Beth Moore, the famed Christian author and speaker, has never been one to shy away from speaking her mind, but she seems somewhat newly invigorated in recent months to speak truth to power in what she sees as a dangerous capitulation among her fellow evangelicals. She took to Twitter to call for repentance and reform, implying that evangelicalism has, broadly speaking, “colossally blown it.” She encouraged the Church to stop “expending untold energy still defending ourselves.” “How hard is it to repent?” she asked.
Why on God’s green earth are we expending untold energy still defending ourselves when we could just repent of placing trust in man to save & champion us, defend our principles & meanwhile keep us privileged & empowered instead of trusting God to help us?How hard is it to repent?
— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) March 27, 2018
I think some of us haven’t had enough practice at colossally blowing it. Listen, I’m not an expert on many things but I am an expert on colossally blowing it. It’s not hard to repent. You just get down on your face and go, God, I’ve colossally blown it. I’m so sorry. Please help.
— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) March 27, 2018
Evangelicalism is in humiliating need of reform but the thing is, it’s possible. In OUR lifetimes. All that stands between us & an astonishing work of the Holy Spirit is repentance. Quit being scared of rocking a boat that has run aground on an island of compromise.Walk on water.
— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) March 27, 2018
She practiced what she preached in a separate thread, in which she used Twitter for a little public confession and repentance (there’s a novel use of social media), asking God for forgiveness for “ways I’ve been complicit in & contributed to misogyny & sexism in the church by my cowardly and inordinate deference to male leaders in order to survive.”
Lord, I repent of ways I’ve been complicit in & contributed to misogyny & sexism in the church by my cowardly and inordinate deference to male leaders in order to survive rather than simply, appropriately respecting them as my brothers. Forgive me for being part of the problem>>>
— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) March 27, 2018
Lord, I repent of being complicit in & contributing to racism & white supremacy in the church by profiting off a system that was unjust to people of color. Forgive me for thinking it was enough to simple say & believe it to be true, “I’m not racist.” Forgive me for my passivity.
— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) March 27, 2018
Lord, forgive me for carrying such guilt & shame over my own sinful past & former sexual dysfunction that I haven’t had guts enough at critical times to call out grievous sexual misconduct & to help by Your power, leadership & grace make the world a safer place for the vulnerable
— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) March 27, 2018
Moore’s been open about the ways her words have cost her (she even talked to us about it!), but she’s still leading by example — providing a template for other leaders who want to repent of the ways evangelicalism has been used to reinforce existing power structures and systems of inequality. Hopefully others will follow her humble example.
