Beth Moore

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This article is about the evangelist. For the Georgia politician, see Beth Moore (politician). For the professional wrestler, see Allysin Kay.
Beth Moore
Born
Wanda Elizabeth Green

(1957-06-16) June 16, 1957 (age 64)
Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
EducationB.A. Southwest Texas State University (political science)
OccupationEvangelist, author, bible teacher
Years active1978–present
TitleFounder, Living Proof Ministries
Spouse(s)Keith Moore (m. 1978–present)
Children2

Wanda Elizabeth "Beth" Moore (born Wanda Elizabeth Green; 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. The ministry focuses on aiding women who desire to model their lives on evangelical Christian principles.[1] She is one of the most prominent American evangelical women, who speaks at arena events and has sold millions of books.[2]

The ministry, in conjunction with LifeWay Christian Resources, conducts more than a dozen conferences, known as "Living Proof Live", around the United States annually. Travis Cottrell leads worship at the conferences. From 2007 to 2011, Moore, Kay Arthur, and Priscilla Shirer[3] collaborated on another LifeWay weekend conference, "Deeper Still: The Event". Moore also teaches through her radio show, Living Proof with Beth Moore, and on her YouTube channel of the same name. She is of no relation to Baptist theologian and preacher Russell Moore.

Additionally, Moore writes books and produces video resources based on the Bible studies that she conducts at the Living Proof Live conferences.

She has taught at conferences for women in numerous countries, including Ireland, England, Singapore, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and India.[1]

Early life and education[]

Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and raised in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where her father owned a cinema house, Moore is the fourth of five children, all of whom worked at the cinema from a young age.[4]

Moore was raised in the Southern Baptist Church, regularly attending three times a week. [5] Church was a safe place for Moore as she was growing up, and was the place where she could escape the sexual abuse she experienced at home. [6]

Moore holds a degree in political science from Southwest Texas State University, where she pledged and was initiated into Chi Omega.[7]

Personal life[]

She married Keith Moore in 1978.[1] They have two grown daughters, Amanda and Melissa.[8] Both daughters, along with son-in-law Curtis Jones, work with their mother at Living Proof Ministries.[9]

She is a member of Bayou City Fellowship, Houston, Texas.[10]

Ministry[]

Moore committed her life to vocational Christian ministry at the age of 18. When she was volunteering as a Sunday school teacher, Moore realized she needed to learn more about the Bible.[11] She went to a biblical doctrine class that gave her a deep yearning to know the Bible, and she began sharing her expanding knowledge through a weekly Bible study class. By the mid-1990s that class had grown to 2,000 women, and she was speaking at churches throughout South Texas. Although still without any formal theological education degree, LifeWay Christian Resources' publishing arm Broadman & Holman (later B&H) began publishing her Bible studies in 1994, leading to a national speaking ministry for Moore.[12] With the help of a worship band she assembled, she began holding weekend conferences around the country. As a base for her national speaking ministry, she founded Living Proof Ministries.[13]

In 2008, she held a simulcast of her "Living Proof Live" that is estimated to have been watched by 70,000 people at 715 locations.[14] The sales of her book about Esther were credited as part of what made a "strong" quarter for Lifeway Christian Stores during the height of the Great Recession.[15]

Moore claimed to support the Southern Baptist Convention’s complementarian theology which teaches that males and females have complementary roles and does not allow women to be pastors.[16] [17] Male church leaders criticized her for speaking repeatedly on Sundays, which was in contradiction to the Biblical position on the role of women in regards to teaching. [18]

Leaving the Southern Baptist Convention[]

Moore’s opposition to traditional complementarianism, and denial of the Biblical standard in regards to who is permitted to preach in the Church, led to her leaving the Southern Baptist Convention. In March 2021, Moore announced that, though still a Baptist, she was no longer identified as a Southern Baptist and had ended her publishing relationship with LifeWay Christian.[19]

Political and social views[]

Moore does not identify as liberal, or feminist.[11] She is pro-life.[19]

In August 2020, Moore said, "White supremacy has held tight in much of the church for so long because the racists outlasted the anti racists."[2]

Sexual abuse[]

Moore was a victim of childhood sexual abuse within her home. [20] After the #MeToo movement and a report in her local newspaper which described 700 cases of sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention, she became an advocate for sexual abuse survivors: sharing her story, listening to other survivors, and urging the church to examine crimes and coverups.[21][22] She called out male church leaders for objectifying women and dismissing sexual abuse claims. [23]

Moore criticized portions of the Evangelical movement that dismissed the moral flaws of politicians accused of sexual abuse, most prominently Donald Trump and Roy Moore (no relation). [24][25] Moore said in a March 2021 interview that after the October 2016 release of the Access Hollywood tape, in which Donald Trump was heard making offensive comments about women, she was shocked that fellow evangelicals rallied around Trump, and couldn't understand how he had become "the banner, the poster child for the great white hope of evangelicalism, the salvation of the church in America." In December 2020 she tweeted, "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."[26]

Works[]

  • When Godly People Do Ungodly Things – book (2002), ISBN 978-0-8054-2465-2
  • Believing God – book (2004), ISBN 978-0-80543189-6
  • Who Will You Trust? – audio/video series (2007)
  • Get Out Of That Pit – book (2007), ISBN 978-1-59145-552-3
  • Songs of Deliverance – CD (2006)
  • Fully Alive: Audio/video series with Beth Moore, James and Betty Robison (2006)
  • So Long Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend to Us – book (2010), ISBN 978-1-4143-3472-1
  • Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk about God's Deliverance book (2017) ISBN 978-0-71809582-6
  • The Undoing of Saint Silvanus book (2017) ISBN 978-1-49641648-3

