To learn about the college drop out behind FIGMA, Dylan Field and Mark Zuckerberg both had the backing of entrepreneur Peter Thiel, with Field partnering with his Brown University TA, Evan Wallace, started Figma as web apps. Now this company went IPO last week from $33 to $120. Now it's around $70. Some called Dylan the most humble billionaire.
A few days ago, I learned from AI source that Kathy Keller was originally studying to be a PCUSA pastor. I'm not referencing it here as there are many sources out there online.
Mysterious "missionaries" using secret audio devices to evangelize Brazil’s isolated peoples. Reported by BBC. Broadcasting biblical messages (Bible & American Baptist pastor's sermons, etc.) in Spanish and Portuguese, a device found in Korubo village in Brazil.
"The device that reached the hands of the Korubo is called Messenger and is distributed by the Baptist organisation In Touch Ministries, based in Atlanta, Georgia. It is now a curiosity in the possession of the Korubo community matriarch, Mayá."
Psalm 19:3 无言无语，也无声音可听。
8/3/2025 Sunday
"Not found else where", Stephen Tong's definition for Faith: 信是理性歸回真理 is the return of the created reasoning to the revealed truth:
Rational vs. Rationalist: Rationalists replace God with reasoning power. Our reasoning power is created, limited, polluted. Only humans are created with reason, animals are not. So we must use reason.
＃為何基督徒應當是理性的，但絕不是理性主義者❓（希伯來書要理問答 第784問）
After this, I will not be posting these Hebrews series of Stephen Tong here (Weekly Journal entries) but in the relevant entries such as the Bible Study entry on Hebrews.
Sunday School, week 3 on The Medieval Church:
The Holy Roman Empire was neither "holy" nor "Roman" nor truly an "Empire" as it began with Charlemagne's (Charles the Great) coronation (800AD), essentially a Frankish-Germanic kingdom. Reformed education, supported monasteries, enforced Christian law, modeled himself after Israelite kings, used Carolingian script.
Allie Beth Stuckey's team does a good job on this overall. This is not her first dealing with Catholicism. She's talked with George Farmer (Candace Owen's shy Catholic husband), Trent Horn (Catholic apologist), Lila Rose, Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles. Each probably worth a look into.
When we talk about Mariology, we are basically talking about 4 things about Mary, mother of Jesus:
Mother of God (Theotokos - God-bearer) Legit.
Immaculate Conception (Mary being born sinless, without original sin) Catholics error.
Perpetual Virginity (Mary never have other children nor had sex with Joseph) Catholics error.
Assumption (Mary ascended to Heaven skipping death) Catholics error.
I would disagree with Allie on #1. when she said ours and Catholics have different view on this. It's possible that some Catholics were misguided on Theotokos, but that doesn't represent Catholicism as a whole on this.
#2. Comes from Catechism of the Catholic Church: Article 9, Paragraph 6: calling Mary as Queen over all things. Weak but their best scriptural basis: Luke 1:28. Augustine of Hippo also cited as a special Mary in terms of sinfulness in 415AD.
#3. From 2nd council of Constantinople in 553AD: Aeiparthenos, some defend it using Luke 1:34, John 19:26 (no siblings to take care of the mother?), as Mary's vow, Matthew 1:25 "Joseph knew her not". Protoevangelium of James (Gospel of James) of 150AD, is also another of their source.
Allie's response: "Until" in Matthew 1:25 means a change after the stated time. John 2:12 "siblings" = from the same womb, not cousins. Luke 2:7 "first born" not "only child". Acts 1:14, John 7:5 Matthew 13:55-56
#4. From Pope Pius XII in 1950, based on Enoch and Elijah's testimonies. Though not clear on if she was assumed after death or no death. No remains of bodily Mary as relics. Used Revelation 12:1-6, but not all Catholics agree on this, as some (Trent Horn of Catholic Answers) say it's symbolic. I would disagree with Allie that "if you're not a Christian I do not recommend starting in the book of Revelation." because of the false notion that Revelation is comforting only for Christians, an idea that many preachers hold. Revelation can also be a tool for the Gospel: the Good guy wins in the end!
Allie's response: Luke 11:27-28, on veneration of Mary.
Allie: The above 4 are Catholics teachings that all Catholics are required to hold.
@27:00 Mary venerated as Mediatrix by Catholicism. Allie: 1Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:26-27, 2Corinthians 1:11 (no indication of praying to saints/Mary with supernatural languages ability)
@32:10 Mary as the new Eve, because Jesus called Mary "Woman". Mary was also referenced as the new ark of the covenant from Exodus 25:10.
