The world was on edge on June 21, 1914.  Russia was on the verge of revolution and the Japanese Empire was stronger since the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 when the powerful Russian Navy was humiliated near Japan.  With trouble occurring in Eastern Europe with anarchists challenging the civil order of monarchs, the time for a world war was ripe.   

The Sunday before the start of the war, someone no one would expect entered the Newgate Baptist Temple and no one knew who he was until he revealed himself.   He was Satan.  The thing is, he looked like a normal person and even tipped his hat to the ladies.  There were no horns under it and he had no tail to hide in his pants.  he looked like a respectable gentleman in his 50’s with a nice haircut, a shaped goatee, and an intense look in his coal black eyes. 

He sat on the front row of the church and even sang the songs in the hymnal.  He of course didn’t mean any of the words.  But one couldn’t have guessed that by the way he sang which was in a full rich bass.  People noticed that he didn’t contribute anything into the offering plate when it was passed by him.  But they didn’t think that was unusual.  Not everybody in the congregation put anything into the plate. 

After the choir sang a special which the devil appeared to enjoy, the pastor stepped forward up to the pulpit and was about to speak when Satan stood and addressed the congregation.

“Excuse me, fine people of Newgate.  I’m a stranger to many of you.  But I have known all of you at one time or another.  Don’t try scanning my mind like you do to others because you can’t read it.  Probably only God has that ability.”

The pastor said, “If I were to guess, I’d say you have to be Satan.  Only you would be arrogant enough to think we wouldn’t know who you were.”

“Very perceptive, young man.  Don’t expect any reward for that knowledge though.  What I would like to do is challenge you to a debate this morning.  If you win, I will go away and not bother you any more.  But if I win, I just might stick around and cause a little mischief.”