How do you know...

[Lynna]

...if you believe something because it's true, or because its what you want to believe?
I've been finding lately that now, when listening to sermons, I am a lot more prone to disagree with parts of it than to agree. I don't mean that I'm doubting all of Christianity or anything, I guess I'm just a lot more critical of sermons. I don't think this is really a bad thing, but it does make me feel like I'm being really negative/narrow-minded/stubborn. And sometimes I wonder if I believe certain things about Christianity that a bunch of other Christians disagree with because they're true or because they're just what I want to believe.
I also always seem to have a different interpretation of a lot of verses/passages than the pastors seem to have, which really makes me feel weird because these people have studied the Bible far longer than I have. I sometimes wonder if I'm being the arrogant youngster who thinks they know everything. I guess I've just gotten tired of taking everything that they say at face value over the years. Still, I don't want to keep having these feelings of being annoyed and can't come away from it feeling positive about what I've heard.
So how do you respond when you disagree with something in a sermon? Do you have any advice for me?
And, erm, did this even make any sense?

[LastLfan]

I understand totaly, part the joy of bible study is seeing other peoples perspective, the thing your going to hear in church that cannot possibly be true is the scripture itself. That doesnt mean what the pastor says is wrong that just meams its fallable. Dont worry about seeing passages differently, try telling someone what you think it means, if you say it concisely and like you actually are truly thinking deeply about it then you might earn the respect of those who would call you an "arrogent youngster"

[AndrewinIce]

It makes tons of sense to me.

It is good not to just believe what someone says, whether they are in a pulpit or anyone else. If he says something you are not sure about, STUDY AND PRAY. Find out the answer for yourself. Read the bible first, the verses he used. Then, look up some commentaries on the verses on the internet. Talk to other people about it (I don't feel comfortable doing that a lot, but if your fine with it...). Often, what makes sense to me is blend of different theories. Or one I did not read or hear about. Then, pray again for wisdom and understanding. Whatever you feel the answer is, whether it is the pastors view or not, hold on to it.

But also, keep an open mind (Hard for me many times). If the pastor (or whoever) can show a verse agreeing with him, then okay.

There is also a time when you have to agree to disagree. And it doesn't mean that your right and he's wrong, or vise-ersa. I try to remember that I either of us could be wrong, or both! And also, remember that God shows us in verses what he wants us to see. Later, you may read it and then understand the pastors point of view, or find an all new meaning in it.

I don't mean to sound like a cynic. But if we all believe what a person of authority says, then we are dependent on there relationship with God, instead of our own. We are dependent on there convictions instead of our own. Remember that pastors are people, who make mistakes. Pastors are supposed to be voices of the Holy Spirit, but many times there own opinions get thrown in. I know a pastor who thinks the King James is the ONLY version you should use. The reason for that belief which says in almost EVERY sermon? OTHER people told him that other translations are 'tainted' and 'missing' verses, and say its okay to be homosexual.

So...yeah...That's my thoughts.

[goldenspines]

If I find myself disagreeing with a sermon, I pray. Going to the source of Scripture will find you the truth faster, I think.

[SilverToast]

It made perfect sense to me. I'm currently in the same situation so I don't have much advice. My advice would be not to let having a different interpretation divide you from other followers. You can still respectfully disagree with others on interpretation of a certain Bible passage and overall still work with them to follow Christ.

Also agreeing with what others have said, pray and read the passages over and over if you are unsure of its interpretation. Talk with others about it.

I don't think you are arrogant if you are worried about being arrogant. Arrogance would be in this case assuming you know more than others without questioning it. The more you think you know, the less you actually know because you aren't learning when you think you know enough. You can't pour more water on a full glass of water, but only on one that isn't full.

If you would like to, you can PM me to talk about it. I'll listen and won't judge.

[ClaecElric4God]

I understand, and I'm struggling with the same things right now. And what Goldy said is absolutely right. Prayer and reading God's Word are the best things. For one thing, it'll draw you closer to God, and being closer to God will make it clearer to you personally. Also, discussing it with more strong Christians you know. Proverbs has three passages on the virtues of "a multitude of counsellers". Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 24:6. Obviously they're still human, and still prone to making mistakes. But talking to and discussing it with more Christians is likely to give you a bigger picture.
But yeah, backing up again what Goldy and a couple others said: prayer is the biggest thing.

[K. Ayato]

I agree with all that's been said. I listen to a small handful of different pastors on the radio during the week, and among those are some I don't see eye to eye with on practical application of the Word or some other opinion they hold fast to. That includes my Through the Bible mp3 CDs with Jon Courson. I don't always agree with his conclusions, but I still appreciate that he goes verse by verse and breaks it down so that it's easy to understand. I appreciate when a pastor takes the time to state that what follows is his own opinion as well.

Don't feel ashamed for disagreeing with a given pastor and wanting to dig deeper into your Bible on your own or with a group of friends who share your opinion on the message. It's a good thing, really. It shows you're not taking a message from the pulpit for granted and actually helps hone in your knowledge of what the Bible actually says about certain things.

