At
the University of Chicago
Divinity School each year they
have what is called "Baptist
Day". It is a day when all the
Baptists in the area are invited
to the school because they want
the Baptist dollars to keep
coming in.
On
this day each one is to bring a
lunch to be eaten outdoors in a
grassy picnic area. Every
"Baptist Day" the school would
invite one of the greatest minds
to lecture in the theological
education enter.
One year they invited Dr. Paul
Tillich. Dr. Tillich spoke for 2
½ hours proving that the
resurrection of Jesus was false.
He quoted scholar after scholar
and 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 any
literal sense.
He
then asked if there were any
questions. After about 30
seconds, an old, dark skinned
preacher with a head of
short-cropped, woolly white hair
stood up in the back of the
auditorium.
Docta Tillich, I got one
question, he said as all eyes
turned toward him. He reached
into his sack lunch and pulled
out an apple and began eating
it.
"Docta
Tillich (CRUNCH, MUNCH), My
question is a simple question
(CRUNCH, MUNCH). Now, I ain't
never read them books you read
(CRUNCH, MUNCH) and I can't
recite the Scriptures in the
original Greek (CRUNCH, MUNCH).
I don't know nothin' about
Niebuhr and Heidegger (CRUNCH,
MUNCH)..." He finished the
apple.
"All I wanna know is: This apple
I just ate, was it bitter or
sweet?" Dr. Tillich paused for a
moment and answered in exemplary
scholarly fashion: I cannot
possibly answer that question,
for I haven't tasted your apple.
The white-haired preacher
dropped the core of his apple
into his crumpled paper bag,
looked up at Dr. Tillich and
said calmly, "Neither have you
tasted my Jesus."
The 1000 plus in attendance
could not contain themselves.
The auditorium erupted with
applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich
thanked his audience and
promptly left the platform.
Have you tasted Jesus? Please
pass this on Saints! God has
risen, and he's coming back one
day!
~Author Unknown~
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