My name is Lisa. I am a Baptist from Arizona. I was saved as an adult and have been a Christian for 24 years. I have broken free of Beth Moore.
When I first started to participate in women’s Bible studies at our church, I didn’t know what to expect. At the time, I didn’t have much experience with such events. I was expected to attend the studies (by our pastor and his wife) because my husband was an elder. So, I did. I don’t really remember the first one that was taught but it was nothing special. I do remember thinking to myself, “This is really a book club; it’s not a Bible study.” Our Bibles were hardly opened during the 2 hours we were there every week, and a lot of “What does this mean to you?” was asked of the group.
Then came Beth Moore. I’d never heard of her. When I shared this I was told that Beth Moore was “everyone’s best girlfriend.” The material we were using was her DVD and workbook study Jesus, the One and Only. Good title—He should be the one and only. Despite the good title and the good report I had received about Beth Moore, we were not very far into the study when I started having very big problems with the material and Moore’s overall style. So, I went to my husband, the church elder.
I talked the issue over with him for a couple of weeks. I showed my husband a lot of Beth Moore material, some from Jesus, the One and Only, some from other books I had borrowed, and some items from the internet. Reviewing this material with him solidified my decision to quit using study material from Beth Moore, the false teacher. Because of her great popularity, I was concerned for others. So, I wrote a blog post outlining the many problems I had with Beth Moore’s teachings. In my blog post, I demonstrated that she doesn’t accurately teach the gospel, misuses the Bible, manipulates women’s emotions, uses positive confession, and relies on imagination instead of teaching facts. I also pointed out how she engages in extreme fast-talking, making it difficult for her hearers to pause and take the time to look up the Bible verses she twists during messages. My blog post also addressed how Beth Moore has make-believe conversations with God. In these conversations she treats Him as casually as she would her girlfriend down the street. He’s not a girlfriend down the street but the Creator-God of the universe. Finally, my post made mention of the ridiculous amount of money churches and individuals are expected to pay for her materials and simulcasts. Boy, did I stir the hornet’s nest writing these things down.
My pastor asked for a meeting with me. My husband and I were called into his pastor’s office for my writing of my sincere concerns on my own personal blog (keep in mind, I had maybe 3 readers and they were all friends of mine). I was ordered by the pastor to remove the blog post and the links I had added to my Facebook page directing my friends to it. This so-called “meeting” quickly became an interrogation, and then turned to accusation. The pastor brought me to tears. As I write this, it still brings tears to my eyes just recalling his angry face, and how he felt the need to do this to me in front of his wife, another woman from the ministry, and my husband.
My husband was derided for not being able to “control” me. I was accused of sowing discord in the church body. We were asked by the pastor point-blank why we didn’t just leave the church. We stood our ground, and ultimately, the only words I remember I could muster at the end of this discussion were, “I’m not leaving you, I’m leaving Beth Moore.” I loved my church but left that office hurt and confused at what had happened.
Thank God that my husband was an elder. He brought all my research to the rest of the elders and they agreed (with the pastor fuming, I’m told) that there would be no more Beth Moore taught in our church. The Sunday after this decision was made, the pastor’s wife walked up to my husband, put her face right in his face and she practically growled as she said to him, “Beth Moore is SOLID!” I still can’t believe a woman would be so brazen in the face of an elder in the church, but friends, this is what happens when a woman allows herself to worship a teacher rather than the Teacher, Jesus Christ.
The pastor went on to ask us why we didn’t leave the church a few more times after that (just to get under our skin, I suppose), but what ultimately ended up happening is people began waking up to his heavy-handed tactics and shady activities. It turned out we were not the only ones who were called into the office and treated harshly behind closed doors. To make a long story short, what happened with Mark Driscoll on a mega scale happened in our small-town church on a micro scale. Like with Driscoll, the pastor moved on to (unfortunately) another church and a new opportunity to abuse a different group of sheep. Please pray for that church.
Also, please pray for all the women and their husbands who see the error being perpetrated by Beth Moore and who are afraid to speak out for fear of being treated like enemies in their own churches. Don’t be afraid to speak out and don’t be afraid to share this testimony. Thank You for reading it. I struggled with how to write this because I have received so much grief in the past when the subject of Beth Moore’s teaching came up. People seem to get so worked up about Beth Moore, but I guess that’s the lesson. Before you read this and fire off an angry comment, ask yourself: “Am I worshiping a woman or God?”
[Edited by: Seth Dunn]
*Please note that the preceding is my personal opinion. It is not necessarily the opinion of any entity by which I am employed, any church at which I am a member, any church which I attend, or the educational institution at which I am enrolled. Any copyrighted material displayed or referenced is done under the doctrine of fair use.
