Tavern Owner Believes, Christians do not

There was a small town that had been “dry” historically. For those of you who may not be from around here, that simply meant that there was no alcohol served, nor sold in the city. But all that changed when a local business man saw a money-making opportunity. He opened a tavern and was doing a pretty good business.

Of course, local pastors were upset. They could see the coming moral decline and began to call on their people to pray. Finally a group of Christians from one local church were so concerned about the bar that they planned an all-night prayer meeting asking God to intervene and shut down this din of sin.

Not long after that prayer meeting, a thunderstorm came up and lightening struck the tavern, it caught on fire and burned to the ground. Well what do you think the bar owner did? He sued the church! That’s right! He claimed that the prayers of those Christians were responsible for his bar burning to the ground. Of course, the church hired a lawyer who went to court and argued that they were not in any way responsible for this tavern owner’s misfortune.

The presiding judge, after his initial review of the case, said, “No matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer and the Christians do not.”