Actress Shirley MacLaine, a new-ager, was conducting one of her seminars at the Long Beach Arena teaching people about their own divinity. During the seminar, she had everyone light a candle. They turned off the lights so those candles could be seen shining in the dark. She said, “Just those candles have individual flames. All of you have the divine light within you.” Well, just as she said that, the smoke from the candles set off the sprinkler system in the arena and all of those divine lights were extinguished.
Good timing, Lord.
The University of Chicago Divinity School has what is called “Baptist Day” each year. On this day each one is to bring a lunch to an outdoor picnic area and the school invites one of the popular lecturers to speak at the theological education center.
One year Dr. Paul Tillich came and spent 2-1/2 hours attempting to prove that the resurrection of Jesus was a lie. He quoted liberal books and scholars to prove his point and then asked for questions.
An older man near the back of the auditorium spoke. “Dr. Tillich,” he said, taking an apple out and beginning to eat. “Crunch, crunch—I have a simple question—munch, munch. I haven’t read any of those books you talk about—crunch crunch. I can’t recite the Scriptures in Greek—munch munch. I don’t know anything about Niebuhr and Heidegger— crunch, crunch.” He held up the core of his eaten apple. “All I want to know is this apple I just ate—was it bitter or sweet?”
Dr. Tillich paused and then responded, “I cannot possibly answer that question. I haven’t tasted your apple, sir.”
The old man dropped the apple core into his sack and said, “Neither have you tasted my Jesus.”
The audience of over 1,000 erupted into applause and cheers, to which Dr. Tillech left the platform.
Atheistic French philosopher Voltaire declared, “Christianity will be nonexistent 100 years after my death.” But exactly 100 years after his death, the European Bible Society bought his house and turned it into the continent’s largest printing press for Bibles. Sounds like his house got saved, but too late for him.
Years ago the communist government in China commissioned an author to write a biography of Hudson Taylor with the purpose of distorting the facts and presenting him in a bad light. They wanted to discredit the name of this consecrated missionary of the gospel. As the author was doing his research, he was increasingly impressed by Taylor’s saintly character and godly life, and he found it extremely difficult to carry out his assigned task with a clear conscience. Eventually, at the risk of losing his life, he laid aside his pen, renounced his atheism, and received Jesus as his personal Savior.
Whether we realize it or not, our example leaves an impression on others.
Jack Ward is the pastor of Tomahawk Missionary Baptist Church.