Bible studies[]

  • To Live is Christ: The Life & Ministry of Paul (1997), ISBN 978-0767334129
  • Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit (1998), ISBN 978-0-767392754
  • Breaking Free (1999)
  • Jesus: The One and Only (2002), ISBN 0-8054-2489-X
  • When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Arming Yourself in the Age of Seduction (2002), ISBN 0-8054-2465-2
  • The Beloved Disciple: Following John to the Heart of Jesus (2003), ISBN 0-8054-2753-8
  • Believing God (2004), ISBN 0-8054-3189-6
  • The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (2005), ISBN 0-633-09906-6
  • Daniel: Lives of Integrity, words of prophecy (2006), ISBN 978-1-4158-2588-4
  • A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place (2007)
  • Stepping Up: Psalms of Ascent (2007), ISBN 978-1415857434
  • Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman (2008), ISBN 1-4158-5289-8
  • Here and Now – There and Then: A Lecture Series on Revelation (2009)
  • David: Seeking a Heart Like His (2010), ISBN 978-1-4158-6948-2
  • James: Mercy Triumphs (2011), ISBN 978-1-4158-7171-3
  • Children of the Day: 1 & 2 Thessalonians (2014), ISBN 978-1-43002860-4
  • Living Free: Learning to Pray God's Word (2015), ISBN 978-1-43004330-0
  • Entrusted - Bible Study Book: A Study of 2 Timothy (2016), ISBN 978-1-430055006
  • The Quest: An Excursion Toward Intimacy with God (2017),ISBN 978-1462766611
  • Delivered: Experiencing God's Power in Your Pain (2019) ISBN 978-1-40410924-7
  • Chasing Vines: Finding Your Way to an Immensely Fruitful Life (2020) ISBN 9781496440884

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Official bio from Living Proof Ministries". Lproof.org. Archived from the original on 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Graham, Ruth (March 12, 2021). "With Humor and Biblical Authority, Beth Moore Captivates Evangelical Women" – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ^ "Going Beyond Ministries". Goingbeyond.com. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  4. ^ Morgan Lee, Beth Moore Is Speaking Up, christianitytoday.com, USA, June 12, 2019
  5. ^ Danielle Jarvis (March 3, 2020). "Beth Moore opens up on being sexually abused as a child". My Christian Daily. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Emily McFarlan Miller (December 14, 2018). "At Wheaton summit, prominent evangelicals share stories of sexual abuse". Religion News Service. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Greg Garrison, Author Beth Moore finds insecurity is skin deep phenomenon, al.com, USA, February 6, 2010
  8. ^ ""Beth Moore: Bible teacher and author"". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  9. ^ "Living Proof Ministries". Lproof.org. Archived from the original on 2009-08-23. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  10. ^ Alyson Ward, After decades of writing Bible studies, Beth Moore pens a novel, houstonchronicle.com, USA, September 23, 2016
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Emma Green, The Tiny Blond Bible Teacher Taking on the Evangelical Political Machine, theatlantic.com, USA, October 2018
  12. ^ Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Why Women Want Moore, christianitytoday.com, USA, August 13, 2010
  13. ^ Christianity Today: "Breaking Free: How Beth Moore became America's most exciting Bible teacher" Archived March 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Beth Moore simulcast reaches 70,000". Archived from the original on June 9, 2011.
  15. ^ Rob Phillips TRUSTEES: Christian publisher LifeWay doing 'remarkably well,' trustees told Archived February 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Baptist Press News. Feb 11, 2009
  16. ^ Tom Strode (October 7, 2019). "Beth Moore and Kay Warren address effects of sexual abuse". Baptist Standard. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  17. ^ "Beth Moore Says She's No Longer Southern Baptist". Christianity Today. March 29, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  18. ^ Tom Gjelten (June 10, 2019). "Southern Baptists To Confront Sexual Abuse And Role Of Women In The Church". NPR. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Smietana, Bob (March 9, 2021). "Bible teacher Beth Moore, splitting with Lifeway, says, 'I am no longer a Southern Baptist'". Religion News Service.
  20. ^ London, Matt (February 28, 2020). "Living Proof Ministries' Beth Moore opens up about overcoming childhood sexual abuse". Fox News. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  21. ^ Tom Strode (October 7, 2019). "Beth Moore and Kay Warren address effects of sexual abuse". Baptist Standard. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  22. ^ Emily McFarlan Miller (December 14, 2018). "At Wheaton summit, prominent evangelicals share stories of sexual abuse". Religion News Service. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  23. ^ Sarah McCammon (November 1, 2016). "Trump Presents Dilemma For Evangelical Women, Once Reliable GOP Voters". NPR. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  24. ^ Tom Gjelten (December 29, 2017). "2017 Has Been A Rough Year For Evangelicals". NPR. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  25. ^ https://blog.lproof.org/2018/05/a-letter-to-my-brothers.html
  26. ^ Harmeet Kaur. "Popular evangelical Beth Moore says she's no longer a Southern Baptist". CNN.

Further reading[]

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