Beth Moore |
Wanda Elizabeth "Beth" Moore (born Wanda Elizabeth Green on June 16, 1957) is an American evangelist, author, and Bible teacher. She is the founder of Living Proof Ministries, a Bible-based organization for women based in Houston, Texas.
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'Pray for me': Bible teacher Beth Moore shares concerning health update Renowned Bible teacher and best-selling author, Beth Moore, has shared on X that she is in "urgent need" of surgery to address a long-standing back condition. Moore said she has endured chronic pain for several years, ranging from a constant ache to near agony. While the exact date for her surgery is still uncertain, she anticipates it might take place as early as August. (Premeir Christianity 6/19/24) READ MORE>>>>> |
Please Pray for Beth Moore’s Ongoing Back Pain, Decisions About Next Steps
Author and Bible teacher Beth Moore is requesting prayers for intense pain due to a “years-long” back condition. In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), the 66-year-old Moore indicated she’s “definitely facing surgery” and it’s “just a matter of when.” Moore usually has a high pain threshold, she wrote on Thursday (May 23), but her “multiple skeletal issues” had her crying to husband Keith this week. She indicated she’d be calling her doctor, expecting to “end up with a surgeon I’m sure.”
(Church Leaders 5/24/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Author and Bible teacher Beth Moore is requesting prayers for intense pain due to a “years-long” back condition. In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), the 66-year-old Moore indicated she’s “definitely facing surgery” and it’s “just a matter of when.” Moore usually has a high pain threshold, she wrote on Thursday (May 23), but her “multiple skeletal issues” had her crying to husband Keith this week. She indicated she’d be calling her doctor, expecting to “end up with a surgeon I’m sure.”
(Church Leaders 5/24/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Beth Moore, doctor criticize John MacArthur for claiming mental illness isn’t real
Moore noted that her husband struggles with PTSD and suggested MacArthur, who is 84, might have had a senior moment when he made the comments.
“I’ve had several very serious conversations with my daughters & my board concerning my public voice in my aging when filters naturally thin & we’re at greater risk of saying more than we should,” Moore wrote on X. “Please love & respect him enough to sift what should & shouldn’t be publicized. There is simply no way he could know, for example, what my husband has endured over being in a fire with his brother when he was a toddler and watching him burn and not acknowledge the reality of PTSD.”
(Christian Post 5/2/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Moore noted that her husband struggles with PTSD and suggested MacArthur, who is 84, might have had a senior moment when he made the comments.
“I’ve had several very serious conversations with my daughters & my board concerning my public voice in my aging when filters naturally thin & we’re at greater risk of saying more than we should,” Moore wrote on X. “Please love & respect him enough to sift what should & shouldn’t be publicized. There is simply no way he could know, for example, what my husband has endured over being in a fire with his brother when he was a toddler and watching him burn and not acknowledge the reality of PTSD.”
(Christian Post 5/2/24) READ MORE>>>>>
When angry white men can’t give up hating Beth Moore
Some of the Southern Baptist Convention’s white male theocrats just can’t give up hating on Beth Moore.
It has been nearly three years since the popular Bible teacher and author from Houston gave up on the denomination of her heritage and became an Anglican — an exit driven primarily by SBC leaders’ unwillingness to address the lies of Donald Trump and by reaction from male-headship pastors who accused her of “preaching” and exercising authority over men. (Mark Wingfield/Baptist News Global 12/28/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Some of the Southern Baptist Convention’s white male theocrats just can’t give up hating on Beth Moore.
