retaining the mother tongue

I met the most splendid Christian today. He stopped me on the sidewalk before Modern Grammar and asked me if I knew where I'd be spending eternity. "Not yet," I replied. "That's a very kind answer," he said and, after learning that I'm LDS, proceeded to explain to me the theological problems with taking the Trinity out of Christianity. In particular, he argued, we deny Christ the special role he has as Savior in making him not coeternal with God, but merely an advanced creation, putting him on the same plane as you and me. Unsatisfied with drowning his point in rhetoric about Christ's singular perfection, and not having time to get into eternal intelligences and deification, I heard him out, thanked him sincerely for what he was doing, and took a booklet to read later, giving him not a counterpoint but a "God bless you." May he be blessed indeed for his devotion to the Kingdom, the intellectual integrity of his argument, and the rare respect he accorded me in referring to "your denomination's" beliefs.

In other news, it's a pity I've trained people not to ask how I'm doing. I should terribly like an excuse to describe my unprecedentedly pleasant weekend.