It is always right, even
necessary, to examine the Scriptures daily to see whether a public speaker’s
teaching is biblical. In doing so we must not judge anyone’s heart or question
anyone’s motives or intelligence.
Wanda Elizabeth “Beth”
Moore was born on June 16, 1957, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She is an evangelist,
author, and Bible teacher. She is married with two grown children. She is the
founder of Living Proof Ministries, based in Houston, Texas. Formerly a member
of Houston’s First Baptist Church, she now belongs to Bayou City Fellowship
(BCF) in Houston, where her son-in-law, Curtis Jones, is the lead pastor.
What is Bayou City
Fellowship (BCF)? What does this group teach and practice?
BCF is a charismatic
group which holds that “all men and women are born corrupted, sinful, and
condemned.” From birth all people are “enslaved to sin” and are “unable to
understand the things of God.” The Holy Spirit must first enable such
understanding. They "believe all the gifts listed in the New Testament are
still active." The gifts listed in 1 Cor 12:4-11, said to continue today,
include tongues, healings, prophecy, etc. The group teaches that the Spirit
baptizes all believers into the Body of Christ so that they are saved. Later
they are to be baptized (by immersion) in water. A person once saved can never
be lost, though “Christian freedom is not an excuse to sin.”
http://barefoot-webdesign.s3.amazonaws.com/bcf/bcf-doctrinal-statement.pdf
Readers, would you
invite any member of BCF to teach a Bible class where you worship? Why or why
not?
Let’s get back to Ms.
Moore herself. She is a dynamic, passionate, and articulate presenter. She is
very effective and persuasive. She has an extremely devoted following. Many
enroll in every class she produces, faithfully watching the videos and eagerly
doing the daily homework. They find her message and style engaging and
captivating. They eagerly await each new Beth Moore study, on any topic or part
of the Bible that it may address.
Though Beth Moore no
longer belongs to a Southern Baptist church, the Southern Baptists’ publishing
arm, B & H (Broadman and Holman), publishes her materials. The Southern
Baptists’ commercial arm, LifeWay Christian Stores, promotes and sells them.
The extent and influence of Ms. Moore’s ministry can also be seen in increased sales.
The ministry reported 2011 income in excess of $5M and over $12M in assets.
Readers, after watching
the video, would you invite Beth Moore to teach a Bible class where you
worship? Would you participate in such a class? Why or why not?
Some have a strong, even
intense emotional commitment to Ms. Moore. In fact one can draw a very strong
response from her supporters just for questioning her beliefs and teachings. I
know this from firsthand experience! Several years ago, when her material was
introduced into a local church setting, I asked some objective, Bible-based
questions. As a result some sisters in Christ in that local church snubbed me
and acted as if it was my problem!
With some it seems
virtually impossible to have a rational, biblical evaluation of what Ms. Moore
teaches. They react by asking, “How can you question a person who is so
sincere? Who obviously loves God with all her heart? Who touches so many lives?
Who has taught me more about the Bible than anyone I have ever known in my
life?”
It is not Ms. Moore’s
sincerity, passion, or love that is in question. We dare not judge such things.
However, if the Bereans could evaluate Paul’s teaching in the light of
Scripture (Acts 17:11), surely we can do the same with Ms. Moore’s teaching.
Because her teaching is public, it is not difficult to ascertain its content
and tone.
Does Beth Moore teach
what the Bible teaches?
[1] Ms. Moore teaches
that one receives salvation through the “sinner’s prayer” rather than through
baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Her website notes, “How to Receive Jesus
Christ: 1. Admit your need for forgiveness and peace. 2. Be willing to turn
from your sins, believing that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose
from the grave. 3. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and
be your Savior.”https://www.lproof.org/aboutus/OurMission/PeaceWithGod.htm
Readers, would you
invite Beth Moore to tell the people you know how to be saved? Regardless of
her sincerity, is she teaching what the Bible teaches on this vital subject?
If she is not, may we
say so without being harsh, judgmental, or unfair? Certainly it is OK to talk
and write publicly about a public statement like this. Surely we may say with
kindness and love, “This is not what the Bible teaches.”
Many say that we should
go to each person privately, as much as possible. To this end I have written a
letter to Ms. Moore about this subject. Would you join me and do the same?