@40:30 Allie seems uncomfortable with using "theotokos", unless it's said in the context of a fully God fully man, Jesus, "we might affirm the title theotokos", otherwise she just prefers "Mother of Jesus" (a Nestorian view). This maybe due to her flawed baptist view that Jesus' human nature is NOT created.
Update 2026-02-16: I believe mariology can easily be defeated by pointing out Mary's sins (Luke 2:49 & John 2:4) in the Bible, which all Catholics (maybe even some protestant Christians) today would deny. I've run this experiment on Facebook to see if Catholics would explode, worked as a charm. This matter is actually quite important, because it touches on how we view sin to even the slightest kind before God.
8/2/2025 Saturday Just came across the pastor's uncle's sermon in 2020: Pastor_Basile_May_3,2020-_AudioTrimmer.com.mp3 who saw Jesus' strongest anger against Peter by calling him Satan @9:00. I didn't listen the entire thing. Was just trying to hear what our pastor's uncle's sounded like. And I do like this part of his sermon. I remember our pastor once tried to play down Jesus' anger ("Jesus was likely saying that in a kindly low tone) against Peter when I mentioned that Jesus' strongest rebuke was against Peter, much more than the Pharisees. Joseph Basile was also known for opposing the plan for mosque in Bayonne: Media file: "Home of pastor outspoken against proposed Bayonne mosque vandalized in New Jersey - ABC7 New York.mp4"
8/1/2025 Friday I foolishly, I think, set my notification to 7/30 for FIGMA IPO date, a day too early, and now I missed it by a day. It went from $33 to $122 in just two days. This is my fault. Let's see if I can be more disciplined on coming Monday for this.
Stephen Tong on John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion and why Calvin, Karl Barth and Augustine did not use the term Systematic Theology (Because it is connected to Rationalism of the Enlightenment Movement):
＃加爾文是如何竭力進到完全的地步❓（希伯來書要理問答 第783問）
Tong on correcting today's Christian view (Roman Catholics, work-based fundamentalists, etc.) from reformed theology on sanctification - It's quantitative, no longer qualitative. Qualitatively, we can be no better than the first day of our conversion, the new quality of the reborn will never degrade:
I think today's hard Calvinists and Fundamentalists either justify their complacency from not living a triumphant Christian life because they can only see the qualitative but not the quantitative; or that they try to get others to work like themselves because they can only see the quantitative but not the qualitative.
If you only see the qualitative (justified by Christ forever), then you will justify your laziness, your pride, from doing anything that you think might jeopardize your "qualitative" value by working "too" hard and fail.
If you only see the quantitative (work for the Lord as sanctification), then you will justify your work and your demand for others (attend Church, do not work on Sundays, do this, do that) lest your/their lack of this quantitative will "degrade" your/their qualitative.
On Bible Study, Tom asked @57:46 "Isn't it, pastor, God, immediate family, church...am I wrong?" And the pastor responded "I don't think there's a passage that ranks it that way..." My correction @59:15 "God, then God's family and then immediate family..." as I believe many Christians make this mistake. I didn't quote the verse, but the foundational verse for this would be Matthew 12:50. The definition of God's people or the Church in this case obviously is thus defined by Jesus: "Whosoever does the will of my Father which is in heaven..." and therefore, would not be referring to some stranger down the street or some "Christian" on paper. And the context would not really be about "helping" others (thus neglecting servicing one's own immediate family) but more of a relationship. Sure, some would claim what if immediate family is already Christian, which fits perfectly to Jesus' principle, because if they are not, then make them Christians [so they would do the will of my Father] @59:55.
I think this is also a good reflection and for discernment. How church members treat each other and how they treat their own family. Compare and contrast. Then you know who does the will of the Father.
Frank's first murder trial was interesting @51:25. I wasn't listening before. But it's about the wife becoming Christian and wouldn't give the husband a divorce so that she could keep putting [Gospel] tracks on the bathroom door when he was in it, so he killed her. It's interesting because there's so many variables from just this surface of the story. It could be God's way to convert this man and he would regret not seeing his wife's love; It could also be the wife's shallowness, unwise approach, perhaps even in a very twisted sense of Christianity, that elicited more annoyance than love to her husband. So the pastor was right, to just leave this to God.
7/29/2025 Tuesday
On Hebrews 6:1 Paradoxical Perfection ~ Stephen Tong: The more perfect, the less perfect you are. Once you get this paradox, you will harmonize the perfection, with Christ as the purpose, to be perfected progressively.
