Questioner

Could you give me some thoughts on the author Beth Moore and her Bible studies. Do you have any background on her or the biblical content of her studies?

 Answer

Beth Moore is a Southern Baptist and a member of First Baptist Church of Houston, TX. Her ministry is "Living Proof" www.lproof.org. 

Beth Moore is a very popular woman speaker.  Yet, there are some in evangelical churches who are concerned about her  improper use of God's Word.

In her book titled Breaking Free she teaches that Satan has "strongholds" in a believer's life, and she calls that "generational bondage" (Chapter 13). She teaches that we should retrace our family lineage to be set free in the present. Basically, she teaches that sins are passed on from one generation to another and we need to break that bondage.

She also does quite a bit of allegorizing and spiritualizing. She doesn't seem to interpret the scriptures using the literal, grammatical, historical method. Her writings and conferences sometimes reveal a bent toward mysticism and a psychological approach to sin issues.

Here is one quote from her web site concerning the “silent assembly”- “God recently took me into seclusion for a week and placed these instructions before me…I feel I have never been given a more serious assignment for a single night gathering in my ministry.. He [God] instructed me to listen carefully as I have ever listened and He would tell me the Scriptures and the sequence to place on the screens…Our deepest desire here is that God would grace us with His presence.”

Another concern is that Beth Moore does teach men in church settings and ministries.  The teaching of men, by a woman, in a ministry of the church, is prohibited in God's Word,

"I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent." [1 Timothy 2:12]

The following is a description of Beth Moore's Sunday School class that she teaches every Sunday morning at her home church--it was copied from the Houston's First Baptist Church web page: 

"Beth Moore has been a Sunday School teacher at Houston's First Baptist Church since 1984.  She began teaching an aerobics class/bible study combo to a small group of fortunate women.  Now her class, minus aerobic activity, includes men and women, at all walks and stages of their lives."

[Note: this webpage has been removed after a number of complaints had been sent concerning Beth Moore's teaching of men.  Currently it says that it "is being revised."]:

Comments received in an email from a Christian who had some concerns with a Beth Moore Bible Study:

"I'm taking Beth Moore's Bible study, Believing God, and have found a number of things about which I (and, I believe, Scripture) disagrees with her.  For example, she is teaching that God is still doing miracles, when what she is calling miracles is really answered prayer.  She doesn't seem to agree that miracles were sign gifts which are no longer needed because we have the written Word of God.  She also seems to be embracing ecumenicalism.  And she says that we should pray out loud.  She says that the spoken word is much more powerful than words (prayers) that we merely think." 

Beth Moore's response on 4/11/05 concerning her teaching of men (italics are mine):

"Thank you for your inquiry about my stand on women teaching men.  As you may know, the ministry to which God has called me is geared to women.  My conference and weekly Bible Studies are entirely focused upon women.  The only exception to an entirely female audience is my Sunday School class.  Men continue to come and sit in the back.  We never sought them but did not know how to deal with them. Would Christ have thrown them out?  I just didn’t know.  I handed the problem over to my pastor and under his authority, he said to allow anyone to come who chooses. I have   wrestled with this and the Lord finally said to me, “I tell you what, Beth, you worry about what I tell you to say, and I’ll worry about who listens.”  My ministry is to women.  That’s where my heart is.  I make no bones about it.  But what if men come and sit down?  Do we stop and throw them out?  I really don’t know.  I just placed myself under the authority of my husband, my pastor, and my God.  Your servant, Beth Moore"

My response: "I cannot agree with Beth or her pastor's reasoning.  God's Word is clear: women are not to teach men in a Church setting or ministry.  God's Word is not to be ignored by circumstances.  God did not say, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent, except if men come on their own, or if your pastor says it's fine."  [1 Timothy 2:12]
 
We cannot ignore the clear teaching of Scripture.  In this case there are three sinning: The men for coming; the pastor for not stopping them; and Beth for continuing to teach.  All Beth would have had to say to the men is, "My dear brothers, I ask that you not come to my class, for that would dishonor my God.  If you will not leave then I cannot teach."  That would have solved the problem in a biblical and Christ honoring way.

The story of Uzzah is a reminder that when God says something He means it and circumstances don't negate His Word: "When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD'S anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God."  [2 Sam 6:6-7] 

Uzzah meant well, he was trying to help God by keeping the ark from being damaged, but God shows us that obedience is more important then our human wisdom."

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "Tony Capoccia's Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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