Fourth Friday of Lent
Lectionary texts:
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-7
The most prominent and best known woman in evangelical circles is Beth Moore (b. 1957), though most mainline Protestants and Catholics have never heard of her. Yet she has millions of followers in the United States.
Beth was a Southern Baptist from Houston, with a college degree but no formal theological training. She started writing Bible studies for women when she was in her 20's. Soon she expanded to mass conferences in civic centers. I have never heard her speak, but from all I havd read she is a tremendously engaging personality. Being Southern Baptist, she could not be ordained, but she has been heard more people than probably any other living Southern Baptist. Her audience is almost entirely women. There are hundreds of Beth Moore groups around the country, who do her Bible studies with her videos and books.
I have read one of her books. Here's a great compliment coming from someone like me--it was not too Baptist. She does go far deeper into the text than most.
This week Beth shocked the evangelical world by disaffiliating herself from the Southern Baptist Church and from her Southern Baptist publisher, Lifeway. It had been coming for some time. In 2016 she was horrified by Donald Trump's comments in the Access-Hollywood tapes. She bcame further disillusioned by evangelical America's embrace of Trump. She denounced racism among evangelicals and evangelical Christian nationalism. She said that these movements were not of God and that Christians should step-back from them. She also said that she will remain a Baptist but not a Southern Baptist.
Although Beth's actions and statements this week will doubtless lose her part of her following, there are still plenty of publishers who will gladly take her on, a proven best seller.
Reaction has been, as we would expect, mixed. Many Southern Baptist leaders have lamented her loss. Others have condemned her. This is a turning point in her career. I think it will be fascinating to see where she goes from here.
Lord Jesus,
In this time evangelical turmoil in the U.S., help us to remember how much more difficult the religious situation was in England at the time of the birth of Methodism. I pray for Beth Moore and other evangelical leaders, that you may grant them wisdom and lead them on paths of love and goodness. Amen
Faithfully,
Christian
1 comment:
I have been following the Beth Moore story this week with interest and disbelief. Ms. Moore published her first book in 1995, the year my daughter was born In 2001 I quit my full time job outside the home to stay home with her. Not long after that I took Disciple 1. I had never really read and study the Bible before. I discovered a love of scripture. For many years after that I read Ms Moore’s books and participated in Bible study groups that used her studies. The groups always included a video of Ms Moore teaching. I loved her style. She was moving, engaging and insightful. I’ve completed many of her studies and been to at least 3 of her conferences. All this to say, that at a certain stage of my life Beth Moore was a very large part of it. At some point I made a decision to seek out a more Methodist theology/ perspective and I lost track of Ms Moore.
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