4personality-types“You’re just anti-UBF” (or “pro-UBF”). Or “You’re just a conservative Republican.” Or “You’re just a liberal Democrat.” Or “You’re just stubborn, selfish, self-centered, self-obsessed and stupid!”

No one likes to be categorized or caricatured. Yet, people do have preferences, particular traits, personalities, biases and giftings. Also, almost everyone has some (highly annoying) idiosyncrasy! UBF likes people who are loyal, committed and who do not question or disagree with or challenge their leader(s). Because of this UBF also does not like people with opposite traits. Here are some traits UBF leaders do not like. People are indeed different. So it would be beneficial to understand our differences.

This article is my highly simplified attempt to understand our differing personalities, so that we might learn to embrace others who are different from us. This is obviously not comprehensive nor full proof. Here are the four ways that you are:

Introvert or Extrovert.

Head, heart, or hands. I wrote about this last year: Thinking, Feeling or Doing.

Phlegmatic, Melancholic, Sanguine or Choleric. These are the four temperament types of Hippocrates.

APEST (Eph 4:11): Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher. I first heard about this from the Australian missiologist Alan Hirsh.

I’ll use myself as an example, so that hopefully you might see how you’re similar and different in particular ways.

I am an INTROVERT. Though I love engaging and interacting with people–particularly on problematic issues (which is why I love UBFriends)–I especially love spending time by myself CEREBRATING: thinking, reading, writing, blogging, contemplating, meditating, reflecting, re-accessing, re-evaluating. Therefore…

I am a HEAD person. I am cerebrally inclined, and not very emotionally expressive (HEART), nor am I one who likes to do practical stuff (HANDS). For instance, as a physician I love studying medicine far far more than seeing actual patients! To my shame, I also hate to do housework, such as the dishes or vacuuming the floor or taking out the trash (though at times I better do it…or else!). I leave all practical matters to my wife that has to do with the house, car, insurance, yard, finances, groceries, clothes, you name it. Without a doubt, I have a wife sent from heaven–taylor made just for me! Oh yes, I am a lucky dog!!

4personalitiesChartI am CHOLERIC. This detailed chart can help each person figure out which of the four personality types they predominantly belong to. My weaknesses as a choleric person are clearly spelled out: impatient, rude and tactless, argumentative, unable to relax, aggressive, domineering, intolerant. I regard myself as easily angered. But as a Christian I want to calm down, scale it back, not escalate conflicts, tone down the rhetoric and be “gentler and kinder.” This is impossible for me but for God’s mercy and limitless grace. Though I am primarily choleric, I am secondarily melancholic, especially pessimistic, difficult to please and prone to moodiness! Incidentally, choleric and melancholic are the “worst” two of the four Hippocratic personality types! It is only the grace of God that I am surrounded by phlegmatic (nice guys/gals) and sanguine (happy, jovial) types all around me at West Loop Church.

APT. Without elaboration (you can google APEST), my inclination is to APT (apostle, prophet and teacher) and not to ES (evangelist and shepherd). UBF desires UBF people to be evangelist (“go fishing”) and shepherd (“feed sheep”), except maybe for those on top who believe they should run the show and call the shots. I did this for almost three decades of my life with no regrets, since I did so to please God. I’m still doing so, but not in the ways I did before. However, this is not my preferred personality disposition nor inclination. As an introverted, cerebral, head and thinking-inclined person, I much prefer to read and study about confounding theological topics (such as predestination and free will), as well as take on issues that make reconciliation seemingly impossible because of tension, conflict and disagreement with no possible foreseeable resolution. This is way I love the seemingly irreconcilable impossible divide between UBF and ex-UBF. Such confounding things make life fun and exciting for me. Same old, same old, boring, formulaic, predictable and ignoring or avoiding obvious problems is unbearable and intolerable to me, which is perhaps somewhat in keeping with my strongly impatient and forceful choleric disposition.

This is clearly a barely scratch the surface article on the highly complex issue of differing personality types. Nonetheless, would you care to venture and describe your personal characteristics? Introvert or extrovert? Head, heart or hands? Phlegmatic? Melancholic? Sanguine? Choleric? APEST?