It has been nearly three years since the popular Bible teacher and author from Houston gave up on the denomination of her heritage and became an Anglican — an exit driven primarily by SBC leaders’ unwillingness to address the lies of Donald Trump and by reaction from male-headship pastors who accused her of “preaching” and exercising authority over men. (Mark Wingfield/Baptist News Global 12/28/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
God, Christmas and Miracles: A Conversation
This is the latest in my occasional series of conversations about Christianity, aimed at bridging America’s God gulf. Previously, I’ve spoken with the Rev. Timothy Keller, President Jimmy Carter, Cardinal Joseph Tobin and others. Here’s my interview with Beth Moore, an influential evangelical writer who broke with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2021. It has been edited for clarity and length. Nicholas Kristof: Merry Christmas! This is my favorite season, but I’m skeptical that Jesus was born to a virgin. Do we need to accept miracles to celebrate the Christmas story? Beth Moore: For people who believe Jesus rose from the dead, a virgin birth is not inconceivable. (Nicholas Kristoff/New York Times 12/23/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
This is the latest in my occasional series of conversations about Christianity, aimed at bridging America’s God gulf. Previously, I’ve spoken with the Rev. Timothy Keller, President Jimmy Carter, Cardinal Joseph Tobin and others. Here’s my interview with Beth Moore, an influential evangelical writer who broke with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2021. It has been edited for clarity and length. Nicholas Kristof: Merry Christmas! This is my favorite season, but I’m skeptical that Jesus was born to a virgin. Do we need to accept miracles to celebrate the Christmas story? Beth Moore: For people who believe Jesus rose from the dead, a virgin birth is not inconceivable. (Nicholas Kristoff/New York Times 12/23/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
The Top 10 Religion Stories of 2023
5. A Love for Women: PW Talks to Beth Moore Beth Moore, a Bible teacher whose books have sold over 17.5 million copies since 1994, tells the story of her life in All My Knotted Up Life—the first book since announcing her split from the Southern Baptist denomination in 2021. (Emma Winner/Publishers Weekly 12/13/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
5. A Love for Women: PW Talks to Beth Moore Beth Moore, a Bible teacher whose books have sold over 17.5 million copies since 1994, tells the story of her life in All My Knotted Up Life—the first book since announcing her split from the Southern Baptist denomination in 2021. (Emma Winner/Publishers Weekly 12/13/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Beth Moore
“We had so many problems. But through thick and thin, Jesus just kept carrying us. Nothing flashy about it: Women who were young once, writing in their prayer journals and underlining Scripture. Women in their late 60s now. Writing in their prayer journals and underlining Scripture.....Use the talents, circumstances, and resources God has given you today. Be faithful with today’s gifts, trusting Him with the results of tomorrow. You just never know what may happen!” --Beth Moore, whose memoir “All My Knotted-Up Life” released earlier this year. 6.22.23
March 8, 2023: Baptist News Global: Tucker Carlson takes on Russell Moore, Beth Moore, Tim Keller and David French
It’s not just “liberals” who draw Tucker Carlson’s scorn these days. Even some stalwarts of evangelical conservativism are too “woke” to please the acerbic Fox News personality.
It’s not just “liberals” who draw Tucker Carlson’s scorn these days. Even some stalwarts of evangelical conservativism are too “woke” to please the acerbic Fox News personality.
Mar 8, 2023: Du Mez Connections: What you need to know about Beth Moore is that she is human
I read Beth Moore’s All My Knotted-Up Life the week it came out. I can’t remember another book that made me laugh as much as this one did. There were also a few places where I had to fight to hold back tears.
There is so much that I could say about Beth Moore and the book, and much of that will have to wait for my book Live Laugh Love, because Beth is part of that story. This reflection is something different.
June 2023: Sojourners: UNTYING THREADS OF GRIEF IN ‘ALL MY KNOTTED-UP LIFE
“GRIEF TAKES SO much energy. I can feel it even in my fingers.”
These are the words that drew me to Christian author and speaker Beth Moore’s memoir, All My Knotted-Up Life. She posted the sentences as two separate tweets in the wake of her brother’s unexpected death, less than three weeks before her memoir’s release.
I read Beth Moore’s All My Knotted-Up Life the week it came out. I can’t remember another book that made me laugh as much as this one did. There were also a few places where I had to fight to hold back tears.
There is so much that I could say about Beth Moore and the book, and much of that will have to wait for my book Live Laugh Love, because Beth is part of that story. This reflection is something different.
June 2023: Sojourners: UNTYING THREADS OF GRIEF IN ‘ALL MY KNOTTED-UP LIFE
“GRIEF TAKES SO much energy. I can feel it even in my fingers.”
These are the words that drew me to Christian author and speaker Beth Moore’s memoir, All My Knotted-Up Life. She posted the sentences as two separate tweets in the wake of her brother’s unexpected death, less than three weeks before her memoir’s release.
Feb 20, 2023: Religion News Service: Beth Moore tries to untangle her ‘all knotted-up life’ in new memoir
There’s a downside to going someplace where everyone knows your name.
Author and Bible teacher Beth Moore discovered that reality in the months after making a public break with the Southern Baptist Convention, which had been her spiritual home since childhood.
There’s a downside to going someplace where everyone knows your name.
Author and Bible teacher Beth Moore discovered that reality in the months after making a public break with the Southern Baptist Convention, which had been her spiritual home since childhood.
February 21, 2023:
I love this comment from Beth Moore. To me it exemplifies how the GOPgelicals and a large percent of evangelicals operate. They know that if they call something evil...it is a linguistic mechanism that means "I have already passed judgment" so there is nothing more to discuss. It then escalates in to vitriol and/or ignorance that short circuits the great commission of "going and make disciples of all nations."
As we move toward the Last Days, Jesus said there will be deception by false teaches. "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my Name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and WILL deceive man (Matt 24:4-5). More and more people will search for leaders (politicians included) to deliver them, and they will seek mystics and religious leaders who claim to have deeper knowledge.
