Beth Moore Says Goodbye to the Southern Baptist Convention

Beth Moore, the enormously popular Bible teacher, has said goodbye to the Southern Baptist Convention. The bestselling author’s exit has triggered a lot of conversations in evangelical circles — including whether Moore’s exit was justified, whether others will follow, and whether the SBC is irredeemably bad.

“I love so many Southern Baptist people, so many Southern Baptist churches,” explained Moore in her decision. “But I don’t identify with some of the things in our heritage that haven’t remained in the past.” The “things in our heritage” to which Moore is referring are of course sexism and racism — the idea that a white male patriarchy should dominate society.

Beth Moore has been a notable and admirable voice in evangelical circles over the years, and I regret her decision to leave the SBC. I also am disappointed at the narrative which seems to be taking hold as represented in these tweets:

The developing narrative is that Beth Moore is a victim of hate and misogny and that the Southern Baptist Convention is irredeemably corrupted by racism, sexism, and Donald Trump. From there, it’s a natural progression to expect, even desire and call for, others to take Moore’s example and leave the SBC.

As a Southern Baptist pastor, this developing narrative — all taking place in the context of our society’s growing fixation with “cancel culture” — led me to post this video on my pastoral YouTube channel:

In addressing Moore’s decision to leave the SBC, I find myself in a similar (though very much scaled-down) difficult position that at least (in part) drove Moore to leave. By that, I mean people have very little patience for complexity, nuance, or (when it comes to discussing sensitive issues) patience.

The truth is that Beth Moore is clearly a gifted teacher as well as a much-needed voice in Christian circles. And likewise, the Southern Baptist Convention, as the largest “Protestant” denomination in the United States, has an important role to play in 21st century America as well as around the world.

It’s also true that the SBC is full of wonderful people and it’s unfair to draw negative conclusions about an entire community of believers because of one person’s decision to leave.

This doesn’t mean we should dismiss Moore’s reasons for leaving. On the contrary, I think Southern Baptists should take a long, hard look in the mirror and prayerfully consider what lessons can be learned from all this. I agree with Ed Stetzer (quoted in this USA Today article) that some serious “soul-searching” is called for in the SBC. And I would hope (however cautiously and doubtfully) that this can be done in a climate of grace, love, humility, and patience. (Yeah, I know, we’re talking about Baptists here, but one can still hope and pray).

The reasons for Moore’s exit are many and varied. I do not offer this article as a comprehensive treatment of those issues or developments. Nevertheless, here is a quick summary of the highlights:

Donald Trump

In 2016, when the Access Hollywood recording broke with Donald Trump bragging about his (shall we say less-than-Christian) treatment of women, Beth Moore spoke out strongly. She tweeted that women have long suffered under “environments of gross entitlement & power.”

It should be noted that Beth Moore did NOT endorse Trump’s opponent in that election. In fact, in the comments beneath this tweet, she acknowledged the equally unsavory behavior of former President Clinton and the fact that his wife (Trump’s opponent) was also highly problematic to say the least. Moore pointed people to God, tweeting: “We are in desperate need of God, his intervention and his direction, wisdom and courage.”

That did not calm Trump supporters. Several of them heaped intense criticism on Moore. Her continued criticism of Trump over the years apparently led to a significant drop in revenue for her books and conferences. And it made her a pariah in the minds of many.

While I’m nowhere near as famous or high-profile as Moore (not even on the same proverbial planet), I can nevertheless acknowledge that I have faced criticism (occasionally rather strong) from friends and acquaintances when I’ve made comments critical of Donald Trump.

This continues to strike me as puzzling and weird, especially when the criticism comes from fellow Christians. If the Apostle Paul can criticize the Apostle Peter, why can’t we criticize a politician?

I certainly understand Moore’s frustration and disillusionment on this point. Nevertheless, I don’t believe the problem is with the Southern Baptist Convention specifically and certainly not exclusively. Much of the so-called evangelical support for Trump came from pastors and persons outside of the SBC. Paula White-Cain, for example, is no Southern Baptist.

Indeed, most of the Southern Baptist pastors and leaders with whom I interact are not openly partisan. Speaking for myself, I have never endorsed a political party or candidate from the pulpit. Ever. And I’m also careful (since becoming a pastor) not to do so on social media either. I’m far from alone in this restraint.