The secret to a Christian life: Only to please Jesus ~ Stephen Tong:
＃「惟獨討基督的喜悅」這動機的完全，如何保守唐牧師一生事奉為主所用❓
If nobody can be perfect, why God demanded perfection (Genesis 17:1, Matthew 5:48) [Sounds like Augustine vs. Pelagius]~ Stephen Tong: Qualitative perfection 本質的完全, not quantitative perfection 分量的完全.
Today I've learned from my cousin Grace, that her father, my last uncle, has passed away. I've saved the details onto my Drive's HOME folder. I know not how I could have talked to him. I want to. I supposed it's too late now. It would seem that he was a Christian. These are things I must always keep in prayer and ponder upon.
What an interesting coincidence that while I came across this article about choosing web apps (when available) over standalone client apps, Greg insisted that I test the Citrix client app of a consultant having issue with Citrix Workspace when I told him I've already instructed her to use the web app. Our conflict is I prefer web app while Greg prefers the client app (i.e. Outlook, etc.) and looks like more could be on my side. I promised him that I would go according to his plan..."eventually": It's not like the client app going to halt anything important anyway.
7/27/2025 Sunday
I fed today's Sunday School into chatGPT for comment and here it is:
This lecture script titled “The Medieval Church - Week 02” is rich in historical content, theological reflection, and pastoral commentary. Below is a commentary and fact-check with constructive notes, highlighting both strengths and any areas that may need clarification or balance.
STRENGTHS
1. Balanced Historical Overview
The teaching gives a comprehensive overview of the transition from the early church to the medieval period.
It recognizes both strengths (e.g., sincere missionary efforts, preservation of Scripture) and corruptions (e.g., simony, ritualism, monastic wealth).
Emphasis on the shift of authority from Scripture to councils and traditions is well-aligned with Reformed concerns.
2. Engaging Pedagogy
Personal anecdotes, humor, and rhetorical questions keep the lecture engaging and relatable.
The use of examples like “65 Ways to Give Evangelistic Invitations” effectively highlights dangers of replacing Scripture with emotion-driven methods.
3. Sound Theological Warnings
Warnings against elevating tradition or ritual above Scripture are classically Reformed.
The critique of territorial or cultural Christianity is strong and appropriately tied to historical events like mass baptisms.
FACTUAL ACCURACY & CLARITY
Generally Accurate Points
Pope Gregory I did fight simony and heresies like Donatism and Arianism.
Monasticism under Benedict of Nursia emphasized work, study, and self-sufficiency.
Islam’s early spread was not uniformly coercive; many Christians under Muslim rule were tolerated but restricted.
⚠️ Areas to Clarify or Nuance
1. Gregory’s View on the Papacy
"Gregory was sincerely devout. Protested titles and spoke against being supreme pontiff."
✔️ Correct that Gregory I resisted the title universal bishop and showed humility, ⚠️ However, he did expand papal influence politically and spiritually, which laid groundwork for future papal supremacy.
2. Islamic Doctrine: Allah as “Cause of Evil”
“Allah causes evil, even though Allah is apparently good.”
⚠️ Islamic theology (especially Ash'arite) teaches divine determinism, but “Allah causes evil” may be overly simplistic or misunderstood by Muslims. A better phrasing: “Islam teaches that both good and evil are ordained by Allah’s will, without distinguishing between primary and secondary causes as Christianity does.”
3. Claim: “All Muhammad’s original writings were destroyed”
“All the writings that come from Muhammad have been destroyed.”
⚠️ Not entirely accurate. Muhammad was mostly illiterate; the Quran was preserved orally and compiled after his death, reportedly under Caliph Uthman (~650s AD). It’s true that some variant recitations were destroyed, but there is no claim that Muhammad himself wrote them.
4. Quranic Origin of “Allah” as Moon God
“Allah has its origin as a moon god…”
⚠️ This is a common claim in polemics but not well-supported by mainstream scholarship. “Allah” was the Arabic word for “God” even before Islam and was used by Arab Christians and Jews.
5. Muhammad’s View of Trinity
✔️ Accurate that Muhammad misunderstood the Trinity (e.g., assuming Mary is part of it, see Quran 5:116). ✔️ Also accurate that Islam emphasizes a strict monotheism and rejects incarnation and divine suffering.
CHILDREN’S TEACHING CONSIDERATIONS
Since you mentioned wanting to adapt content for children under 12, here are some quick notes:
Great stories to keep: Benedict’s monastery, Patrick & Columba, the "mass baptism" of Poland (with visual aid).
Skip or simplify: speculative claims about Muhammad’s nonexistence or “moon god” origins—too complex and debated for kids.