Dr David Jeremiah pointed out that "Our society is characterized by a culture of toleration that works for everybody but Christians. There is acceptance and understanding for all sorts of immoral behavior, yet the world considers it unacceptable to speak of absolute Truth. In response, many (Dr Jeremiah used the word "some" but I think the word "many" is more applicable to now, and we are moving to "most" instead of "less") anyway, many churches and pastors have departed from sound doctrine.
This isn't just another trend. It is a spirit of deception taking hold of our culture.
I love this comment from Beth Moore. To me it exemplifies how the GOPgelicals and a large percent of evangelicals operate. They know that if they call something evil...it is a linguistic mechanism that means "I have already passed judgment" so there is nothing more to discuss. It then escalates in to vitriol and/or ignorance that short circuits the great commission of "going and make disciples of all nations."
As we move toward the Last Days, Jesus said there will be deception by false teaches. "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my Name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and WILL deceive man (Matt 24:4-5). More and more people will search for leaders (politicians included) to deliver them, and they will seek mystics and religious leaders who claim to have deeper knowledge.
Dr David Jeremiah pointed out that "Our society is characterized by a culture of toleration that works for everybody but Christians. There is acceptance and understanding for all sorts of immoral behavior, yet the world considers it unacceptable to speak of absolute Truth. In response, many (Dr Jeremiah used the word "some" but I think the word "many" is more applicable to now, and we are moving to "most" instead of "less") anyway, many churches and pastors have departed from sound doctrine.
This isn't just another trend. It is a spirit of deception taking hold of our culture.
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Jan 10, 2023: Outreach Magazine: Beth Moore: A Lifelong Learning—Part 1
Since founding Living Proof Ministries in 1994, Moore’s Bible studies have been translated into over 20 languages. In addition to writing and live events, she can also be seen teaching Bible studies on the television program Living Proof with Beth Moore, aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Moore’s powerful life story is the core of her highly anticipated forthcoming book All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir (Tyndale). In anticipation of that milestone, Outreach Editor-at-Large Paul J. Pastor caught up with Moore to discuss key takeaways from her journey in ministry, her transition from the Southern Baptist to the Anglican tradition, God’s faithfulness through the changing seasons of life and what she hopes to see as the church passes through our present time of “pruning.” |
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Dec 1, 2022: Relevant Magazine: Beth Moore on How to Handle Your Spiritual Coming-of-Age
There is a coming-of-age for fruit-bearing Jesus-followers. At some point in your growth in the faith, you will face a drought or a plague or a blight of some kind. That’s when you will discover what your fruit is made of—and if it can withstand the elements that rail against it.
There is a coming-of-age for fruit-bearing Jesus-followers. At some point in your growth in the faith, you will face a drought or a plague or a blight of some kind. That’s when you will discover what your fruit is made of—and if it can withstand the elements that rail against it.
Best selling Christian author and Living Proof Ministries president Beth Moore made a comment regarding Christian nationalism that went viral on Twitter yesterday (Nov 14).
Moore’s words didn’t leave any room for interpretation, as she let her Christian followers know exactly where she stands when it comes to the political philosophy.
“Christian nationalism isn’t the way ahead for Jesus followers. Christian faithfulness is,” the renowned Bible teacher explained. “It’s fidelity to Christ—not fidelity to notions of American Christianity or to any political party—that will bring light into this present darkness. The church is bride to no one but Christ.” --Church Leader: Beth Moore’s Tweet on Christian Nationalism Goes Viral 11.15.22
Moore’s words didn’t leave any room for interpretation, as she let her Christian followers know exactly where she stands when it comes to the political philosophy.
“Christian nationalism isn’t the way ahead for Jesus followers. Christian faithfulness is,” the renowned Bible teacher explained. “It’s fidelity to Christ—not fidelity to notions of American Christianity or to any political party—that will bring light into this present darkness. The church is bride to no one but Christ.” --Church Leader: Beth Moore’s Tweet on Christian Nationalism Goes Viral 11.15.22
Apr 26, 2022: Roys Report: Jesus Saved Beth Moore’s Life. Twitter Blew It Up. A New Memoir Will Tell the Story.
For the past few years, Bible teacher and best-selling author Beth Moore has been one tweet away from disaster.
Moore, perhaps the best-known ex-Southern Baptist in the country, will recount her Twitter battles, her split with her former denomination and, more importantly, her lifelong journey with Jesus, in a new memoir titled “All My Knotted-Up Life,” due out from Tyndale in April 2023.
For the past few years, Bible teacher and best-selling author Beth Moore has been one tweet away from disaster.
Moore, perhaps the best-known ex-Southern Baptist in the country, will recount her Twitter battles, her split with her former denomination and, more importantly, her lifelong journey with Jesus, in a new memoir titled “All My Knotted-Up Life,” due out from Tyndale in April 2023.
