every answer

Several years ago, a pastor asked me to give the sermon in his place, and he asked me not to say anything controversial. I don’t remember if I had a response to that particular request, but since then, I have thought “what's not controversial?”

I came up with the saying a few years ago that “every answer has an argument against it.” I found that no matter how good of an answer you have on a particular issue, someone has an argument against it.

You can't go anywhere without finding people who you will disagree with.

So, you need to know what you believe, and why you believe it, and decide what you are going to divide over, for you can't go anywhere without finding disagreement.

It's good to be willing to be persuaded--to have a change of mind--but that takes humility, honesty, and objectivity, and I'm afraid we are too often too far removed from these qualities of character. Of course, we don't want to be “tossed to and fro” by every “wind of doctrine” or new idea or argument. Most likely, one won't have a change of mind about anything unless they begin to doubt what they believe. Doubt can be an uncomfortable and scary thing. It can lead to being ostracized.

I don't think it is necessarily bad to be certain of something if you are convinced by the evidence but be just as certain that someone will disagree with you and maybe find fault with what you believe. Every answer has an argument against it.