Chapter 4

            Charles was given the big Easy chair as Aaron sought to honour his senior.  The three couples positioned themselves in a semi circle facing Charles on the surrounding couches.  Charles leaned forward putting his hands together in prayer fashion just below his chin as he thought for a moment.  “So how are we coming?  Do we have tickets purchased?”

            “Yes, we’ve got ‘em,” Aaron responded eagerly.

            “How about the necessary shots and passports?”

            “Everything is in order and set to go,” Cheryl responded gleefully.  Just two weeks and we’ll be off to go on the biggest missionary journey we’ve ever taken.”

            Charles leaned back and smiled a big smile that showed his gleaming white teeth which were very much in contrast to his dark skin tone.  Crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands in his lap, he proceeded to ask the next question.

            “How did your Bible study go?”

            “Quite well,” Terry stated confidently.  “We can show from Genesis and Ephesians that God’s perfect plan is that each man only have one wife.  We can also show that the leaders in the church, who are to set an example to others, as it says in 1 Peter chapter 5, are to have only one wife according to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus chapter one.  So that means that one man for one woman or monogamy as it is called is the only right answer and anything else is sin.”

            “My, my” Charles said as he smiled wryly.  “May I ask some other questions to see how thoroughly you’ve done your research?”

            “Sure, go ahead”  Juanita said.

            “Please answer the best you can,” he began.

            “Who was the first man in the Bible mentioned to have two wives?”

            The couples sat looking back and forth to one another until finally Aaron said “Wasn’t it Abraham?”

            “No.  It was Lamech before Noah’s time.  Did God ever condemn Lamech for having two wives?”  Charles continued, and after a brief pause he answered his own question:  “No.”

            “How many wives did Moses have?”  Charles continued.  “Two” he answered his own question.  “One was a Midianite and the other was an Ethiopian.”

            “When Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses for marrying his second wife, the Ethiopian, did God rebuke Aaron and Miriam or did He rebuke Moses?”

            “Aaron and Miraim, and Miriam got leprosy for seven days” Kyle said, remembering the story. 

            At this point Terry, who was sitting beside her husband, gave him a slight elbow in the side and eyed him out of the corner of her eyes, saying without saying “Don’t you dare help him.”

            Charles ignored Terry’s antics and charged on.  “Gideon was a mighty warrior for God. Did he have more than one wife?”  Yes, the Bible records that he had many wives.  Did God condemn him for having many wives?”

            By this point everyone was silent and listening and knowing the answer would be no.  God didn’t condemn him.  By now, Cheryl and Juanita had grown impatient with this question and answer game.

             “What are you saying?”  Cheryl asked.

             “So far I am not saying anything,”  Charles replied, I am only asking questions and giving the biblically correct answer when you don’t know it.”

             Terry stood up abruptly wiping tears from her eyes with a handkerchief she’d drawn out of her purse.  “Well excuse me while I visit the ladies room” she said tearfully as she rushed out of the room.

              “I’ll go with her”  Juanita suggested as she followed.

             Cheryl looked to her husband for a moment, questioning with her eyes what she should do.  With a slight nod of the head, he indicated that she too could check on Terry.

             With a sigh, Charles leaned back in his chair and asked “Are all American women so emotional?”

             George spoke up “I guess you just caught us a little off guard.  Uh . . . maybe we could . . . uh . . . continue another time?” he said.

             “Yeah . . that’s a good idea, why don’t we fellows just get together on Monday?” Kyle suggested.

             “Good idea,”  Aaron agreed, “Let’s shoot some baskets in the church gym while we kick around various scriptural positions on the issue.”

             All four men had stood up now and were moving toward the front door.  As they came out toward the driveway and their respective vehicles, Aaron reminded Charles that he was the main speaker for his Sunday morning service the next day.

             “No problem,”  Charles responded, “I am fully prepared.”

             Each of the visitors got into their respective vehicles.  George had a shining late model BMW.  Kyle climbed into his Lexus while Charles moved toward his ten year old Chevy.  Although it wouldn’t be fair to call the car an old clunker, it was obvious that he didn’t travel in the wealthy circles of the American ministers.

             A honk of Kyle’s horn brought the ladies out who hopped into the appropriate vehicles.  Charles, who stood a full six inches taller than Aaron, shook the shorter man’s hand with a firm grip.  Although Aaron was shorter, he was a strong man who had played halfback in his college football days.

             Aaron felt the calluses on Charles’ hand and remembered that he worked as a construction helper at times.  This was curious since he knew Charles also had a degree in architecture.  Aaron determined to ask him about that sometime.  Specifically why he didn’t get a higher paying job as an architect.

             Cheryl was already climbing into bed when Aaron came in.  As he came through the bedroom door and headed toward the bathroom, Cheryl spoke up.

             “What’s he going to speak on tomorrow?”

             “Wh . . . I don’t know.  Why?”

             “Is he going to preach that a man have more than one wife?”

             “Well, uh, I . . . don’t think so.  But I told him a month ago he could speak on whatever he’d like,” Aaron said reflecting on a previous conversation with Charles.

             “Well, if he does preach polygamy he’ll wreck our congregation.  Most people will leave and our reputations and ministries will be destroyed!  He wouldn’t, would he?”  Cheryl lamented as her voice trailed off.