Mar 4, 2022: G3: Beth Moore on Modesty and Creepy Righteous Dudes
God is the one who invented the sexual relationship and He is the One who created sexual attraction and placed it within men and women. Men, for the most part, are visually attracted to women. This is the way that God made them. It should not be viewed as a flaw or a source of guilt. Many men today feel a false sense of guilt for their in-built God-given sex drive. They are made to feel like creeps by their own misguided consciences and by women who desire to practice liberty at the expense of their brothers in Christ.
God is the one who invented the sexual relationship and He is the One who created sexual attraction and placed it within men and women. Men, for the most part, are visually attracted to women. This is the way that God made them. It should not be viewed as a flaw or a source of guilt. Many men today feel a false sense of guilt for their in-built God-given sex drive. They are made to feel like creeps by their own misguided consciences and by women who desire to practice liberty at the expense of their brothers in Christ.
"Want to see a miracle? Plant a word of love heart-deep in a persons life. Nurture it with a smile and a prayer and watch what happens." -Beth Moore
Beth Moore
"On the heels of the invitation, God posed the question that haunts every generation of Adams descendants. "Why spend money on what is not bread and labor on what does not satisfy?" Then like a frustrated parent determined to get through to his inner child, He said, "Listen, listen to me and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." I believe God's prescription for those who possess an inner thirst and hunger they cannot fill is implied in Isaiah 55:6. Those who are spiritually thirsty and hungry need only to do this: "Seek the Lord while he may be found and call on Him while He is near." --Beth Moore
2022
| Jan 5, 2022 The Russell Moore Show On this bonus episode, Russell Moore and Beth Moore talk about overcoming bitterness and how to avoid quarrels. They discuss the exvangelical/evangelical divide and what it looks like to guard against self-righteousness. Both of them share a few words of advice for current Southern Baptist leaders as well. Tune in for an insightful, rich conversation. |
Jan 3, 2022: Virtue Online: Former Southern Baptist Preacher Beth Moore Joins the Anglican Church in North America
She has the vacant stare through a mop of peroxide blonde hair of someone right out of central casting, but Beth Moore managed to convince millions of Southern Baptists that she was made of the right stuff. She built a reputation over three decades as a Bible teacher and preacher...and a $15 million empire.
She has the vacant stare through a mop of peroxide blonde hair of someone right out of central casting, but Beth Moore managed to convince millions of Southern Baptists that she was made of the right stuff. She built a reputation over three decades as a Bible teacher and preacher...and a $15 million empire.
Feb 4, 2022: Christian Headlines: Beth Moore urges Christian Leaders to Apologize for Spreading Misinformation
"I am baffled how often professing believers in Christ—often leaders—feel no need whatsoever to apologize—publicly or privately—or clear up misinformation they spread. It seems, if you're a watchdog for the church, you get to bite at will. You're somehow above the ethics of Jesus," she wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
"I am baffled how often professing believers in Christ—often leaders—feel no need whatsoever to apologize—publicly or privately—or clear up misinformation they spread. It seems, if you're a watchdog for the church, you get to bite at will. You're somehow above the ethics of Jesus," she wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
Aug 5, 2021: Religion News Service: Beth Moore left the SBC after the SBC left women to fend for themselves
Her decision made me reflect on the past, present and future of women in the denomination and, more specifically, on how Beth’s and my very different experiences might be instructive in understanding how we got here — and where we might go.
Her decision made me reflect on the past, present and future of women in the denomination and, more specifically, on how Beth’s and my very different experiences might be instructive in understanding how we got here — and where we might go.
July 1, 2021: Relevant Magazine: Pew Study: Trump’s White Evangelical Support Increased Between 2016 and 2020
White evangelicals have reliably voted Republican since the Reagan years, but the voting bloc met challenges from within its own party, including vocal Trump critics like Dr. Russell Moore and Beth Moore. However, such criticisms appeared to fall on deaf ears. Pew estimates that without Trump’s White evangelical base, Biden would have walloped Trump by more than 20 points.
White evangelicals have reliably voted Republican since the Reagan years, but the voting bloc met challenges from within its own party, including vocal Trump critics like Dr. Russell Moore and Beth Moore. However, such criticisms appeared to fall on deaf ears. Pew estimates that without Trump’s White evangelical base, Biden would have walloped Trump by more than 20 points.