Again, with kindness and respect for her knowledge and sincerity, you can
contact her personally and ask her to reconsider what the Bible teaches about
salvation. Her website says that the best way to reach her is by mail, at this
address:
Beth Moore 12131 Malcomson Houston, TX 77070
Before we go on to other
teachings, let’s note this. Many sincere people, from various evangelical religious
groups, have also expressed concern about some of Beth Moore’s teachings, which
are noted below. You may search online and see that this is the case.
[2] Ms. Moore adds her
own content to the Bible’s actual teaching. In the DVD series Believing
God, she discusses Mark 9:14-24. Ms. Moore claims that when Jesus came down
from the Transfiguration with the three disciples He had taken with Him, He
found the other nine arguing about why He had not taken them with
Him. Why had Jesus picked just Peter, James and John? Why were the others not
good enough? This arguing supposedly gave them “a failure of faith.” Ms. Moore
said that they had argued with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law “until
they talked them out of their faith.” And this is why she says we are not to
argue with “Pharisees” who want to destroy our faith in what God can do. This
is simply not in the Bible, and in fact it contradicts it. The context (verse
29) gives Jesus’ actual explanation. The failure to cast out the demon was not
caused by arguments about why some were not chosen or by arguments with the
Pharisees about anything.
One of Ms. Moore’s followers
once told me, “She’s showing us things I never saw in the Bible before!” She
was right. As you consider her materials, listen carefully and be sure the
Bible actually teaches what she says it teaches.
At another time Ms.
Moore affirmed that Jesus was actually born on December 25. She suggested that
He was quite possibly conceived on the Jewish Day of Atonement, and in that
case He could in fact have been born on “Christmas Day.” Then she said, “That
works for me!” She gave no Scripture. She had no biblical basis for her
conclusion. The point here is not to tell people how to remember the coming and birth of
the Savior. It is just to emphasize that we must be careful not to say more or
less than the Bible says on any subject.
[3] Ms. Moore teaches men,
in the presence of men (1 Tim 2:11-15). You saw this when you watched the
sample video noted above. People may disagree as to whether she is “preaching”
or “teaching,” but in either case the Scripture is clear.
Ms. Moore does state
that women are to be subject to their husbands. In this same regard, she needs
to make it clear that, according to Scripture, women must not teach men. She
needs to insist on following this truth. This is a watershed issue in the
religious world today, and we simply must speak where the Bible speaks.
Ignoring biblical truth can be just as dangerous as adding to it.
[4] Ms. Moore claims
that God has spoken to her individually, personally, and specifically.
You have already watched
the sample presentation above, where she describes her verbal argument with God
in an airport about brushing a man’s hair. You can read a description of this encounter here:
There she is quoted as saying,
"Again, as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write
this statement across the wall of my mind."
In the Session 6 DVD of Believing
God, Ms. Moore describes a conversation she had with God. He called
her “Baby” and “Honey.” He established her as a religious authority, through
whom He would give additional revelation beyond the Bible. She says: “You know
what He told me not too long ago? I told you when I first began this whole
concept, He first started teaching it to me about five years ago, and He said
these words to me: ‘Baby, you have not even begun to believe Me. You haven’t
even begun!’ You know what He said just a few days ago? ‘Honey, I just want you
to know we’re just beginning.’ Oh, glory! That meant I had begun. Hallelujah!
But He was telling me, ‘When this ends, we ain’t done with this. Honey, this is
what we do for the rest of your life.’ And He said those words to me over and
over again: ‘Believe Me. Believe Me. And I hope it’s starting to ring in your
ears, over and over again, Believe Me.’”
Elsewhere she writes,
“As we study we may see several examples of Him [Christ] posing a question that
only He could answer. Christ certainly uses that teaching method with me.
Sometimes He’ll cause me to dig through Scripture for a question He seemed to
initiate. Other times the question may come as a personalized whisper in my
heart: ‘Beth, why are you acting that way?’ Often my answer is ‘I don’t know,
Lord! Can you tell me why?’ If I really search His heart, sooner or later He’ll
give me insight into my reactions” (Jesus, the One and Only, by Beth Moore, B
& H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tenn., 2002, p. 47).