Rephrase for kids: Instead of "Islam causes panic like Babylon", say something like "a new religion spread fast and made many Christians afraid and confused, like in Bible times."
Introduce key lessons:
Always test ideas with God’s Word.
Doing rituals doesn't mean loving God.
Being a Christian is about following Jesus from the heart, not just what country you're in.
FINAL EVALUATION
This is a thoughtful, pastorally aware, Reformed-oriented lecture that:
Shows historical insight.
Is sensitive to spiritual lessons.
Generally accurate, with a few overstated or debated claims that could be improved.
Another fun fact today was I learned that "Francis" and his big family (10+), which I kept seeing growing in numbers every week, have all came from our previous OPC church in Westfield. During lunch refreshment, I talked to the whole family for the first time, with great excitement due to our shared criticism on Pastor Ferguson's leadership and theology. Nadia was incensed when I told her Ferguson allegedly suggested that if you are still feeling sad of your grandma's passing (due to Covid19), then you're worshipping your grandma too much. We talked for at least an hour, I think. They asked me of pastor Chris. I only hinted subtly that I have only a few minor disagreements with him, i.e. picturing Jesus (and P showed me his tattoo of Jesus on his left arm, I wonder if that was based off of Greek Orthodox icon).
While discussing about how Ferguson viewed his own church so narrowly that anything outside of his small circle (i.e. having your own family dinner rather than attending some church held gathering) would apparently seem not Christian or not obeying the CHURCH. I used that opportunity to emphasize what I think American churches, and perhaps Catholics as well, getting this from the theme of Fast & Furious movies (it's all about family ~ Dominic Toretto), is that God's family comes first, God's family comes before our own family. The way to make sense of it is to make our family become God's family (only the Gospel can do that, not some threats for obedience). However, I feel I need to clarify it to P, as he may think that I was criticizing him for not seeing the point with God's family, which far from it, I was agreeing with him against Ferguson's alleged view. One way to clarify, the next time I see P, is to say: God's family is my family is the chief principle which all Christians would have no problem agreeing to. However, it does not imply that my family is God's family! Which would be where Ferguson failed at understanding. It's not tautologous. You cannot be certain that your family is God's family! And Ferguson also runs the risk of tribalism. Nadia and I have been thinking of them these few days. I pray that by God's grace, we can keep this family. Amen.
With GoogleFinance function in GoogleSheets, I get to publish all kinds of data pertaining to stock market prices and currency exchange rates. I just found out this cool feature today. It can be embedded using iframe. A very strait forward method.
Example: Currency Rates I created in my Google Spreadsheet, with USD as Base, for the last 30 days, this values are live upon every loading of this page:
Loving this TurboScribe.AI tool after paying for the unlimited subscription ($120/year). I can do mass transcription of subtitles in many languages (Chinese, Indonesian, English, etc.) with all the audio files I have. I need to get more of Stephen Tong and other lecturers' audio files. It's tempting to get Tim Keller's $800 USBsermons.
On the technical note: The original mp3 files I feed TurboScribe do not sync up with the subtitle srt files it generated for. However, it allows for downloading the mp3 files which it apparently corrected for text sync up after upload, so that's the fix. So I have to not just download the srt files, but also the audio files to replace the original mp3 files.
It's ironic that the U.S. offers China and ByteDance either sell TikTok to Americans or shutdown operation in U.S. Ironic because the U.S. has been all about free market, freedom, and Intellectual Properties, so now they want to force a company to give up its own IP rather than taking due diligence in securing social data. At least China is honest with their "Firewall", that China government controls the people's internet; while U.S. would just complain about being spied because they care so much about freedom. This is also a proof that IP doesn't exist but in the mind of delusion and greed, which is that you can make up something called IP which has ownership not according to a person's "intellect" but how deep the money $ pocket goes.
Allie Beth Stuckey interviewing Zachary Levi is a surprise. Because I had no idea Zachary Levi is more Christian (was raised Christian) leaning than Jewish. After checking Wikipedia, I get this about the name "Levi" which many would think was his last name:
Early in his career, a Hollywood agent persuaded him to change his name saying, "A guy named Zach Pugh would not be going far in Hollywood," which led him to drop his last name.[74] In a 2013 interview with New York Post, Levi said he has no Jewish ancestry.
He seems to want to be Christian, but somewhat shying away from the confession perhaps due to the same reason as Jordan Peterson. But maybe he's more humble than Peterson on this matter.
After listening to Zachary, my respect for him does grow. Not sure how well he's aligned with the Gospel, I could only assumed based on the Charismatic/Fundamentalist people around him growing up, but I would listen to him more than any of today's preachers.
There will certainly be haters: He didn't talk about Jesus, he seems like Arminian, he sounded like post-modernist: "Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words", "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians", he's more like Roman Catholics: "balancing love and logic", "love is willing the good out of others", etc. Allie certainly isn't one of them haters, but she did seem defensive for Christian doctrine when the conversation went against textbook: "we must use words". She did allow Zach to explain further and then reconcile to the balance of words and work. If this interview is to be Gospel centered, the interviewer would need to really connect it from a very Gospel understanding way, i.e. "how would you deal with conflicts between religious faith", "how exclusive is Jesus/Christianity"? Without much Bible thumping on Zach. By the way, the "...Gospel...if necessary use words" quote often was attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, though nobody could source it, some, against the quote, calling it "can be a little arrogant = practice > preaching => useless dichotomy between speech and action" (which is itself a weak argument based on a self-created dichotomy on one's opponent using Strawman fallacy to cover one's own arrogance/hypocrisy/jealousy for being called out for indolence), though is not too far from the truth. Which is why when Stuckey veered the whole phrase to "Christianity is a word-based faith", she's missing the point, because Zach managed to correct her by saying "love-based faith". Word is important, but Stuckey missed the context when Zach already said "I see a lot of people talking, preaching, etc." as the context obviously transcends mere letters, for letters kill (something that a fundamentalist "reformed' Baptist wouldn't get). At the very least, she could at least try investigating what kind of "WORDS", "talking, preaching" was Zach talking about, so as to not associate the right Word with the wrong one. Nevertheless, the context is: Against hypocritical preachers who could only talk the talk but not walk the walk. And this is no time to talk about word-based faith. It's unwise to have it at the wrong time.
Stephen Tong finishing the last 2 of the 5 Solas as Reformed foundation - I think this is another way to dispel those simpletons who love to say "Reformed just means Biblical". If you call yourself reformed, you must at least, be able to confess the 5 solas, this is baby Reformed 101:
＃什麼是 Sola Christos 惟獨基督❓什麼是 Soli Deo Gloria 惟獨上帝的榮耀❓（希伯來書要理問答 第776問）(此講沒有影片，而從錄音帶轉錄；品質不良，請多看文字內容）
7/24/2025 Thurs
Painting of the day: Faith and Reason United, Painted by Ludwig Seitz (1844–1908), Executed circa 1887, Fresco, Vatican Museums, Galleria dei Candelabri
Our fresco at the Galleria dei Candelabri in the Vatican Museums depicts the figures of Faith and Reason united. We see Saint Thomas Aquinas teaching in the background. Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903) who commissioned the fresco had a desire that St Thomas Aquinas and his philosophy should have centrality in Catholic theology. Pope Leo XIII, the second oldest Pope in history after Benedict XVI, is perhaps best remembered for his landmark social encyclical Rerum Novarum, which laid the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching. A man of intellectual breadth and deep pastoral concern, he sought to bridge the gap between faith and the modern world. He reached out to the scientific community, established centres for theological and biblical scholarship, and made the Vatican Archives accessible to both Catholic and non-Catholic researchers, a groundbreaking gesture of transparency and trust. Leo XIII was also the first Pontiff to actively promote ecumenical dialogue, planting seeds of unity in a divided Christian world.
It is in this rich tradition of engagement, scholarship, and bridge-building that our current Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has chosen to stand. In taking the name ‘Leo’, he honours that legacy: one of vision, courage, and hope for the Church in the modern age.
The translation of “DIVINARUM VERITATUM SPLENDOR ANIMO EXCEPTUS IPSAM IUVAT INTELLIGENTIAM” = “The splendor of divine truths, once received within the soul, itself assists the intellect.”
Returning home from SPG around 8pm today, I was buying the usual lamb rice by the NY Penn. Station. A "homeless" bearded guy with a backpack, not so black Muslim looking, came to me for a dollar. Someone else gave him some $, he thanked that person. Then back to me for the $. I said no. He asked again, I waved him off. He got mad, and pushed me a little. I got mad, but never touched him. I told him off. He "apologized". I ignored him and went for my food. He tried to ask for money. I said get lost. He got mad again and pushed me again. He grabbed his right pant pocket as if threatening he has weapon. I didn't care, calling his bluff. The we went our separate ways. I turned around across the street, looking for him taunting him with my tactical pen up. He looked back from the far corner. I dared him to cross the street and turned to the train station and never looked back while ready for him with my pen. I'm not even sure if I took my change ($1) after paying $10 for the combo rice. So he assaulted me twice.
I'm adding this to my fault. Because it's a fail in witnessing. With wisdom. And foolishness to sink myself to his level. I was well justified at first, for shooing him away. However, the absence of Gospel witness is disturbing to me. This shows I have been far from God. I did not do my Lord proud. I shouldn't have felt annoyed even if I could still wave him off without getting annoyed, which was why I had to respond to him with ungodly temper. I did flicked him off as did he in the end. The tactical pen gesture was also my fault. It should only be meant for self-defense. It's a bad witness to the lamb rice seller.
If I see either the seller or the punk again, I should apologize to both of them. To the seller "Have you ever seen him around often, you remember him?", for making an unrighteous scene. To the punk "You again!" for taunting him at the end (not for the dismissive wave, and I could directly indicate this to him), then a chance for the Gospel. I should reflect a lot on this, as there are many wise way to deal with folks like him: i.e. "You really meant sorry? Ok, my answer is still no." then wait for him to reflect, and give time to engage further thoughtful conversation with him. This also means that it was a sin for me to keep rushing all the time like this, poor time management. How should I work my time table, that I should have time for a thing like this? May God keep me in his mercy, Amen!
Came across this Infant Baptism vs. Believers' Baptism: What's Biblical? | Ep 1213 by Allie Beth Stuckey. I generally don't bother with this debate anymore, but Allie's one of the respected Youtuber I would not just glance over when she speaks of important issues, especially when she dealt with Catholics. I've already known that she's "Reformed" Baptist, so this topic came as no surprise to me. So I'll one day take time to dissect her say on this matter, adding this entry to "Projects" Category:
A good analogy is citizenship. To vote, you must be 18 (believe) and a citizen (baptism) but it doesn't mean you can't be citizen before 18. Sacremental requirement of belivers does not affect the order.
Trump released Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination files (230,000): https://www.archives.gov/research/mlk: FBI's investigation, potential leads, James Earl Ray's former cellmate, etc.
Adding a 2nd Aquarium Youtuber, MJ Aquascaping, for my aquarium (mostly marine) learning. First one was Inappropriate Reefer.
Stephen Tong on the importance of Righteousness vs. those who only preach grace and love:
I think the American "Reformed" Christians are weak on this because there's no competing views allowed...yet...Buddhism and sometimes Islam would be such challenge as they do a lot of "righteous" works where they were more rampant. Americans, with their fundamentalist preachers prolific in kicking these cults out of their country, are therefore unaware of any needed improvement out of conflicts. Rather, the improvement they seek is only head knowledge that doesn't require true candor as an ingredient.
7/20/2025 Sunday
So the pastor decided to continue Church History into The Medieval Church (I would say 476 to 1500 AD). I don't know how to get Nadia to love church history. Teaching history is not easy, one needs to train teaching kids first. History is for everyone, but most teachers only teach it to those who care because the teachers themselves do not know how to teach otherwise.
The textbook he's been using is Nicholas Needham's 2000 Years of Christ's Power (5 Vols).
I'm glad that the pastor agrees with me that Christian Nationalism is bad. Though I don't know how far he would go with this. It's as if he's not not into any sort of politics, which would not be my stand.
What everyone can answer correctly, would be the SHOULD BE part: well studied in scripture, caring, an example, leader, etc.
What a lot answer wrong, would be the SHOULD NOT BE part: better than another church member, anyone.
This error is due to a kind of pastor-worship, idolizing leadership in churches. That the pastor should be the most caring in the church, more biblically fluent than every other church members, etc. Not only is it not possible, it defies the sense God placed in us, even non-believers can see that. Otherwise, the pastor would be burdened with impossible tasks that even defies God's statues - Encourage others to be better than oneself.
Bob led the Men's Fellowship, on Patience. I wasn't paying attention in the middle but I realized there's some great error Bob committed in the middle when he took the LOVE chapter from 1 Corinthians 13 and replace every word of "Love" with "God": God is kind, God is patience... Clyde was the one who later reflected on it and responded how he felt that was strange (I didn't even pick up on that, for some reason, because of one of the verses we read, I was looking into something else: That Ben Shapiro was wrong by having no problem with John MacArthur going to heavenaccording to Judaism because MacArthur, being not a Jew, did not violate the 7 Noahide laws: Do not deny God, Do not Blaspheme God, Do not Murder, Do not Engage in immoral sex, Do not Steal, Do not Eat flesh from a living animal, Establish legal system to uphold the above 6 laws. Because MacArthur would have broken the first 2 by calling Jesus God). The pastor and Phil went further in error saying that "God is not self-seeking" simply meant that the incarnate Son, Jesus, as a man, did not seek His own glory. They confused the divine and human natures, yet again. Even ChatGPT would agree with me. This is how it responded:
In Reformed Theology, what is wrong with substituting the word "love" with "God" in 1 Corinthians 13?
In Reformed theology, substituting the word “love” with “God” in 1 Corinthians 13 is generally theologically problematic, even if it might sound inspiring at first glance. Here's why:
1. Category Confusion (God ≠ Love Itself)
Reformed theology insists that God is not reducible to any one attribute — even love.
While "God is love" (1 John 4:8) is true, the reverse, "Love is God," is not. That would be idolatry — making love the ultimate reality instead of the personal, triune God.
Swapping “love” with “God” in 1 Corinthians 13 risks reversing the biblical logic — putting human virtue in place of divine personhood.
To reverse the phrase is to turn an attribute into a deity — a textbook case of idolatry. — R.C. Sproul, “Essential Truths of the Christian Faith”
“God’s love must be understood in harmony with His holiness and justice. To abstract love from His other attributes is to make an idol.” — Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology
2. 1 Corinthians 13 Describes Christian Virtue, Not God's Nature
The passage describes how Christians should love — it's ethical instruction, not a creed about God’s essence.
“Love is patient, love is kind…” is not a list of God’s attributes per se. It’s how believers ought to reflect Christ.
John Calvin, in his Commentary on 1 Corinthians, emphasizes that 1 Corinthians 13 shows what love looks like among people, not a description of God Himself.
3. It Diminishes God's Justice, Wrath, Holiness
God’s love is never separated from His justice, holiness, and truth.
By only focusing on attributes like “not irritable,” “keeps no record of wrongs,” etc., one might misrepresent God — as though He is never wrathful or never condemns sin.
Reformed theology warns against a sentimentalized God, which often emerges when “love” becomes the lens through which all other divine attributes are filtered.
What Reformed Theology Does Affirm
God’s love is real, covenantal, and sacrificial — chiefly displayed in Christ’s substitutionary atonement.
1 Corinthians 13 shows what Christ-like love looks like in the lives of regenerated believers.
Believers are called to imitate this love — not to equate it with God's being.
Summary:
❌ Wrong Idea
✅ Reformed Correction
"Love is God"
"God is love" — but He is also holy, just, sovereign
1 Corinthians 13 describes God’s nature
It describes the Christian ethic and fruit of the Spirit
Love as a divine replacement
Love as a result of union with the triune God
In Reformed theology, saying “God is love” means God defines love. Saying “Love is God” reverses the source and elevates a human (or emotional) concept of love above Scripture — making it a functional idol.
John Frame — The Doctrine of God
Frame emphasizes that God’s attributes are not independent parts. To replace “love” with “God” in 1 Corinthians 13 implies God is only love, which denies His simplicity (that all His attributes are fully integrated).
Kevin DeYoung – various blog posts on 1 Corinthians 13 and theology proper
DeYoung criticizes the use of 1 Corinthians 13 as a “definition of God” and reminds readers it's about how we should act.
He writes: “Paul is talking about love as a Christian virtue, not about God's essence… To use 1 Corinthians 13 to describe God’s being is misapplied sentimentality.”
Although, DeYoung did write an article replacing "love" with "Jesus".
Summary: What Reformed Theology Teaches
Question
Reformed Response
Is God love?
Yes — 1 John 4:8 clearly teaches this.
Is love God?
No — that’s theological inversion and leads to idolatry.
Can 1 Cor. 13 describe God?
It reflects God’s character in some ways, but the context is Christian ethics, not God’s essence.
Why not substitute “God” for “love” in 1 Cor. 13?
It wrongly equates God’s essence with one attribute and imposes an anthropocentric framework onto divine nature.
Summary: Why Reformed Theology Warns Against It
Error
Why It’s Problematic
Reducing God to “love”
Denies God's full nature (justice, holiness, wrath).
Imposing human ethics onto God
Makes God submit to our view of virtue.
Eisegesis of 1 Corinthians 13
It’s not a doctrinal definition of God, but ethical guidance for Christians.
Violates divine simplicity
Attributes of God are not isolated or ranked.
Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758)
“God is love, but love is not God. Love is a perfection of God’s nature, not a god to be worshiped.” — Paraphrased from Charity and Its Fruits
I think Bob has a tendency to idolize Christian ethics. The last time he seemingly attempted to idolize humility.
The pastor also erred greatly around @30:00 when Phil rightly spoke that we must strive and never to be complacent, and the pastor attempted to correct him: "It's gotta be a different understanding of striving, though, because you're not gonna outdo the Pharisees. That's his point. Unless your righteousness exceeds the Pharisees, that's not him saying, try harder..." I would temper that by saying, it is try harder. Try harder to trust in Christ, to strive by laying your burdens down with Christ. To strive by giving all glory and credit to God.
This continues with the pastor: ...That's him saying, you can't do it. So you do start at the level that you can't. But when we talk about striving, it goes hand in hand with loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is, it is essentially not doing it by your own power, but working through faith. So when we talk about striving, there's this thing of, I've gotta reach the goal. I've gotta make the mark. I've gotta show the judges. That's not what we're doing. What we're doing is actually putting more weight on God. We're actually letting go and putting more weight on God, and then his power pushes us to work. And if you're not in that frame of mind, then you're still thinking, I've gotta outdo the Pharisees. I've heard Bible teachers who come from a more Arminian mindset say the problem with the Pharisees was they weren't trying hard enough.
My comment would simply be: that has a tendency of a strawman argument (I really wonder if there are really so many such strawmen who traumatized the pastor before, as these folks, though exist, are really scarce in my view) which is the only condition that this argument is correct, as most Christians who works hard already laid their burden on Christ, so it's try harder, but without your own credit but God's. Not focusing on yourself, but on God. So there's no "letting go". It's active, not passive. Also, just because we tell people to strive, does not always have to mean we meant "try harder" according to your own strength. To not see this is foolishness and hence low IQ.
7/18/2025
Phoebus Cartel formed by light bulb companies (Philips, International General Electrics, Tokyo Eletric, Osram, AEI, etc.) around the world to restrict the light bulb life to be shorter, so they could sell more, as in the early 1900s, the light bulb sales were dropped because of longer lasting bulbs. This Cartel fines any manufacturers breaking their agreement. This restricted the bulbs to only last up to 1000 hours. Fortunately, this Cartel was disbanded in 1939.
I asked ChatGPT about my site: What's https://nycphantom.com/journal mainly about? And the response was quite interestingly good:
The Journal section on nycphantom.com is essentially the author’s personal diary, not a formal blog or devotional. It features entries on:
It reads like a daily journal where the author (Timothy Law, aka “timlyg”) records his spiritual meditations, technical interests, creative pursuits, and personal reflections—ranging across theology, astrophotography, programming, and church life.
Let me know if you'd like a few specific entries highlighted or a deeper dive into any topic!
7/17/2025 On Eugenics: Scientists have finally tested on a 3rd person (other than the two biological parents) DNA contribution to an embryo. This concept was only imagined in the movie Twins 1988 by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. This shouts "blasphemy" from fundamentalists. I could care less as far as parental biological heritage goes, because before the Creator's eyes, biological trait is not one to be idolized: Parental biological heritage is only as good as identity, not credit (which belongs solely to God), which is the cause of the fundamentalists' outburst, fearing that their biological "credit" as parents has been hijacked by a 3rd person.
7/16/2025Paul's Justified vs. James' Justified. not the same thing ~ Stephen Tong. Paul's justified - No longer sinners before God (clothed with Christ's righteousness). James' justified - Reflecting God's glory before men.
Youtube and Meta (Facebook) finally have issues with those reposting others' contents with no originality at all. Cracking down on unoriginality. That's good, especially if this involves monetization.
7/14/2025
On Hebrews 6:1, this is so important from Stephen Tong: Because Martin Luther's focus on Sola Gratia, the Lutherans 100 years later mistaken good works for granted, no holy life, worst than even gentiles. Tong spoke of a triumphant Christianity, which is our responsibility, no longer about Sola Gratia. If one still stuck at Sola Gratia, one is just a baby. Sola Gratia MUST produce good works!
Today the missionary couple, Hillary of Ghana, visited our church and talked in our Sunday School. I asked him a day before (at Flaming Grill) and after the Sunday service on demonic possessions. Seems like he had quite an experience on it personally. Although, I sensed from his sharing that he was more into the strangeness of the possessions than the deliverance of it them. A typical Charismatics interest. Nevertheless, his dealings with those seem sound on the most part.
I also spoke to Frances, the new family I was able to talk to last week. I learned that they went from non-denominational (Charismatics?) to interested in Reformed after watching the documentary: American Gospel(2 movies free on Archive, totaling 5 hours). Hence they searched for Presbyterian church in the neighborhood and found us.
