Christian Stories That Make You Think Second Edition

By Daniel Zimmermann

Several stories are imaginative elaborations of Biblical accounts. How did it happen that St. Paul was acquitted when he was tried before the Emperor Nero? If someone discovered the remains of the tree of life, would he live forever, as a German intellectual did in one of these stories? Another story elaborates on the Tower of Babel, and still another is a sequel to it. The Septuagint and the Vulgate Bibles tell us about Susanna. This e-book elaborates, giving identities to her accusers and assigning them different characters.
Other stories are interesting tales of Christian life. Did Hitler fake his death at the end of WWII? Did he become a Christian and attempt to make amends for the evil that he had done? In another story, the Lord allowed Samiel (the devil) to tempt Tamera, but she resisted faithfully. Another story shows how two enemies became close friends. Two stories are factual, except that the names and places have been changed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781387607846

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Christian Stories That Make You Think Second Edition

Christian Stories That Make You Think, Second Edition

By Daniel Zimmermann

Chapter I: Stories Ancient and Modern

Two Juvenile Enemies Become Close Friends

Clyde was the strongest boy in his class. He had a good heart, but his temper often flared up. If one of his weaker classmates annoyed him, he regularly slapped or punched the offender.

By the time he entered eighth grade, bullying had become a pernicious habit. Sometimes he abused a weaker student simply because he was in a bad mood.

George was two years younger than Clyde. He enjoyed a good reputation, but he secretly indulged in some evil habits. He occasionally visited a rough neighborhood, where he would smoke or even experiment with drugs. He was very clever, and neither his parents nor anyone at school knew about his clandestine activities.

George was weaker than other boys his age, and this disability made him circumspect. Above all, he carefully avoided all contact with the belligerent Clyde.

One day, however, George saw a dollar bill lying on the ground and ran to pick it up. Clyde noticed it and shouted: I saw it first. When George hesitated to give it up, Clyde punched him and took it.

George plotted revenge. One of the eighth grade girls had left her backpack unattended while she was eating lunch. George removed her money and a few other valuables and slipped them into Clyde's backpack.

When the girl noticed that her valuables were missing and complained about it, George secretly told a teacher that he had seen Clyde put them into his backpack. After divulging this misinformation, he said: Don't tell anyone that I told you. Clyde will beat me up.

Clyde was amazed when they found the stolen articles in his backpack. He loudly protested his innocence, but to no avail. The school authorities decided not to involve the police. Clyde was given a stern warning, and his parents were informed about the incident.

About a week later, Clyde was reading in the town library. George managed to slip two library books into the backpack of Clyde. As a result, a characteristic loud sound revealed the presence of hidden books as Clyde left the library. This time the police were informed, but no action was taken.

Clyde had noticed George lurking in his vicinity when he was in the library. He correctly concluded that George must have been responsible for what happened. He gave George a good beating and warned him never to monkey with his backpack again.

George had some tough friends in the rough neighborhood that he occasionally visited. He persuaded three of them to lie in wait for Clyde in a solitary place as he returned home from school. They dragged him into an alley and began to beat him.

Unlike most bullies, Clyde was not a coward. Though his three assailants were considerably older than he was, Clyde put up a terrific fight. Eventually one of them drew a knife and tried to stab Clyde, but Clyde grabbed the boy's wrist and received only a minor wound on his hand. As they struggled, the throat of one of George's friends got in the way of the knife, and he died. The other two fled, leaving the knife behind.

Clyde never ran away from anything. He examined the stricken boy and concluded that he was beyond help. He left the scene in a leisurely manner.

Two of his classmates happened to pass by. They saw Clyde emerge from the alley and decided to see what he had been doing there. When they saw the body, they told a policeman what they had seen.

The police took Clyde to the police station for questioning. He truthfully told the police all that had happened. The authorities were inclined to believe him because the dead boy had a police record. Clyde probably would have been set free if George had not intervened.

George told the police that he had seen the beginning of the incident. George had drawn his knife and pushed the murdered boy into the ally. George did not see anything more because he ran away as fast as he could.

George was the respected son of a local pastor, and his evil habits had escaped detection. So as a result of his testimony, Clyde was confined in an institution for juvenile delinquents.

Naturally, the proceedings attracted the attention of George's father. He had occasionally made pastoral calls on Clyde's parents and encouraged them to attend church. He was a Biblically oriented pastor who preached the law and the gospel in the traditional manner.

He frequently visited Clyde during his confinement. At first, Clyde did not like to talk with him. Clyde figured that the father of a lying son must also be a liar, so he was not inclined to believe anything that the pastor said.

One day, when the pastor urged him to confess his sins, Clyde stoutly denied attacking the boy and averred that his death was an accident. He also denied trying to steal books and other things.

The pastor retorted: I suppose that you also claim that you did not batter my son George.

Clyde admitted that he had punched not only George, but also many other children. Then he made the observation: Probably that is why God put me in here.

The pastor assured Clyde that God was merciful. He explained how Jesus Christ had suffered and died to save the souls of sinners and concluded with the words: All your sins have been forgiven.

These words seemed to make an impression on Clyde. The pastor felt that he had made some progress, but he still thought that Clyde was not confessing all his wrongdoings.

About a month