A friend of mine was a headmaster of one of those traditional Christian schools who had a tradition

of hiring chaplains who are ordained in the mainline denomination.

He told me this story.

In fact, I was sitting in his office, I'll never forget it to the day I die.

He was pouring his heart out to me of how he had interviewed 23 candidates for an office of a chaplain.

23 candidates. Each of them is a seminary trained, each of them served in a church, each of them ordained.

In fact, he himself is seminary trained and ordained man.

And he explained to me that he would ask every one of the 23 people that have come through,

he would ask only two questions.

Very simple questions.

Question number one, was the baby in the manger, God of very God? Yes or no? Question number two,

did Jesus get out of the grave on the third day and rose again? And he would ask him,

please tell me yes or no. Not one of them would answer yes or no, not one.

They would try to draw him into a discussion. Well, really depends on what you mean by God.

And don't we all have the touch of the divine in us? And it all depends on what you mean,

rose from the dead. Don't we all rise from the dead.

And that is why those to whom the gift of discernment is given must exercise it diligently, urgently,

urgently to those whom the gift of discernment is given must be serious about it today more than any other time in our

lifetime. To be sure we must exercise it lovingly and respectfully, but we must exercise it

forcefully nonetheless. Probably more than any other time in our lifetime. Today, I was reading an editorial in a Christian

magazine, and the writer wrote the following. It's for Young People magazine. He said,

America has never seen a time when its young people have been more religious and yet so non-Christians.

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