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April 7, 2021: Religion News Service: Beth Moore apologizes for her role in elevating ‘complementarian’ theology that limits women leaders
First she shook the evangelical world by leaving the Southern Baptist Convention. Now Beth Moore, arguably the evangelical world’s most famous Bible teacher, has begged forgiveness for supporting the theology of male headship rooted in many evangelical cultures. In a Twitter thread Wednesday (April 7), Moore took aim at complementarianism, the 20th century theological framework that argues men and women were created for different roles and that effectively champions male headship and female submission. |
“Let me be blunt,” Moore tweeted. “When you functionally treat complementarianism—a doctrine of MAN—as if it belongs among the matters of 1st importance, yea, as a litmus test for where one stands on inerrancy & authority of Scripture, you are the ones who have misused Scripture. You went too far.” 4.7.21 |
Beth Moore
"I do not believe these are days for mincing words. I’m 63 1/2 years old & I have never seen anything in these United States of America I found more astonishingly seductive & dangerous to the saints of God than Trumpism. This Christian nationalism is not of God. Move back from it. Fellow leaders, we will be held responsible for remaining passive in this day of seduction to save our own skin while the saints we’ve been entrusted to serve are being seduced, manipulated, USED and stirred up into a lather of zeal devoid of the Holy Spirit for political gain." - Beth Moore December 2020
Mar 10, 2021: G3: Beth Moore’s Departure and the SBC’s Failure
A RNS article broke the news of Beth Moore’s departure from the SBC. It levied the charge that her view of Donald Trump and women preaching were the impetus. They argued as if these were the central issues that gave people pause over Mrs. Moore. However, this was not true for me.
A RNS article broke the news of Beth Moore’s departure from the SBC. It levied the charge that her view of Donald Trump and women preaching were the impetus. They argued as if these were the central issues that gave people pause over Mrs. Moore. However, this was not true for me.
September 2, 2020:
👉California pastor and author John MacArthur has been steadily going off the deep end for awhile now..MacArthur has referred to Catholicism as the "Kingdom of Satan, attacking Steven Furtick and Beth Moore. .But if you read his theology about 10 years ago you could see the beginning. In a nutshell, it's a desire for power which is primary motivation over proclaiming Jesus as Lord to a state that could use the message.,
👉California pastor and author John MacArthur has been steadily going off the deep end for awhile now..MacArthur has referred to Catholicism as the "Kingdom of Satan, attacking Steven Furtick and Beth Moore. .But if you read his theology about 10 years ago you could see the beginning. In a nutshell, it's a desire for power which is primary motivation over proclaiming Jesus as Lord to a state that could use the message.,
Feb 18, 2020: Christian Post: Women aren't trying to take over SBC pulpits, please stop fighting, Beth Moore says
Concerned that the Southern Baptist Convention is being "torn apart' by the devil, author and Bible teacher Beth Moore addressed the subject of women preaching, a contentious issue within the denomination that doesn't allow women to be pastors.
Concerned that the Southern Baptist Convention is being "torn apart' by the devil, author and Bible teacher Beth Moore addressed the subject of women preaching, a contentious issue within the denomination that doesn't allow women to be pastors.
Jan 9. 2020: Christianity Today: Beth Moore: God Uses Your Mistakes for Good
Years ago, when the number of attendees at Living Proof Live events started swelling—and, consequently, scaring me half to death—I decided that God would be most honored (and I’d be most reliant on him) if I fasted from the time each conference began until after it ended. If effectiveness increased in response to a combination of fasting and praying, as Scripture indicated it did, why wouldn’t the same formula work for fasting and speaking?
Tyndale Momentum (February 4, 2020)
Years ago, when the number of attendees at Living Proof Live events started swelling—and, consequently, scaring me half to death—I decided that God would be most honored (and I’d be most reliant on him) if I fasted from the time each conference began until after it ended. If effectiveness increased in response to a combination of fasting and praying, as Scripture indicated it did, why wouldn’t the same formula work for fasting and speaking?
It made perfect sense to me, so I kept this up for years—not one bite on an event weekend, from Friday after lunch until Saturday afternoon. Twenty-four hours or so was plenty doable. I desperately needed God to show up. The way I saw it, if I fasted at these events, God would be more likely to demonstrate favor.
Never mind that favor can’t be earned. Never mind that there’s no formula on earth for guaranteeing the outpouring of God’s Spirit. Sometimes we’re wheeling and dealing and calling it holy. The longer I live, the less I find God to be a hand shaker. Hand holder? Yes. Hand shaker? No.
God was faithful. He carried me through each of those events, especially in the last few hours when I felt shaky, and afterward, too, when the meet-and-greet would go on until I was nearly in tears. I’d already given everything I had.
Then I started seeing stars. Sometimes during the last session of an event, I’d have to steady myself at the podium for a moment until the lightheadedness passed. I was so depleted at the end that the aftereffects weren’t just physical. I’d immediately face spiritual attack, as if a hoard of demonic spider monkeys were jumping on my back.
Wait a minute, I thought. Isn’t fasting supposed to make us more effective at warfare? Isn’t that what Jesus was implying when his disciples couldn’t deliver the demon-possessed kid and Jesus told them, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21, NKJV)?
