“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and who is unjust in what is least is unjust in much” (Luke 16:10).
Once I read the story, I never forgot it.
Some preacher in Texas was waxing eloquent (what the kid called “waxing an elephant”) and told of the author of the 1960-ish book “I’m OK, You’re OK” having soured on life and committing suicide. It underscored some point he was making and he drove it home.
He got the story, he told a court of law, from an evangelist whom he had heard at some camp meeting or something.
The evangelist, who was sued by the author, sheepishly admitted that he had gotten his facts wrong.
Preachers used to be notorious for telling tall tales, passing along unsubstantiated rumors which they picked up from one another and related as gospel truth in sermons without checking their accuracy.
It was hard to check in those days. No internet, no google, no wikipedia, and no snopes.
Many a time I called the reference section at the public library and told them the story I was trying to run down. A few hours later, someone would return the call with whatever information they had managed to dig up.
Those days are behind us. Read more
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