“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”                                                                                  Jesus

 

November 19, 2019. That was the date of my last post. At that time I felt I was ready to roll, to finally answer the question I had been promising to answer for so long. I started the process of writing—then 2020 dawned, and the world changed.

Some found the time of isolation inspiring and were able to use it productively. Others found it to be unsettling, a time shrouded in dense fog to be endured, a time when creativity and self-expression were stifled. Unfortunately, I found myself in that second group.

A few months ago I began to think about finishing what I had started, and I wondered: Is this still a question that would be relevant today? I had been mulling that over and revisiting what I had written so far when I received a message from a former teacher and friend with the link to a recent article: “The Southern Baptist Convention’s coming ‘Great Ejection.’” As I read about the potential expulsion of churches who have called women pastors to serve their congregations this coming June at their annual meeting, I realized how timely this topic still is. A link to the article can be found below. I hope you will take the time to read it.

Within that article I found another piece of information that continues the story of how Beth Moore’s life has unfolded since she left the SBC. She has written a new memoir in which she tells her story. I haven’t read the memoir, but I did read the article. She told of how difficult it was to find a church home after she took her stand, how heartbreaking it was to be asked to leave many churches she attended, how she and her husband were finally welcomed and cared for in an Anglican church. I was saddened by their continued rejection, but not surprised.

So I’ll get back to answering the question, and soon it will be posted here. Be prepared, it will be lengthy, as it should be since I delve deeply into the why and how of my conclusion in the context of the story. In the meantime, I hope you will read the articles below.

The Southern Baptist Convention’s coming ‘Great Ejection’ (religionnews.com) Religion News Service, March 22, 2023

Beth Moore tries to untangle her ‘all knotted-up life’ in new memoir (religionnews.com)

Beth Moore tries to untangle her ‘all knotted-up life’ in new memoir

Since the 1880s, Southern Baptists have argued over the role of women (religionnews.com) Religion News Service, March 15, 2023