[Mullet Death]

I would tell you that it's important to understand things through the lens of Tradition and the Church Fathers and Doctors and other ancient members of the Church. What's more likely to be relevant to you personally is to keep in mind that the words of fallible men are to be taken with a grain of salt. Your pastor is not a prophet and does not speak directly for God. You could even perhaps think of your pastor as a doctor of sorts. If you like what he has to say, then fine. If not, it would not be wrong or arrogant of you to seek a second opinion. Now I'm not sure if I made total sense ha ha.

[Nate]

I haven't been to church in years for exactly this reason. I think it's a waste of my time to go somewhere to hear things I think are total BS.

So I guess I deal with it by not listening to sermons in the first place. That probably isn't very helpful to you though.

[Sammy Boy]

...if you believe something because it's true, or because its what you want to believe?

Sometimes both of those can be our reasons at the same time. I wanted to believe in Jesus when I was 14, but I wanted to do more research before I made the decision, since in my view, believing in something does not necessarily make it true. But at the same time, I have discovered that if a person does not wish to believe in something, even if you mount all the available evidence at your disposal, that person will find some way to explain away the evidence.

I've been finding lately that now, when listening to sermons, I am a lot more prone to disagree with parts of it than to agree. I don't mean that I'm doubting all of Christianity or anything, I guess I'm just a lot more critical of sermons. I don't think this is really a bad thing, but it does make me feel like I'm being really negative/narrow-minded/stubborn.

I think you have to look at how you disagree in context. Not agreeing with something does not automatically make you a cynical or narrow-minded person, especially if it is informed disagreement.

And sometimes I wonder if I believe certain things about Christianity that a bunch of other Christians disagree with because they're true or because they're just what I want to believe.

Perhaps it would be worth your time writing down a list of all the "contentious things" (in your opinion) that you believe, and next to each one of them, writing down the reasons and evidence you have for holding those beliefs?

One thing to note is that Christians will never completely agree with each other on everything in the same way at the same time, even for very "important" topics such as predestination, the relationship between faith and science, the application of biblical ethics in a secular society, etc. Nobody is the complete source of truth in everything in life.

I also always seem to have a different interpretation of a lot of verses/passages than the pastors seem to have, which really makes me feel weird because these people have studied the Bible far longer than I have. I sometimes wonder if I'm being the arrogant youngster who thinks they know everything.

The fact that you wonder if you are being arrogant because you disagree with the pastors' views makes me think that you are actually not arrogant. Most arrogant-minded people do not realise or admit that they are arrogant. Disagreeing with someone's views does not automatically make you arrogant. I think you are right to be somewhat cautious because you recognise that the pastors have spent more years studying the Bible than you, but also recognise that they are humans, and every human's interpretation of Scripture is coloured by their cultural background and family upbringing, amongst other factors. It is right to show respect for people in general, but do not think that respect means you must agree with everything a person says or does.

It's also true that being an expert in one discipline (e.g. theology) does not make a person an expert in other disciplines, or even disciplines that may be related under some circumstances (e.g. Ancient Near Eastern culture and literature). My suggestion is to think about the reasons as to why you disagree with your pastors, and note down if the area of disagreement is a discipline that you know the pastors' would have studied a lot in, as well as seeking other sources of information to gain more understanding (e.g. online research, academic essays, etc.).

I guess I've just gotten tired of taking everything that they say at face value over the years. Still, I don't want to keep having these feelings of being annoyed and can't come away from it feeling positive about what I've heard.
So how do you respond when you disagree with something in a sermon? Do you have any advice for me?
And, erm, did this even make any sense?

I do not have an "answer" for you, instead I would suggest that you consider the possibility that people will go through life having many unresolved questions about a great number of things which will remain sources of tension. But while we cannot know everything to our satisfaction, I think that with time we could learn to master and live with these "tensions". I have found prayer and reflection about my life in general to be helpful in this regard. As I think about my life, I realise that the questions and tensions I have do not stop me from enjoying life or relating to my family and friends in positive and meaningful ways.

I am a person that likes neat and tidy answers to life's big questions. But as I've gotten older and my life experience has increased a little more, I do not think that there are always neat and tidy answers to everything in life. Hence I believe learning to live joyfully with unanswered questions is important.

I hope you've found something in my response that helped.

[Nate]

Hence I believe learning to live joyfully with unanswered questions is important.

Eh I disagree, I think unanswered questions are a bad thing and we should never be content to live with them, or society will never advance.

[Sammy Boy]

Hence I believe learning to live joyfully with unanswered questions is important.

Eh I disagree, I think unanswered questions are a bad thing and we should never be content to live with them, or society will never advance.

I didn't say we should stop pursuing knowledge at all or not seek answers to questions.

But knowledge often takes time to acquire, and it's not always easy or possible to gain a systematic understanding of certain topics within our lifetimes. On top of this we have to spend part of our energy making a living and fulfilling our other duties, such as responsibilities towards family members and/or spending time with friends (which I think in some ways are worthy of greater attention than acquiring knowledge).

Thus I think not allowing unanswered questions to cause us so much worry as to rob us of the joy of living is important (not that it is always easy to do - I find that important things often require more effort).