REAL (16): A YELLOW IPE TREE AND A SERIOUS CHALLENGE IN CHRISTIANITY

A YELLOW IPE TREE AND A SERIOUS CHALLENGE IN CHRISTIANITY

Dr. Josimar Salum

The serious challenge of following Jesus after 1800 years of Christian-ism is that instead of following the person of Jesus many of us follow doctrine, theology, orthodoxies, traditions and dogmas.

We are expected to think within a box of labels and be restrained inside of it: pre, mid, pos tribulation-ism, pre, pos millennial-ism; Arminia-ism, Calvin-ism,  Pentecostal-ism; Protestant-ism and so on. 

In the beginning of our journey here at REAL I told a story about my friend and longtime mentor professor Wilson Regis. I asked him 25 years ago. On that occasion we were walking through the bus station square in the big city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

-Professor, what is more difficult: to speak or to write? I sincerely asked him.

He paused few long minutes with his eyes fixed on me and answered: TO THINK.

In another occasion I was driving my car with him at the passenger seat through the beautiful mountains from Nova Lima city to Rio Acima city. It was September and the rain had fell for a couple days and all leaves of all trees were green and the pastures upon the hills were also extremely green.

And then I looked in the midst of a hill there was a marvelous yellow IPE tree. I almost yelled when I said: 

- Professor Regis, look at that IPE tree. "She" is so beautiful. Alleluia!

He replied:

- Look at that IPE tree, Josimar. You look at her, please. Can you see her? Can you perceive her? Do you notice that "she" stands alone in the midst of the hill? Did you notice that all trees around her are green? Can you see all grass of the hills are green? Only her is yellow!  Everybody is green. Only her is yellow. She is so different. While everyone is green she has the courage to be yellow." (Wilson Regis)

Interesting conversation we are having here. Thank you for all replies. And at the bottom line it turns to what my dear long time friend, Dr. Paul Taylor frequently says: 

- Religious mindsets are difficult to change. Unless God opens our eyes, it is a losing battle. Fear of being wrong keeps many of us from rethinking what we believe.

Thank you 

A BIG CORRECTION:

VICTOR GOMES IS A COURAGEOUS YOUNG MAN who is not afraid to share what he thinks and believe. He reminds me of my old days, 32 years ago, challenging my professors at the Bible college.

  

Victor, let me correct my self! 

WE CAN DISCUSS HERE EVERYTHING. What we should not do is to be offended by each other with the answers we read and the things we share.

When I wrote "NO DISCUSSIONS HERE" I was acting like many times  my parents, my pastors, my teachers and many people acted with me. When I was young they taught me that I could not challenge their thinking, traditions, anything.

There was an occasion a professor expelled me from the room because I challenged some of his teachings of his Old Testament Theology class. That was not nice! 

Another professor told me many times: - Do what I tell you to do, no questions to be asked! 

And I know why he used to tell me like that. He was provoking me to do exactly the contrary.

I remember an old story I like to tell: there was a train engineer of those old rand rail trains that in every stop had a rubber hammer in his hand and used to punch every iron wheel of the machine.

Every station in a sunny or in a raining day he would get out of the machine and punch hard every wheel of the train machine.

One day a young kid approached him and asked:

- What are you doing, sir?

He very irritated answered him:

- I am punching the wheels with this rubber hammer. Don't you see?

The kid asked:

- Why?

He stopped, thought and got lost in his thoughts. Then he answered:

- I don't know! Before I started in this job my superior taught me to do just like that. Until now it never occurred to me that I DO NOT KNOW why I am doing this. OH! MY GOD!

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One of these days I will share with you how I came to  know this fine young man called Victor Gomes. He is son of a man of God and man of character and integrity, pastor Moacir Andrade of Ipanema Minas Gerais, Brasil. I wondered  why his name is Victor! 👏👏👏