Prominent Evangelical Beth Moore Says She Is No Longer a Southern Baptist

Prominent evangelical writer and teacher Beth Moore has said she is no longer a Southern Baptist, a split that comes after her criticism of sexism in the church and condemnation of “Trumpism.”

“I’m still a Baptist, but I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists,” Moore, founder of Living Proof Ministries, told Religion News Service in an interview published Tuesday.

“I love so many Southern Baptist people, so many Southern Baptist churches, but I don’t identify with some of the things of our heritage that haven’t stayed in the past,” she said.

Living Proof Ministries, which Moore founded in 1994, guides women who seek to mold their lives on gospel principles.

Moore, who is based in Houston, has spoken out against sexism and misogyny inside and outside the church. She has revealed that she is one of the many women who have been sexually assaulted and harassed, and she said “we have had enough”.

In 2016, after Donald Trump’s “Access Hollywood” recording went public, Moore called on people to “wake up”.

In December, she tweeted: “I have never seen anything in this United States of America that I found more surprisingly alluring and dangerous to the Saints of God than Trumpism. This Christian nationalism is not of God. in.”

In a 2018 blog post titled “A Letter to My Brethren,” Moore described her experience as a woman leader in the conservative evangelical world and having to learn to show “constant pronounced deference,” to be looked down upon and rejected. and managing attitudes among leading Christian leaders “who smacked of misogyny, objectification and astonishing contempt for women.”

Moore, 63, faced backlash for his comments. She told Religion News Service that she didn’t feel welcome at the 2019 Southern Baptist convention, where she spoke on an abuse panel, and that things have worsened since then.

Moore also told the outlet that she had terminated her publishing agreement with Lifeway, although she will still distribute her books.

Representatives for the Nashville, Tennessee-based organization did not immediately respond to an email request for comment Tuesday night.

Southern Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. The convention listed the total membership at 14.5 million in its latest annual report.