I was in it to win it, so I decided I just needed to pray more. I’d made a commitment, and I wouldn’t break it. What if God withdrew his Spirit? If this sounds like madness to you, welcome to the life of someone so far out on a limb that she felt like she had only the space of a twig to mess up. I was going to keep it up if it killed me.
Then at one event, right in the energetic throes of the final session, I thought it was indeed going to. The whole place went dark. By God’s grace, my vision blacked out only for a second and wasn’t noticed by the audience, but I can tell you this: I started eating. I’ve done so ever since, and as far as I can tell, God is still coming to the events. He hadn’t told me to fast. I’d volunteered to do it out of devotion. In the end, it was a godly idea that didn’t produce good fruit.
This turned out to be one of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned. Only one thing is worse than producing no fruit: producing bad fruit. Let there be no mistaking that people of God, the chosen branches of the perfect Vine, can bear unripe, sour, bitter, rotten, and foul-smelling fruit. I’ve done it. I’ve also seen it, smelled it, and eaten it. We can be moral and religiously upright and still produce rotten fruit.
Since the Father calls Jesus-followers to live immensely fruitful lives, it stands to reason that no question is more relevant than this: What kind of fruit are we producing? We can’t see fruit the way God can, but with his help, we are fully capable of distinguishing between good fruit and bad fruit.
Over the years, I’ve been increasingly analyzing the quality of some of the fruit coming from my own life and leadership. I have to ask myself (again and again): What kind of good fruit have I produced in my marriage and my family? My local church? My community? What kind of bad fruit have I produced in my marriage and my family? My local church? My community? What bad fruit have I produced through my job or calling? What good fruit have I produced? What fruit—good and bad—have I produced through my leisure time activities or hobbies? Has my social life borne good fruit or bad fruit?
As I’ve pondered these thoughts from the perspective of a teacher, one question comes straight from Jeremiah: “‘Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat?’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 23:28, ESV).
I frequently ask myself (sometimes ruthlessly) if I’ve served mostly straw or wheat—in other words, if my teaching has real substance or if it’s stuffed with filler that won’t stand the test of time. To keep the question on my radar, I’ve written the phrase “straw or wheat?” randomly throughout the blank pages of my journal.
The good news is that it doesn’t take years on end to do the math of our fruit-bearing equation. And it shouldn’t, lest it prove too late in any given field to produce a different crop. All it takes is time enough.
By way of example, a parent who drove a child too hard sees evidence of marred fruit long before the son or daughter launches. There’s time to own the problem, address it humbly and openly with the child, and then develop a different dynamic, even if this sometimes requires outside help. If the child is grown, it’s not too late to go back and say, “I was too hard on you, and I am deeply sorry.”
Of course our spiritual eyesight, even in hindsight, will never be twenty-twenty on this side of the sky, for “now we see in a mirror dimly” (1 Cor. 13:12). But in that dim light, if we’re willing to let go of our willful blindness, God will cause us to see things a bit more clearly, like a morning fog dispelling over a hillside vineyard.
The beautiful part about the fog clearing on rows of rotten grapes is that we can see with our own eyes that something’s gone wrong. That’s what it takes. As long as we’re in the fog, we won’t change. We can’t depend on our sense of smell. It’s possible to inhale a certain stench for so long that our sense of smell adapts. We have no idea how bad something stinks. But when the fog lifts and we see the bitter, mangled fruit, our eyes grow wide, and all of a sudden, our nasal airways awaken and sting.
Woe are we! What are we to do?
Sing, that’s what we do. Join in the song of lament. Give way to the regret. Open your mouth, and make the Beloved’s inquiry your own. Why did the field yield wild grapes? Why, Lord? Why did this turn out the way it did? He knows. He tells those who listen.
To our great relief, even rotten fruit finds a place in the vineyard. In the efficient economy of cultivation, nothing is wasted. The vinedresser does a curious thing with the rotten fruit. He turns it back into the soil and there, underground, by some spectacular organic miracle of nature, it fertilizes a future harvest.
Adapted from Chasing Vines by Beth Moore. Copyright © 2020. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
It made perfect sense to me, so I kept this up for years—not one bite on an event weekend, from Friday after lunch until Saturday afternoon. Twenty-four hours or so was plenty doable. I desperately needed God to show up. The way I saw it, if I fasted at these events, God would be more likely to demonstrate favor.
Never mind that favor can’t be earned. Never mind that there’s no formula on earth for guaranteeing the outpouring of God’s Spirit. Sometimes we’re wheeling and dealing and calling it holy. The longer I live, the less I find God to be a hand shaker. Hand holder? Yes. Hand shaker? No.
God was faithful. He carried me through each of those events, especially in the last few hours when I felt shaky, and afterward, too, when the meet-and-greet would go on until I was nearly in tears. I’d already given everything I had.
