Know what’s not cool? Playing footsie with sin.
Our Lord does not joke around about sin; neither should Beth Moore. And neither should Tom Ascol, for crying out loud.
The church doesn’t need more friendly, winsome, harmless men always up for a laugh and a friendly exchange on Twitter. It needs warriors.
Careful Christian warriors do not crack jokes with those who are leading the flock astray—especially jokes about false teaching and willful disobedience. But that is what Tom Ascol is doing, bless his heart.
It started with a Twitter game. The idea was to say something to secretly alert people that you’ve been kidnapped.
Beth Moore entered the game by suggesting she plans to preach at Tom Ascol’s church—something she would never be allowed to do, because, unlike Beth Moore, Tom Ascol believes the Bible’s teaching about the qualifications for preachers.
Beth Moore even cracked a sacrilegious joke about the matter, asking people to pray for her. This kind of folly should result in sadness and in earnest, godly correction. But that is not how Mr. Winsome responded. He congratulated her for her cleverness. Let me say that again: He congratulated her.
When men don’t step up and act like men, it encourages the worst in women. Tom Ascol invited Beth Moore’s disrespectful repartee. He had it coming: “Thanks for playing. I like you slightly better over this. Very slightly. But better.” How condescending.
Are you beginning to understand the reason for the Bible’s teaching?
“The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says” (1 Corinthians 14:34).
Let the remaining men in the church take a lesson: When you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.
