The Unexpected Theologian

I finally walked out of the plane, and headed for baggage claim. I knew this place well. I always fly Northwest, and since they always fly into the same two gates in terminal E at DFW, I always used this familiar baggage claim.

He caught my eye right away. There was really no way anyone could avoid noticing him, even if they wanted to. He was a large black man, but that was not why he stood out, nor was it the way he slumped in his chair, apparently talking to the air. It was his clothing.

He wore a bright, candy striped polo - yes, inch thick stripes of every colour of the rainbow. But that wasn't all. Adorning his feet were the orangest socks I'd ever seen and kelly green tennis shoes. Wow.

The baggage claim carousel hadn't started yet, and the only available seat was next to this brightly clad man. I sunk my travel weary body into the chair and waited.

I didn't try to listen to this man's conversation, but there was no way one could really avoid it. His big booming voice echoed everywhere. The "air" turned out to be a bluetooth devise, and whoever was on the other end was getting an earful of...counsel!

This "unlikely" man next me was preaching Christianity, not only to the man on the other end, but to all of us surrounding him. I was skeptical at first, but what he said gripped me. In short, he made the point [to the man on the other end] that you can't put God in a box and limit Him to work in certain ways; you can't come to God and want something from Him unless you are willing to let Him change you.

The next thing he said was really interesting: that theologians come in different packages, and it is not about your education, but about what God has called you to do.

In a matter of moments my opinion of this man changed drastically.

He will probably never know that what he said ever affected the quiet gal next to him in baggage claim until he gets to heaven.

If theology is "the study of God and of God's relation to the world" then we who profess Christ are all "theologians," for is not our aim to "know Him and the power of His resurrection"? [Phil. 3:10]

I guess you just never know. Theologians come in unexpected places.