Then I started seeing stars. Sometimes during the last session of an event, I’d have to steady myself at the podium for a moment until the lightheadedness passed. I was so depleted at the end that the aftereffects weren’t just physical. I’d immediately face spiritual attack, as if a hoard of demonic spider monkeys were jumping on my back.
Wait a minute, I thought. Isn’t fasting supposed to make us more effective at warfare? Isn’t that what Jesus was implying when his disciples couldn’t deliver the demon-possessed kid and Jesus told them, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21, NKJV)?
I was in it to win it, so I decided I just needed to pray more. I’d made a commitment, and I wouldn’t break it. What if God withdrew his Spirit? If this sounds like madness to you, welcome to the life of someone so far out on a limb that she felt like she had only the space of a twig to mess up. I was going to keep it up if it killed me.
Then at one event, right in the energetic throes of the final session, I thought it was indeed going to. The whole place went dark. By God’s grace, my vision blacked out only for a second and wasn’t noticed by the audience, but I can tell you this: I started eating. I’ve done so ever since, and as far as I can tell, God is still coming to the events. He hadn’t told me to fast. I’d volunteered to do it out of devotion. In the end, it was a godly idea that didn’t produce good fruit.
This turned out to be one of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned. Only one thing is worse than producing no fruit: producing bad fruit. Let there be no mistaking that people of God, the chosen branches of the perfect Vine, can bear unripe, sour, bitter, rotten, and foul-smelling fruit. I’ve done it. I’ve also seen it, smelled it, and eaten it. We can be moral and religiously upright and still produce rotten fruit.
Since the Father calls Jesus-followers to live immensely fruitful lives, it stands to reason that no question is more relevant than this: What kind of fruit are we producing? We can’t see fruit the way God can, but with his help, we are fully capable of distinguishing between good fruit and bad fruit.
Over the years, I’ve been increasingly analyzing the quality of some of the fruit coming from my own life and leadership. I have to ask myself (again and again): What kind of good fruit have I produced in my marriage and my family? My local church? My community? What kind of bad fruit have I produced in my marriage and my family? My local church? My community? What bad fruit have I produced through my job or calling? What good fruit have I produced? What fruit—good and bad—have I produced through my leisure time activities or hobbies? Has my social life borne good fruit or bad fruit?
As I’ve pondered these thoughts from the perspective of a teacher, one question comes straight from Jeremiah: “‘Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat?’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 23:28, ESV).
I frequently ask myself (sometimes ruthlessly) if I’ve served mostly straw or wheat—in other words, if my teaching has real substance or if it’s stuffed with filler that won’t stand the test of time. To keep the question on my radar, I’ve written the phrase “straw or wheat?” randomly throughout the blank pages of my journal.
The good news is that it doesn’t take years on end to do the math of our fruit-bearing equation. And it shouldn’t, lest it prove too late in any given field to produce a different crop. All it takes is time enough.
By way of example, a parent who drove a child too hard sees evidence of marred fruit long before the son or daughter launches. There’s time to own the problem, address it humbly and openly with the child, and then develop a different dynamic, even if this sometimes requires outside help. If the child is grown, it’s not too late to go back and say, “I was too hard on you, and I am deeply sorry.”
Of course our spiritual eyesight, even in hindsight, will never be twenty-twenty on this side of the sky, for “now we see in a mirror dimly” (1 Cor. 13:12). But in that dim light, if we’re willing to let go of our willful blindness, God will cause us to see things a bit more clearly, like a morning fog dispelling over a hillside vineyard.
The beautiful part about the fog clearing on rows of rotten grapes is that we can see with our own eyes that something’s gone wrong. That’s what it takes. As long as we’re in the fog, we won’t change. We can’t depend on our sense of smell. It’s possible to inhale a certain stench for so long that our sense of smell adapts. We have no idea how bad something stinks. But when the fog lifts and we see the bitter, mangled fruit, our eyes grow wide, and all of a sudden, our nasal airways awaken and sting.
Woe are we! What are we to do?
Sing, that’s what we do. Join in the song of lament. Give way to the regret. Open your mouth, and make the Beloved’s inquiry your own. Why did the field yield wild grapes? Why, Lord? Why did this turn out the way it did? He knows. He tells those who listen.
To our great relief, even rotten fruit finds a place in the vineyard. In the efficient economy of cultivation, nothing is wasted. The vinedresser does a curious thing with the rotten fruit. He turns it back into the soil and there, underground, by some spectacular organic miracle of nature, it fertilizes a future harvest.
