What's in a name?

Should I call you Dr XX or just XX or YY?

I'm confused.

I have come to know many non-Chinese teachers at my congregation. We are on first name basis for sure. Then once we are back to the seminary, this first name basis relationship doesn't seem appropriate (not that the teachers mind it). I feel weird. Can't my teachers and me become friends?

One of the students raised this question last week. He asked our teacher how we should call him. Curiously (or not so curiously) he mentioned what he thought was a fact: that Chinese people respect their teachers, so they will always call their teachers with their titles. Wait a minute, is that about respect? Or is it more often hypocrisy on our part. We don't want to offend people, especially those who are higher up in the hierarchy. Why do you think there's more respect when I call you by your title? And probably it is because when people don't call us with our title, we are offended.