Dean asks Dad too many questions (Dudes in Robes series)

My father, he was large and in charge. He was 6'4", he played basketball for UCLA, got a doctorate in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and was a pastor. And even though he was big and foreboding, I wasn't afraid to maybe ask questions and eventually confront him on things. I'm a writer of books and documentaries. I've also been an investigative reporter and that leaks out into my writing as someone who asks a lot of questions. My father explained to me that the foundation of Christianity is sola scriptura or the Bible. Everything comes from the Bible. I eventually started asking the question, okay, so it all comes from the Bible, who decides what goes in the Bible? Because back then they didn't have this leather book that all the books were in. They had a thousand scrolls and you had to figure out which one was scripture and which one wasn't. They would say, well, in the 3rd, 4th, 5th century, the early church decided which books went in the Bible. And I thought to myself, well, if that's the case, what about the other things that the early church at that time said were non-negotiable beliefs of the Christian church, the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, incense, icons, going to confession, liturgical worship, bishops and such. All those things that sometimes as more modern Christians, we sort of bristle at. Well, that led me on my journey and one thing led to another. I kept asking all those questions. There's lots of people who claim to be churches, pastors, you know, there's cults, there's weirdos, there's all sorts of things. Who legitimately gets to make these rules? That answer is in the wisdom of the church fathers over the centuries in the Orthodox Church. Historical fathers of the church really having more wisdom than we do on how to conduct a worship service. We rise up to heaven, Christ and his angels come down. We have this eternal moment where we are partaking of the very body and blood itself of Jesus Christ. And that union with Christ is something that causes me to no longer ask my questions. Dr. Jack Arnold quoted the Bible moments before he collapsed at the podium from cardiac arrest. Well, Dr. Jack Arnold's motto was actually a verse from Philippians 121, for to need to live is Christ and to die is gain. And as you heard his son mention, the last word that he uttered was heaven, and they believe that's where he is tonight. He was 69 years old, preaching to about six or 700 people. And it became the national and international news story that is part of his great legacy today. Two weeks before that was Christmas and I was home for Christmas. And my father gave me this cross, which is an Orthodox cross from Ethiopia, which is a way of him affirming what God was doing in my life and my spiritual journey. It was a very precious moment for me. And so I'm very thankful for it. I can see how God is at work building his church throughout all the generations. Presbyterian pastor Jack Arnold was in his pulpit Sunday morning, and he is concluding his sermon with the words, and when I go to heaven, and he went, Paul Harvey, good day.