My Journal

I hear this from time to time, from Christians in general.

They are merely playing with words.

If they are serious about the topic they brought up, then a better line would be:

"America is not founded on Christian basis".

Then we will have something to discuss.

"All countries are founded on some aspect of Christian values"

Again, playing with words, no serious discussion needed.

In admiration, I see teachers the lowest level of the three.

Teachers are merely moving data from text to students' minds. They help improve the quality of others. This is the scope of a teacher's responsibility. A good teacher has his own unique methodology.

Preachers are higher level than teachers. Preachers are required to have the general quality of a teacher. He should be able to know the difference between predestination and Arminianism, etc. and able to communicate these doctrines to others. Moreover, unlike teachers, a preacher must take the initiative to reach out to others. A good preacher has his own unique methodology in applying doctrines to the people he preaches to dependent of each listener personality.

Pastors deserve my highest admiration. This is equivalent to a shepherd, which our Lord has set an example for in John 10. A pastor should have the quality of both teacher and preacher. Because a pastor pastors a church, which is where teachers and preachers are produced. A good pastor has his own unique methodology in raising teachers and preachers.

If wages are taken into account, all three could be of church hires. But generally, preachers struggle more than the other two financially. Nonetheless, a preacher should be content enough and therefore this is not a factor.

Any deficit of the above basic qualities, are not qualified in my view to be in office. Hence, my admiration to the pretenders are no more than those saints submitting to a corrupt government.

Lately, I've been hearing a lot of this from fellow Christians.

My prompt response is: "Yes, it is the work of the Holy Spirit, not by reasoning, NOR BY LOVE!"

The last phrase generally comes unexpected to them. They sometimes get tongue tied hearing it.

If they take no reaction to my response, then it is strange, it is likely they did not hear my last phrase. If they had already agreed with it, I wonder how they imagine the Holy Spirit moves one to conversion. By miracles? They must be dreaming then.

If they take my response as hostile/incorrect, is not theirs hostile/incorrect at first?

But they are Christians! Why would I treat them so? Are they not doing the same thing in the first place?

Problem solved.

When anger results in an argument, faith of some kind exists.

Here are as many collections of human illustrations of the trinity and their flaws. The best understanding of basic trinity concept is via the Shield of the Trinity (There is only 1 God in 3 persons - the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God; The Father is not the Son nor the Holy Spirit, the Son is not the Holy Spirit). However, there are those who believe themselves more creative. I shall list them here, and note the danger of their illustrations, which is either modalism/sabellianism (1 God in 3 forms) or tritheism (3 gods).

• . 3 forms of water: gas, liquid, solid.
  Flaw: in gas is the same in liquid and solid form (Modalism).
• the Sun's being, light, heat.
  Flaw: Light and heat are not the Sun itself (Tritheism).
• flower's shape, color, smell
  Flaw: None are actually the flower (tritheism).
• 1 x 1 x 1 = 1
  Flaw: 1 x 1 x 1 is not 3 (modalism); 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 (tritheism). 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 = 1 (quadrinity issue). Further confusion: (possibly docetism). However, the simplicity of 1 x 1 x 1 can be used to refute addition as necessity, though not enough to go on from there.
• Copies of the Bible
  Flaw: quadrinity issue.