Beth Moore, Paige Patterson, and the Bible

Sharayah Colter
Student, Master of Theological Studies
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Owner, Colter and Company Design

The Twittersphere has left my head summersaulting this week. Words and opinions have flowed — spewed rather — like a pipe leak that just keeps expanding and expanding until the water it holds meets no resistance at all.

I cringe at feeding into the social media runaway trains, but even more, I cringe at truth being concealed and untruths not being countered. So, I have just a few things to say.

1. Beth Moore does not speak for me.

I am saddened to hear that she has had an experience of being disrespected by men in ministry, and I wish that were not the case. My own experience, however, has been much different. Never that I can recall have I been made fun of, disrespected or shunned in seminary classes, in my church or in denominational work.

At the same time, I am one hundred percent content to fulfill the roles God has made available to me as a woman. I respect and embrace Scripture’s plan for women in ministry. I desire no more and no less, and I am confident that God will place His blessings on ministry done according to His system and setup. It is my privilege to follow His direction and not oppressive in the least.

2. The Bible does not bend to our cultural shifts.

I believe God’s word to be inerrant and inspired—God breathed. It requires no revising or reinterpreting to suit the decade or century in which we read and apply it. God and His word are the same always, enduring always, and true always.

Our culture is surging in anti-male sentiments, and it seems some of my fellow Christians are finding themselves swept up into that politically correct bandwagon. It is currently cool to promote women— to hoist them up — and often to do so by belittling men. God created men and women, both. Both are valuable, Neither should seek their confidence or identity in the demeaning of the other.

In the emotional responses to Beth Moore’s open letter, I’ve seen many Twitter users advocating that she be added as a speaker to the upcoming meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (where she is already slated to speak to pastors’ wives). As a Bible-following woman, I won’t stand silently by watching our convention, on a whim and in the flurry of what’s trending, dismiss a commitment to the authority of Scripture — a commitment that was costly in the making.

God has not left unclear the instruction that women are not to teach or have authority over men in Christ’s church. This issue is not about women, but about our following Scripture and submitting ourselves to God and His plan, even if it doesn’t make sense to us—culturally or otherwise.

3. Paige Patterson is one of the most godly humans I know.

He is intelligent, but more importantly, He is wise. He genuinely seeks God. He pours himself out — completely out — to carry the message of the gospel to literally the ends of the earth. His ministry has the anointing of God, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he leads more people to Christ in a month than most of us do all year. Or more.

His heart and mind are set on things above. He shows great care for women day in and day out. He has clarified comments taken out of context, explained that he has never counseled a physically abused woman to remain in a dangerous situation, and in fact has so fought for abused women that he has hidden them from dangerous husbands to protect them.

Any conclusions other than that are simply those of people not willing to give an honest reading and consideration of his statements and heart. Certainly that is each person’s prerogative. But let the record show, I fully support Paige Patterson, a man who has respected me, educated me and propelled me to follow and share Christ with zest and urgency.

Lastly, let us all remember that we perform for an audience of One. I know many who read this will not only disagree but be quite angered. The Twitter trolls will prove that true, I’m sure. But my allegiance is to Christ and His word and His truth, and it’s in that spirit that I share these thoughts.

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me. (Philippians 1:29-30)