Noticed pastors in my city keep quoting Bible verses out of context

I went to three different churches in Austin last month and heard Jeremiah 29:11 used as a personal promise of wealth and comfort. But when I read the whole chapter, it's clearly about the Israelites in exile, not me getting a promotion. Has anyone else brought this up in their congregation and gotten pushback?

3 comments

3 Comments

valsullivan17d ago

...and the pushback is the whole reason they keep doing it. So you called out the pastor on Jeremiah 29:11 and he hit you with "you're being too legalistic" or "God's promises are for all believers" or something similar? Because I've seen that script play out in churches here too. What exactly did you say to him, and how did he reply? The way they deflect usually tells you everything about whether they're actually interested in teaching the Bible or just using it to keep people happy.

wren82617d ago

Man, that script is way too familiar. They twist the verse to mean whatever makes people feel good instead of reading it in context. It's like they think we can't handle the real Bible.

cole_robinson12d ago

Start with @wren826 because I think you hit on something bigger than most people realize. The real trick is they don't just twist the verse, they make you feel like you're the bad guy for even reading it the way it was written. I've noticed how they'll take a promise that was clearly for a specific group at a specific time and then act like you're being mean or unkind for pointing that out. It's not about them being wrong about the Bible, it's about them controlling how everyone feels in the room so nobody asks hard questions. The scariest part is most of them genuinely believe they're helping, but they're just trading truth for comfort. I'd rather have a pastor who says "this verse isn't for you" than one who makes me think God owes me something He never promised.