Pastoral Advice: Shepherding the conscience is a significant pastoral responsibility.

“It’s a blessing to be brought into the questions that concern people, and to seek to help them with the answers. We need that in the Christian life. Wise King Solomon said: “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” The best way to do this is to humbly live in fellowship with Wisdom incarnate — the Lord Jesus Christ who says: “I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength” (Proverbs 8:14).”

(Kyle Borg) I do not remember who said it, but someone once said: “When I was young I gave advice to everyone fearful no one would listen. Now that I’m older I give advice to no one fearful everyone will listen.” There’s a note of wisdom in that self-experience. The Bible praises and commands the need for counselors and counsel. But those most equipped to give advice are those guided by humility in this work of stewardship.

I thought about this yesterday as a piece of advice from a well-known evangelical pastor got attention (and ire) on social media. The pastor was retelling how a grandmother came to him and asked if she should attend the transgender wedding of her grandson. He asked her if her grandson knew of her commitment to Jesus and that this commitment meant she couldn’t countenance his choices. The grandmother said her grandson did, and so in this scenario the pastor said she should go to the wedding and even bring a gift. Immediately, the pastor added the challenge of these kinds of questions saying: “It is a fine line, it really is. And people need to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.” View article →

 

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