Bible teacher Beth Moore says Christians need to differentiate between sexual immorality and sexual criminality.
The founder of Living Proof Ministries made her case Monday during a panel on addressing abuse within the church ahead of the Southern Baptist convention in Dallas this week.
“Both are sin, and both demand repentance in order to be restored, but one calls the police,” said Moore, a sexual abuse survivor. She added that Christians should not allow their guilt to prevent them from reporting criminal situations, even if they’ve had their own sexual dysfunction.
Fellow panelist Russell Moore (who is not related to Beth) reiterated her remarks, saying he’s seen abusers misuse grace again and again, preventing themselves from being held accountable and learning their lesson.
“They’re actually using mercy as a weapon to harm people, so we have to define biblically what that looks like,” Russell Moore said.
Their comments come at a time when several well-known leaders within the Southern Baptist church have stepped down due to allegations of improperly handling reports of sexual misconduct in the case of Paige Patterson, or accusations of improper conduct in the case of Bill Hybels, founder of Willow Creek Community Church, and Memphis megachurch pastor Andy Savage.
“We need to convey to the world that we care for victims and we care for women more than we care for our own positions of power,” said Texas pastor Matt Carter, who was also on the panel. “If that costs us something, we have to be willing to do that. It’s time. The church has hid behind those power structures for too long and we need to be the ones raising our hand and treating those people the way that Christ would.”
