近來看到新民兄的英文文章，十分欽佩他用詞的廣泛，也很贊同他對一些網友問題回答中看法。有一些朋友對新民的英文很讚嘆，我也很讚嘆，但是也很擔心，這就是我發此貼的原因。我這之前猶豫了半天，因為有挑起事端的嫌疑。我也是主內兄弟，不該這樣，也並不想自己顯自己聰明，只要沉默就好了。但我在回家的路上，心裡頗不平安。因我的不出聲的緣故使別的朋友不進步，就是我的錯了，所以就斗膽說幾句，大家不要以為我是個人出風頭罷。

我自己英文不好，常被老闆罵，所以就常常在意文章的寫法，以及讀寫作的書。自己雖然寫不好，但卻有點見解。新民兄的意思是很好很令人佩服的，用詞也是非常高明的，尤其他的幾首譯詩，確實讀來很美。他跟上帝對話的幾篇也讀來很有意思。但是我認為他的英文寫作還是有瑕疵的。

寫作的第一要義是要清楚明白，而不是堆積詞藻，製造古怪的句式。我個人覺得新民的文章里令人費解的地方不少。尤其是很多動詞用得很不恰當。我自己也說不上來，只是覺得他的文章很難理解。

寫作要考慮讀者的角度，問自己的寫法別人是否看得懂，看得輕鬆。如果邏輯不清楚，層次不分明，別人看半天還不明白什麼意思，這樣的文章就有問題了。所以寫作從段落的布局，到句子的安排，以及詞語的放置，都不是可以亂來的。新民的句式很奇怪，好象是堆在一起，不自然，不通暢。

我認為新民事個很好的弟兄，我也很佩服他的熱心。感謝神恩膏於他的熱情和能力。但是我覺得他 在英文上並不是完美的。如此告訴這裡的朋友。

一本很好的寫作書是：

Strunk, William Jr. & White E.B., The Elements of Style

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You ask: other than Christ, life, eternity and heaven, what is my greatest gain as a Christian believer?

** "as a Christian (or believer)" is much better than "as a Christian believer".

What an oxymoron this is! The greatest gain is none other than in Christ and of Christ and by Christ and for Christ. (Bach now sees an example of three consecutive conjunctive words "and"). Save for this greatest gain and everything implied therein, what other lesser but still great gains do I possess?

** "The greatest gain is none other than (being, living?) in Christ and of Christ and by Christ and for Christ."

Wow! Let's take a step back and ponder on the validity of the question, or at least the framing thereof. The question may be better rephrased as this:

** What is "framing"?

What fleeting and paltry losses do I entail for the greatest gain that I count in?

** Very confusing. "entail"? -> "experience?" "count in" -> count on?

Well, that is far better asked. First of all, I would have "sustained" a continually wasteful loss of an otherwise unnecessarily prolonged, sinnful life, had I not placed my trust in my Savior and Lord early in my life. In other words, I would have mortgaged my life in advance from hell and outspent it before I could rein in the depreciation of my life lease's principal. (very confusing)

Second, I would have sorrowfully missed a God-conscious present-day life of faith, hope and love that comes with my willing and willful submission to God. In other words, a joyful foretast of the heavenly experience would have eluded the grip of my yearning heart.

Third, I would have naturally grown a headful of graying (gray) hairs and aging wrinkles that so vividly portrays (portray) the weary and the heavy-laden (what is here?). The youthful look is coolly savory for those young in hearts. I gratefully line myself up in this league infrequently registered with (confusing).

Fourth, I would have been detestably stingy toward others, and at the same time excessively frugal toward myself, had I not firmly subscribed to the belief that it simply delights the heart of our life-giver to live out a generous and altruistic life. I am one lucky son of God that can oftentimes serve as the conduit from God's abundant spring of blessing to people's palpable pool of want.

Fifth, it might well have been that my life would have taken a detour well on my way to attain to the enviable, and indeed once covetted for, position of a tenured professorship of outstanding acclaim, had I abandoned the call of God for me to become his evangelist. But I would not hesitate to respond to His call again, if I have to choose a second time. I am content with my lot that God has providentially assigned me to.

How wonderfully and eloquently said by Apostle Paul it is:

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:7-14)