Beth Moore, a prominent Bible teacher who left the Southern Baptist Church after four decades, is now speaking out against the denomination's perceived prioritization of protecting leaders over addressing abuse.



In 2021, author, ministry leader, and Bible teacher Beth Moore left the Southern Baptist Church (SBC) after serving for more than 40 years. Today, however, she speaks out against the injustice women are facing from the church's prioritization of protecting the pulpit over those facing abuse.

According to Church Leaders, Moore hasn’t just physically removed herself from the SBC, but from the denominational label as well:

“I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists,” she told Religion News Service five years ago. “I love so many Southern Baptist people, so many Southern Baptist churches, but I don’t identify with some of the things in our heritage that haven’t remained in the past.”

Just a week before the SBC’s annual meeting, Moore’s been using social media to rebuke church leaders for not protecting hurting women from abusive pulpits within the church.

“Those in the SBC who think I no longer should have anything to say about the SBC profoundly underestimate the power of love,” said Moore. “I’d served southern Baptist women for 40 years by the time I left. And when I left, I left directly on their behalf because it became disturbingly clear to me that the SBC as an entity was more interested in protecting shepherds than the sheep entrusted to their care.”

Moore continued, “When protecting the pulpit from women becomes a far greater priority than protecting women (& children) from an abusive pulpit, something is wrong. Which has been the greater problem: women trying to become your senior pastors or pastors misusing or abusing women?”

Illustrating this stark divide and SBC’s critical race theory (CRT), Moore fears that the “CRT witch-hunt will happen now in regard to women,” she said. “The overreach resulted in numerous pastors, teachers, and professors dropping the immensely important biblical teachings against racism rather than risk being accused of CRT.”

Pleading for change, Moore asks presidents and leaders to make changes now before it’s too late.

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