What the Hell?

It was the Spring of 1970.  My girlfriend and I had an argument and were not talking to each other for a few days. Believe it or not, we got engaged later on that same year and married the next year.  Well, because of the non-communicative status that we were in, I said "what the hell," and decided to take a trip to Richmond, Virginia to visit my friend at the seminary where he was studying at.  I had met him in his senior year at the King's College, where he was a roommate with my best friend.  My friend Bill had invited me to spend a weekend at the college, getting acquainted with the students and with the environment.  He introduced me to his roommate Dave, and for whatever reason, Dave left an impression upon my mind that still lingers on to this day.  Dave even gave me a copy of a recording which he had made with four other students which contained many Gospel hymns which became ingrained in my soul until this day.  Bill and Dave graduated from King's that May.  Bill and I had met in high school in Staten Island and graduated together.   Well, after graduation, Bill went on to Bethel Seminary in Minnesota, and Dave went on to Union Presbyterian Seminary in Virginia.  Dave impressed me with his academic rigor, graduating with a 4.0 average and pretty much into singing.  But he was Presbyterian (so what?).  Having grown up in a Puerto Rican Pentecostal Church, to me anyone who wasn't Pentecostal was either a second-class Christian or just simply on their way to hell.

There was something strange about this dude Dave, and for some reason unknown to me, I wanted to figure him out.  So I went to visit him at Union.  Not only was he Presbyterian, but he was also smoking a pipe, which by my traditional Pentecostal standards was a  no, no. He and Bill had graduated from a very conservative Baptist college, which prohibited the use of tobacco, and alcohol. In fact, students had to sign a pledge that they would not dance or attend a theater either while on campus or off campus.  While at King's, Dave had grown a beard, and the Dean ordered him to remove it.  He complied, but in the spirit of the great reformer, Martin Luther, he took 95 pieces of hair and nailed them to the door of the Dean's office.  Now, after graduating from this real conservative college, he was in a very lax seminary which did not have the restrictions of the college.
You would think that the seminary would be even stricter.  Not only was Dave smoking a pipe, but he also took me to a movie (a no, no by Pentecostal standards because godly people are not supposed to sit in the seat of the ungodly according to Psalm 1) to see the Molly McGuires.  And then, to top it off, the song "Let it Be" by the Beatles had just come out that year, and Dave would listen to it and sing along with every chance he got. 

Between his pipe smoking, movie attendance, and "Let it Be," I became "contaminated" and started to develop a "what the hell" type of attitude.  This man impressed me so much with his acquired laxity combined with his Christian commitment.  I attended a Mass with him at an Episcopal church, where he sang in the choir.  Then, for the first time in my life, I attended a worship service in a Presbyterian church.  Little did I know, that eight years later, I myself would become a minister of the Reformed Church, of which the Presbyterian churches are family members. I learned by Dave's example that being a Christian and being godly did not require an arrogant, pompous-ass, and self-righteous attitude.  Dave and I stayed in touch "on and off" during and after his seminary years. In the last year, we have seen him and his dear wife Riitta several times and broken bread with them. He is now a retired minister.  I still have the recording which he gave me, and to Ruth's consternation, lol, I play the record every now and then while I am either writing, or in a mood to get back to my "roots."

So, a follower of Christ smokes a pipe. What the hell?  Another follower of Christ (like myself) likes to dance to the music of the 60's and 70's. What the hell?  Some followers of Christ (myself included) enjoy an occasion glass of wine with their meals. "Let it be, let it be."

Christ has not called us to moralize or to pontificate.  Christ has not called us to be rubbing our noses in people's personal business. Christ has called us to nurture and sustain people, not only in our words, but also in our actions and examples.  Christ has called us to be present where people are hurting, and to be an extension of His presence in their lives.  The great revivalist John Wesley (one of the founders of Methodism) believed in "think and let think."  I would add to that "live and let live." Let us, as my friend Dave and his quartet, the Challengers, did by responding to the call of Christ to go out and make a difference in our world.  Let it be, let it be, there will be answer, let it be. Let it be, let it be, whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona