My Journal

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.

＃為何基督徒的完全，不是靠功德，也不是用靠水洗，而是單靠耶穌基督的救恩與寶血❓（希伯來書要理問答 第782問）

7/31/2025 Thursday

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.

＃基督徒的完全，如何也是反合性的、和諧的、以基督為目標的、進取的完全❓（希伯來書要理問答 第780問）

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.

＃上帝要求人完全是遙不可及的嗎❓基督教的完全，如何像初生嬰孩般的本質性完全❓（希伯來書要理問答 第778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）

Martin Luther vs. Roman Catholics (Catholicism) ~Stephen Tong:

＃馬丁路德是如何勇敢持守得救惟獨恩典、惟獨信心的聖經真理❓（希伯來書要理問答 第777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）

Low level graphics programming: Interesting PyroWave video codec that streams fast.

I have at least 2 SVG related tutorial links in the past here. Here's another one: A friendly Introduction to SVG by Josh W Comeau

7/28/2025 Monday

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.