<> Ask the Pastor Pastor Walter Snyder Q: I run into people who believe that if a teaching is not 100% correct, completely free of error, then it's totally false and a person should not listen to any part. They say things like "rat poison is 99.9% food, it is that .1% that will kill you." On the other hand, I know that pastors are human and make mistakes. How do you distinguish between this and the false teachers we are constantly warned about in the Bible? A: I know that I have occasionally either said wrong things or said the right thing in a way that could be taken wrongly. Sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain. Probably I'm the only one who even realized a few of these, but I have been stopped and questioned about a few items. This happens even though I always attempt to preach and teach "100%" accurately, according to God's Word and our Lutheran Confessions. I learned early in my pastoral training to avoid speculation or expressing my opinion so that it is taken as fact. This is one of the surest ways to begin preaching or teaching false doctrine. What may happen is that a pastor or teacher will speculate on something where Scripture is unclear or has no teaching. Then, when challenged, human pride causes one to defend this position that is unscriptural. Sometimes that person won't accept correction and persists in the false teaching. Eventually, the person may defend his own thoughts beyond the Bible, moving finally into total heresy. There are others who disbelieve much of the Bible, using it only as a jumping-off point for their own theologies. They may disguise their departures from Scriptural truth for a time, but the more they reveal of their teachings, the easier it is to see that they have a spirit other than the Holy Spirit. As you said, pastors (even Christ's apostles) are human. We can really screw things up. Jesus' disciples misunderstood him. They sometimes misapplied his teachings or flatly ignored what he said. Even after Pentecost and the fullness of the Holy Spirit's outpouring, there were occasional problems. Peter needed a vision from the Lord to understand how God was reaching out to Gentiles such as Cornelius the Roman with the Gospel (Acts 10). Later, Paul rebuked Peter for hypocrisy in dealing with Gentiles and Jews (Galatians 2:11-14). Such bad theologies and the resulting bad teachings usually end quickly. When a Christian pastor makes a mistake, he welcomes correction and will make amends. Likewise the teacher, parent, or any other who's misread and misapplied the Word of God. Those who persist in their false teaching are the ones about whom we are warned. A pastor who misspeaks one Sunday sermon will not likely do permanent damage. However, one who continually ignores clear Scripture and teaches as "God's own truth" doctrines of human invention is the real "rat poison." The errors of sincere Christian teachers don't normally "poison" those who hear them because the "antidote" of Biblical truth is available in abundance. For example, even if I really abuse a text in my Sunday sermon, the Scripture readings, hymns, and liturgy still clearly proclaim God's Law and Gospel Word to the flock. A misstatement in Bible class is usually quickly addressed by another participant. And so it goes. Those who twist, pervert, or deny Scripture, yet claim Christianity, are more dangerous, since they withhold the full, true Scriptures from their followers. Likewise, cultists from outside the Christian faith are among the real "false teachers," since the Bible in no way figures in their proclamations. So what do you do? First, stay in the Word. Then pay attention to what you are told. Compare what you hear with what the Bible says. Ask questions, and challenge that which looks to be counter to Scripture. Pray for your pastors and teachers, that God will guide them. And when in doubt, return to the central focus and chief doctrine of the Christian Church: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God--not because of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)" How does what you are hearing confirm or deny these words? The truth will out, and what we normally hear from one claiming to be a teacher of the Church should reflect a faith based on this truth. Remember to "Ask the Pastor" at P.O. Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951; E-mail xrysostom@aol.com; or catch me around town. Pastor Snyder serves St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches, Jasper and Woodville, Texas, and is the coauthor of "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1997 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.