyes turned on him.


He reached into his sack luck & pulled out an apples & began eating it.


"Doctor Tillich... CRUNCH, MUNCH.... My question is a simple question.... CRUNCH, MUNCH.... Now, I ain't never read them books you read... CRUNCH, MUNCH... & I cant recite Scripture in the original Greek.... CRUNCH, MUNCH.... I don't know nothin' about Niebuhr & Heidegger.... CRUNCH, MUNCH...


He finished the apple.


"All I wanna know is this - the apple I just ate.... was it bitter or sweet?"


Dr. Tillich paused for a moment & answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I have not tasted your apple"


The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich & said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus"


The 1,000 plus in attendance count not contain themselves - the auditorium erupted with applause & cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience & promptly left the platform...

"Taste & see that the Lord is good! oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him" - Psalm 34:8

14 comments:

  1. As my friend Andre' would say..."Take that and rewind it back."

    Very well put! : )

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  2. And all of God's people said... Amen!

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  3. Love it!

    Faith is not something you can measure, or document, or qualify. It is such a personal experience, and the more you try to analyze it, the harder it is to understand. Drives scholars crazy, I'm sure.

    Great story!

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  4. Wonderful! Thanks for the uplifting story!

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  5. that was awesome! Thanks for stopping by yesterday!

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  6. So I see where you get some of your inspiration from, your dad! What a powerful story Rebecca Jo Jo!

    Have I told you how much I love you lately? Well it's time I did!

    You're the best!

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  7. I wonder, do we still have people who are willing to stand before a "learned scholar" as Dr. Tillich and point out to him his error?
    Amazing story.

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  8. Awesome story... and I pray that I could be so brave as to stand against someone more "learned" that I am to glorify my God!

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  9. I've heard that story before and its a good one! Hadn't been avoiding you... but for some reason, the past several times I had tried to comment, your page won't load right for me. Anyone else?

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  10. RJ,
    Just what I needed to start my day today. I've got a busy one planned!!!

    Have a Blessed Thursday,
    Dawn

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