The Southern Baptist Convention should not publicly support or identify with any political party or political candidate. The same should be the case with SBC churches. We should pray for our country and for all those in authority, whether they are Republican, Democrat, or Independent.

And, again, I don’t think my view that the SBC should be non-partisan is a minority view in the SBC, so I’m not sure why Moore (apparently) feels stepping away from the SBC specifically is somehow helpful in this particular regard.

#MeToo

Moore has emerged as a leading voice in the #MeToo movement — a strong spokesperson for the cause of victims of abuse and misogynistic mistreatment.

It’s unthinkable that anyone would object to Moore speaking up for victims of abuse. And Moore should be commended as an important and noteworthy voice for those who have been the victims of such abuse and mistreatment.

While it’s true many Southern Baptist churches have been rocked by scandals in this area (and many SBC leaders have been less-than-commendable in their response), sexual harassment and abuse are more a society-wide tragedy than an SBC-specific phenomenon. Scandals along these lines have rocked several denominations and multiple churches — and they’ve also rocked secular institutions including corporations, schools, and the entertainment world.

We should continually be on guard against abuse and scandal. And churches should do all they can to protect those under their care. My only point is that I don’t see how stepping away from the SBC represents a victory in this battle, particularly when the SBC is making efforts to combat this evil.

If anything, the SBC needs Beth Moore’s voice. How her decision to step away helps this cause is again something that puzzles me.

Complementarianism vs Egalitarianism

Moore has always walked a somewhat delicate line with the Southern Baptist Convention, a denomination that has (at least since the early 1980s) taken a negative position on ordaining women as pastors. Since the so-called “Conservative Resurgence” (which began in 1979 and culminated in the decade that followed), the Southern Baptist Convention has taken a strong complementarian theological view on men and women. That view is that men and women are equal in value before God, but are intended for different roles.

Those on the other side of that divide are called egalitarians. They believe in full equality between men and women and reject any distinction between the two sexes when it comes to matters such as ordination.

Moore has (at least in the last few years and up until the writing of this article) officially taken a “soft egalitarian” view, which essentially walks the line between the two camps. Not surprisingly (again, we’re talking about Baptists), she has drawn public and sustained criticism for this.

Likewise, Moore has softened her views on LGBTQ+ issues. And here again, she has faced some intense criticism.

My Thoughts

It seems that Moore has, in general, adopted a more humble perspective and more nuanced, complex views on subjects that are hot-button issues within evangelical circles in general and the SBC in particular. In our society, whether we’re looking at the left or the right, people have less patience for complex, multi-dimensional thinking.

People are pushed into boxes. Binary thinking reigns. You’re either with us or against us!

Given the fact that Christians (and conservatives) increasingly find themselves the victims of this kind of “cancel culture” in the secular realm, one would think we’d be more patient and gracious with one another in our own circles. But instead, Christians (dare I say, especially conservative Christians) have their own “cancel culture” and have had years of practice.

Lest I be misunderstood, I am a Bible-believing evangelical Christian. Most of my views (probably all my theological views) would be on what most people consider the “conservative” side of the spectrum. But I also believe in love, grace, and humility!

I believe in listening to people, being patient with people, and striving to learn from people.

Life is messy. People are hurting. And I’d rather sit down and talk with someone than beat them over the head with a Bible. And, come to think of it, isn’t that what Jesus did? And isn’t that what He was often criticized for — spending too much time conversing with and even dining with sinners!?

For my own part, I believe Beth Moore’s decision is between her, her family, and God. She has to do what she believes God is leading her to do. And we don’t know all of her thinking or everything that led to this decision.

At the same time, I’m concerned that many will look at her break with the SBC and draw unfair and unsubstantiated conclusions about Southern Baptists in general. I’m also sad that some people (especially perhaps women) attending SBC churches will feel that Beth Moore leaving is a sign that they should leave also.

Whether you leave your church or not is a decision you must make in prayer before God and should not be driven by what a high-profile celebrity does or does not do.

And frankly, I see this whole episode has encouraging more of what we need less of — and that’s “cancel culture.”

We need people communicating with one another more rather than walking away from one another.

And thus, I can’t help but be sad to see Beth Moore walk away from a denomination that I still value and appreciate – and one that is full of many wonderful people who still value her voice.