Beth Moore also notes
sometimes she has been mistaken about God speaking to her. She says that there
are occasions when "I probably misunderstood or accidentally ascribed [the
voice] to Him." Read these words in their own context.
In So Long,
Insecurity, Moore writes: “I’d like to replay it to you in the form of a
dialogue because when it occurred, it was as if God spoke every word concretely
and audibly to me. In reality, what I’ll describe was expressed in my spirit
rather than in my physical hearing. After spending years in relationship with
God, seeking what He’s like and how He operates in Scripture, I, like many
people, can get a sense of something He’s strongly impressing upon me without
“hearing” precise words. When thoughts come to me out of the blue that I’m
convinced did not originate in my own mind, if they’re consistent with God’s
character and sound like something He would say in Scripture, I usually assume
it’s Him. Ultimately, time proves whether or not I discerned the voice
correctly. If it produces substantial fruit, I know it was God and I was on
target. If nothing comes of it, I probably misunderstood or accidentally
ascribed it to Him. None of us are beyond confusing our own thoughts with
God’s, no matter how many times we've been around the bend with Him (Moore, “So
Long,” pp. 325-326).
When God speaks to Beth
Moore, what would He instruct her about salvation? Would He have her teach others the “Sinner’s Prayer?” Or would He have her say, as the
apostles did, “Repent and be baptized?”
[5] Ms. Moore
allegorizes Scripture. That is, she takes elements from the Bible, turns them
into symbols of other ideas, and draws her own conclusions. Speaking
of the demoniac of Matt 8:28-34, she says, “Before we proceed to the next
point, consider a fact revealed in verse 27. The demoniac didn't live in a
house. He resided in the tombs. I wonder how many people today are living “in
the tombs?” I know a woman who is still so oppressed by despair that decades
after the loss of a loved one, she still lives “in the tombs.” (Jesus,
the One and Only, by Beth Moore, B & H Publishing Group, Nashville,
Tenn., 2002, p. 143-144)
Of course, the text itself does not actually highlight the difference between living in a house and living in the tombs. In fact the man was not only in the tombs but also on the mountains (Mark 5:5). The point of the event actually has to do with Jesus’ power over demons, the people's fear of His authority, and His directing the man to tell others at home what the Lord had done for him. This passage does not refer to people
today who are in despair because a loved one died. Certainly the Lord promises
us His comfort (2 Cor 1). This text, however, describes a specific miracle, unique in several respects, in which Jesus
miraculously cast out a large number (“Legion”) of demons. This particular text
does not promise that Jesus will miraculously remove one’s grief after
bereavement.
The problem with
allegorizing is that one can make the Bible say anything he wants. For example,
“Legion” actually involved many demons. We could make that large number refer
to a multitude of struggles that people have. There would be no need to limit
it to grief. We could include in the list anything we choose. We could claim
that, according to this passage, Jesus will miraculously, visibly, and totally
cast out all the problems we have. Some even say that many conditions with which people suffer today are caused by demons that possess them. Why not?
Then, of course, Jesus
sent the demons into a herd of pigs. Who are the “pigs” in our allegory? Could
we make the pigs to be God’s enemies today and claim that our grief and
bereavement will somehow be transferred to them? And what is the allegorical significance
of the townspeople, the cliff down which the pigs descend, and the water in which they
drown? We could make these things represent whatever we choose. Apparently, however, the significance of this strange event is simply that the devil's power is real and destructive. Jesus, with His supernatural might, is able with a word to overcome the devil's worst.
[6] Ms. Moore takes an
ecumenical, inter-denominational approach, going along with man-made
denominational divisions, doctrines, and traditions. Her website notes, “We
actively support the unity of all believers eclipsing all denominational,
economic, or ethnic diversities.”
https://www.lproof.org/aboutus/OurMission/default.htm
When God speaks to Beth
Moore, would He give her that message? Or would He tell her to call all her
hearers back to the “one Lord, one faith, one body, and one baptism” of Eph 4?
Readers, would you ask a
person (even the most sincere and passionate) with these beliefs to teach
anyone – including yourself – about matters pertaining to eternal life and
death?
Here’s a much safer
course, in fact the only safe course. Keep reading that Bible, believe what it
says, and stick with it. Evaluate everything by it, and honor the Lord by
obeying it.
Cory Collins
