Shutting the Door

I have a friend who is an expert in herbaceous perennial native plants. He knows so much more than I do about them. When I express an opinion or viewpoint about the application or culture of those plants he gives me a strained smile of tolerance.

I have 2 college degrees. One in Botany. One in Horticulture. 4 year university, not a two year community college. He has none. He does have experience. I defer to him because although I learned stuff 40 years ago in university I am rustier now than I wish I were about herbaceous perennials.

On the other hand HE went to Sunday school as a kid. Once he became an adult 45 years ago he quit church. But, he seems to have no difficulty in telling me all about his "opine" on all things spiritual. How I'm right or wrong on this or that theology. How I'm blinded or not in this or that area.

I'm supposed to take him seriously. In fact, I get lots of this. I just was engaged in a couple conversations with some people on another blogsite. People who's only real knowledge of the Bible is what they read someone say in an article or on TV. And I'm supposed to take them seriously or as any kind of competent argument whatsoever.

Sorry folks. Won't fly. If you haven't paid the price to know what the heck you're talking about, if you haven't studied verse by verse the word of God, if you haven't had the experience of knowing it and Him then your opinion which you value so much is just so much bull poop.

I have decided that as of this day I will no longer entertain conversation which is of a nature of you're right and I'm wrong. He isn't going to be convinced and I certainly am not. I am more and more convinced that what we consider to be evangelism is just argumentation. The only one that can call someone in is the Holy Spirit. If they don't come in that motivation you or I are not going to talk them thru reason into faith.

So, consider that door closed my friend. Want to talk herbaceous perennials, I'm all for it. Your opinions on things Spiritual are spurious and like Paul at Athens, pretty much a waste of time and energy.