Adapted from Chasing Vines by Beth Moore. Copyright © 2020. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Dec 31, 2019: Christian Headlines: 9. JOHN MACARTHUR TELLS BETH MOORE TO ‘GO HOME’
Pastor Brandon Cox also commented on the situation writing, “The host says, ‘Beth Moore.’ And a man who is supposed to be a model of biblical manhood and spiritual leadership responds, ‘Go home!’ And a room full of men laugh. This is sad. It's unbiblical. But it's the fruit of arrogance.”
Pastor Brandon Cox also commented on the situation writing, “The host says, ‘Beth Moore.’ And a man who is supposed to be a model of biblical manhood and spiritual leadership responds, ‘Go home!’ And a room full of men laugh. This is sad. It's unbiblical. But it's the fruit of arrogance.”
2018 & Before
June 5, 2018: MercyHouse: What's happening in the Southern Baptist Convention and why should I care?
If you've been paying any attention to the news over the last few months, you've probably heard news stories and editorializing about the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). They've been embroiled in a controversy that has included the ousting of some high profile leaders in the denomination. Two of the biggest are Frank Page and Paige Patterson. Frank Page was the president of the denomination from 2010-2018 and was recently ousted because of a "morally inappropriate" relationship. Paige Patterson was the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 2003-2018 until recently fired because of inappropriate comments he made about the domestic abuse of a woman and allegations that he didn't properly handle the report of a rape that happened on his campus 15 years ago. This has caused quite a stir in the denomination and many have called for a deep repentance among all who make up the SBC family. See these articles by Beth Moore, Albert Mohler, and Sam Rainer for a taste of these kinds of calls for change.
If you've been paying any attention to the news over the last few months, you've probably heard news stories and editorializing about the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). They've been embroiled in a controversy that has included the ousting of some high profile leaders in the denomination. Two of the biggest are Frank Page and Paige Patterson. Frank Page was the president of the denomination from 2010-2018 and was recently ousted because of a "morally inappropriate" relationship. Paige Patterson was the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 2003-2018 until recently fired because of inappropriate comments he made about the domestic abuse of a woman and allegations that he didn't properly handle the report of a rape that happened on his campus 15 years ago. This has caused quite a stir in the denomination and many have called for a deep repentance among all who make up the SBC family. See these articles by Beth Moore, Albert Mohler, and Sam Rainer for a taste of these kinds of calls for change.
May 3, 2018: Gospel Coalition: An Apology to Beth Moore and My Sisters
Today Beth Moore penned a poignant letter to her brothers in Christ in which she points out the sinful root at the bottom of a lot of male attitudes toward women in general and women in ministry specifically. It deserves a wide and genuinely prayerful reading.
Today Beth Moore penned a poignant letter to her brothers in Christ in which she points out the sinful root at the bottom of a lot of male attitudes toward women in general and women in ministry specifically. It deserves a wide and genuinely prayerful reading.
Mar 24, 2014: Apprising Ministries: FUTURE OUTPOURING “PROPHECY” OF BETH MOORE
The sad fact is, the heart of the visible professing Christian church has begun following their fickle feelings rather than the Rock of God’s Word in Holy Scripture. One couldn’t find a more fitting figure to use in order to demonstrate this to you than quasi-elder Beth Moore, who is still heavily promoted by the Southern Baptist Convention.
The sad fact is, the heart of the visible professing Christian church has begun following their fickle feelings rather than the Rock of God’s Word in Holy Scripture. One couldn’t find a more fitting figure to use in order to demonstrate this to you than quasi-elder Beth Moore, who is still heavily promoted by the Southern Baptist Convention.
Sept 14, 2011: Hacking Christianity: Methodist Kudzu – The Problem of Beth Moore
One of the more frequent arguments I’ve seen in the church lately is about Beth Moore.
One of the more frequent arguments I’ve seen in the church lately is about Beth Moore.
Beth Moore
“No matter who you are or what kind of baggage you carry with you, no matter what you look like or feel like, no matter what you do or don’t do, God loves you just as you are right now. You don’t have to get your act together, lose ten pounds, run a marathon, write a best-selling book, or raise perfect children. You are an extraordinary woman in His sight right now.” -Beth Moore
“No matter who you are or what kind of baggage you carry with you, no matter what you look like or feel like, no matter what you do or don’t do, God loves you just as you are right now. You don’t have to get your act together, lose ten pounds, run a marathon, write a best-selling book, or raise perfect children. You are an extraordinary woman in His sight right now.” -Beth Moore
Beth Moore
“I believe the most important synonym of the word love in a marriage is forgiveness. I believe in working it through, crying it through, even fighting it through, then I believe in putting it behind you. For keeps. Love resists the inundating urge to bring back up the old with every new offense.” -Beth Moore
“I believe the most important synonym of the word love in a marriage is forgiveness. I believe in working it through, crying it through, even fighting it through, then I believe in putting it behind you. For keeps. Love resists the inundating urge to bring back up the old with every new offense.” -Beth Moore