|
The Red Telephone Mark was an ambitious young man who decided he would go to seminary to become a minister. Having grown up in the Reformed tradition in the Midwest he decided to check out Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He arranged a visit to the campus. While taking a tour of the seminary he happened to meet the president. After chatting with him a couple minutes the President invited him to step into his office to talk. One of the first things that caught his eye upon entering the president's office was a red telephone positioned prominently on the president's desk next to a regular, black one. After discussing the full range of questions he had concerning Western, Mark could not help but raise one more question. "I am curious, what is the red telephone for?" "Oh," replied the President, "that is our hotline to heaven." "Really?" Mark answered. "That is very interesting." "I could let you try it out, but keep in mind it costs $50 per minute."
In order to check out all options Mark also decided to visit Calvin Seminary's campus in Grand Rapids. Ironically he also encountered the president of Calvin and was invited into his office for an impromptu visit. A second, red phone was also located on the President's desk. Curiosity was too much for him - he had to ask. "That is our hotline to heaven" came the reply. "Could I give it a try?" "Well, sure. Be my guest." "But how much will it cost me?" "It doesn't cost anything." "Are you sure? It seems like that would be expensive" Mark asked in order to be certain. "No, it is free." "How could it be free? I saw a phone like this once that cost $50 a minute." "The calls do not cost anything. It's not long distance from here."
|