How do I trust prophets who can be wrong?

Paul challenged Peter when he withdrew from Gentiles. What that shows me is that an apostle can be corrected. I still have to consider what he did and whom it affected.

That takes the scriptural example and the harm seriously. Correction can coexist with apostolic authority, and it still calls for an honest look at what happened.

Peter’s problem was his own conduct, so it has little to do with what other believers experienced.

Paul says Peter’s withdrawal affected the wider community. A leader’s conduct can shape other people’s choices even when the passage describes a specific incident.

The Church disavowed the racist explanations, so I’d treat the whole episode as a few leaders giving their personal opinions.

The explanations and the restriction are distinct. The policy affected Black members across generations and was maintained by successive leaders. Address both the history and the impact.

It was a policy, and it affected real families. The Church ended it in 1978 and later disavowed several explanations for it. I would start by facing that record honestly.

You distinguish what the Church did from how people explained it. That gives your friend room to ask about accountability and trust.

I would pray, read the teaching in full, and ask how the Church has acted on it. I’d also listen to the people it affects and be open to what those sources show.

That makes trust a practice. It takes prophetic teaching seriously while making room for study, accountability, and correction.

I would check whether an individual leader said it, then decide how much weight to give it from that alone.

Knowing who said it is a useful start. Also ask whether it appears in scripture, whether the Church adopted it as policy, and whether later statements clarify it.