Why so shallow?

[thewordistruth]

Scott,

Why are your answers very shallow and mostly opinions? Why would you not use the word as a solid rock for the questions you are being asked?

[Emery]

It may be because Scott is using his flat (thus shallow) avatar. Maybe Scott, if you put up one of your more 3-d avatars, your answers will sound fuller

I especially like the one with the yellow hockey visor.

Hey, welcome to the forum wordistruth.

[mitchellmckain]

At first I wondered what word he was talking about and then I read his name and found the answer.

Personally I don't know if the word "truth" adds all that much substance or solidity to what one has to say. "And that is the truth!"

[ScottBarger]

Hello, thewordistruth, thanks for the feedback.

Three reasons come to mind...

First, if by "word" you mean the Christian Bible, then I would say that if my answer to a particular question seems like opinion, or if I refrain from saying "the Bible says..." it is because I don't think the Bible speaks directly to the issue at hand. For many questions, the Bible offers no explicit answers, but rather offers up more general instruction that may be applied to the issue.

Second, there are times when I am wishy-washy on what seem like direct statements from the Bible because I understand what the Bible says, but I think there is some ambiguity what it means.

Third, there are many parts of the Bible I don't know or understand.

Hope that explains where I am coming from.

[thewordistruth]

WOW, "ambiguity to what it means" and " many parts i dont know or understand.
How can you be leading a congregation in the right direction with so much doubt?

[humanguy]

WOW, "ambiguity to what it means" and " many parts i dont know or understand.
How can you be leading a congregation in the right direction with so much doubt?

Okay, how about you telling us what the Bible means, and how you would lead a congregation in the right direction?

[thewordistruth]

Pastors are held accountable for there teaching......a very large responsibility. I do not claim to be a solid teacher of the Bible, much less have the ability to lead a congregation. That question was for scott. Thanks for the question though it only helps my faith and ultimately Gods glory. Maybe someday God will put me in a pastoral position. Its not my life its his. Check out
1 Timothy 4:16

[crazylegsmurphy]

I hope someday God puts you in a Pastoral position as well because I can then point out the irony of your post here.

let me ask you this, what would make you a better pastor than Scott? Why is your personal interpretation more true than his? You seem to forget about the thousands, and thousands of other pastors around the world who probably all have varying degrees of understanding and interpretation.

Let me tell you why I think Scott is a good Pastor, and the ONLY one I would actually attend a church to listen too. Scott thinks...plain and simple! He's not some mindless robot God drone that just "blah, blah, blah's" about God and the bible. The reason I feel he doesn't just spout off bible verses is because he's has the intelligence to know that it doesn't mean much to half the audience. The whole point of this Podcast is to learn about the world views of others. If you want to just quote scripture, then feel free, but don't think for a second that most of us around here are going to sit idly by and not challenge you on it.

So maybe the question you should be asking is, who is more shallow, the person who comes to a conclusion based on hard thought, or the person who comes to a conclusion based on blind ignorance?

[mitchellmckain]

WOW, "ambiguity to what it means" and " many parts i dont know or understand.
How can you be leading a congregation in the right direction with so much doubt?

WOW.

First of all, unanswered questions are not the same thing as doubt. Only brainwashing would equate these two, for it is in brainwashing and propaganda where you have to be afraid of unanswered questions because seeking answers to them might expose the lies.

Second, doubt is normal and healthy. It is the suppression of doubt which is pathological. And indulging in a fantasy where there is no reason for doubts let alone a fantasy where all your questions are "answered" sounds a great deal like a psychotic break from reality.

[humanguy]

Pastors are held accountable for there teaching......a very large responsibility. I do not claim to be a solid teacher of the Bible, much less have the ability to lead a congregation. That question was for scott. Thanks for the question though it only helps my faith and ultimately Gods glory. Maybe someday God will put me in a pastoral position. Its not my life its his.

I suppose, then, that all your bad spelling and punctuation isn't your fault, it's God's.

[Pseudonym]

How can you be leading a congregation in the right direction with so much doubt?

For what it's worth, I think that Scott is in good company. From the Psalmists who wore their anguish on their sleeves to Jesus in the garden, intense engagement with faith seems to be more productive than aloof pseudo-certainty.

[NH Baritone]

Only the naive think that experts are infallible.

It is the fate of every person who truly digs deeply into a topic that they must ultimately reach the conclusion that thorough knowledge is at least elusive, and often impossible to apprehend. Every field of knowledge has an edge, sometimes momentary, and sometimes permanent, beyond which even the specialists get stupid.

[Rian]

For what it's worth, I think that Scott is in good company. From the Psalmists who wore their anguish on their sleeves to Jesus in the garden, intense engagement with faith seems to be more productive than aloof pseudo-certainty.

Well said.