Turning Point USA’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit aims to empower women through civic engagement and political activism. However, the article critiques this initiative, questioning its alignment with biblical roles for women which are supposed to be primarily focused on home and motherhood. It highlights inconsistencies among speakers promoting activism while diverging from scriptural teachings on femininity and family responsibilities.
Lori Alexander is known by her handle The Transformed Wife. Her TwitterX handle is godlywomanhood. She maintains many social media accounts for the express purpose, she says, of teaching women to be keepers at home, as per Titus 2:3-5.
On October 21, 2024, Lori The Transformed Wife, @godlywomanhood wrote-
This is for any of you who think my life is no different than the popular female preachers, influencers, book writers, speakers, and podcasters. I am home full time and always available for my family. I never travel. I’ve never given a speech anywhere. I stopped doing interviews. I donate all the money from my books to a pro-life organization. I just write or do a short video when something comes to mind. I mentor many women privately and on my social media sites in the ways of biblical womanhood as God commands. I stay within the boundary God has given to me to teach in Titus 2:3-5. I am a keeper at home as God commands. 3:06 PM Oct 21, 2024
I am glad she noticed the apparent contradiction of her constant shaming of women who work outside the home compared to her constant work for her ‘ministry’ inside her home. By my count she is on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Private group, Pinterest, TikTok her blog, Instagram, and who know what else. Constantly. These are not dormant platforms. Lori is active. She creates a LOT of content almost every day. She not only works at creating content but manages donations and royalties from her published books, so, she is also working with her finances, too. She is busy.
As I say so often, don’t look at only what these women say, look at what they do. In her defensive posting, Lori unwittingly admits to blogging, authoring, mentoring, youtubing, responding to contacts, interviewing, and managing her finances. Just because she does it at home instead of an office does not negate the fact that she is extremely busy with her work. Anyone seeing the excessive abundance of her output would note the same. She is deluding herself.
I noticed this kind of self-delusion (or outright lie) in an early Beth Moore blog essay. I had read in a 2010 Christianity Today article, where the interviewer of Beth Moore had stated,
“…she insists on maintaining a regular schedule, traveling every other Friday night and coming home the next night. “We walk the dogs together and eat out together all the time and lie on the floor with pillows and watch TV,” Moore says. “My man demanded attention and he got it, and my man demanded a normal home life and he got it.”
No. The maths ain’t mathing. A normal life? Hardly.
I had already noted that year Moore’s heavy travel schedule at the time, her mention of spending 2 weeks secluded in a cabin in Wyoming to write her book, her book tours, her speaking engagements apart from Living Proof, her TV appearances, her IRS tax-return statement that she worked 50 hours per week at her office in Houston. She was busy. What Moore was claiming and what she was actually doing did not match up.
Is she deluding herself? Is she deceiving others? Both.
I noticed the same with Diana Stone. When Diana Stone was writing for She Reads Truth, we read in Diana Stone’s bio that, “You can find her in the mornings with a cup of coffee and her Bible flung open, preparing for the day ahead.” And “With a sweet daughter in tow, Diana clings to God’s Word daily.“
It turns out that Mrs. Stone relaxes with the Bible “flung open” … after she dropped her daughter to daycare. At the time of that writing, in 2014, the couple had employed a part time nanny to care for their daughter in their home so Mrs. Stone could work as a freelance writer. After bumping along with several nannies, (likely not a fun time for the children with personnel coming and going) they put their child in daycare so Mrs. Stone could continue to write at home. So yes, she was at home…while a day care worker took care of her kid. What she tells the public and what is actually going on did not match up.
It was the same with so many others such as Priscilla Shirer, Joanna Gaines, Jackie Hill Perry… If a Christian mother chooses a career and also has children, one or the other, or both, will suffer. No matter how they try to spin it.
It is impossible for a woman to claim undivided attention for the children at home AND have an outside the house career, especially when it’s evident by reading their blogs, seeing their speaking schedules, and just having common sense to see their lifestyle. These women on the speaking circuit are either deluding themselves or their audience, or both. But the main problem is the hypocrisy of saying you live godly as a wife and mom but living your career too.
If a woman and her husband decide she needs to work outside the home, there may be good reasons for that to which the outsider is not privy. Sheerah in the Bible was “a builder.” Rachel was a shepherdess. Deborah was a wife but also a Judge. Lydia ran a business of selling purple but also had her own household. There ARE examples of women in the Bible who worked.
But if she is a mother, yes, then her first priority should be the children. John Mark was blessed with a mom and a grandma who raised him in the admonition of the Law. Don’t be fooled by mothers who have young children at home who try to talk the talk about being totally oriented to the home all the while living a different lifestyle away from the home. We aren’t dumb. We see you.
If you have to work, so be it. There may be good reasons. On the flip side, if you’re ashamed of being a stay at home mom, realize it is a magnificent thing. The point is, there is no room for self-deception and no call to deceive others…unless that is the intent.
I’m reading William Carey’s biography, written by his great grandson S. Pearce Carey. It’s a wonderful book for many reasons. Full of nuggets. Like this one:
Carey’s sister Mary, nicknamed Polly, became an invalid at a young age. Her spine started to go. By age 25 she was a paralytic.
Carey had already evangelized his family, and blessedly, Mary was a believer when her infirmity struck. Mary was confined to her sick room for the next 50 years. She had been the one to accompany her brother tramping on their field forays, examining nature and admiring God’s handiwork. Thus, Mary’s confinement was a grief to her, as she too, loved to roam. Worse, for eleven years after her final paralysis, she could not speak. She contracted smallpox, and after recovering, whispered a sentence or two with great pain and difficulty. Then she was mute again for another 20 years.
Mary only had the use of her right arm and hand, and could write, but only in pain. However, she led a Bible study, using a slate to converse. She wrote copiously to William when he was abroad on mission. Some of these folios have been saved, Mary poured out her heart to William, and she wrote every bit of family news. She was a huge encouragement to William.
She was a prayer warrior unparalleled, S. Pearce Carey calling her one of Carey’s ‘chief priests’, saying, “the incense of whose ceaseless intercession was fragrant to God.’ She prayed every single day for William’s needs and his mission, for 52 years.
Mary had drawn her sister’s many children to Christ. Mary was so loved, “to part with her would tear us asunder” wrote Mary’s niece in 1828. In the end, Mary was just skin and bone, barely able to sit up in a chair while her bed was being made, yet her face shone with the love of Christ. She was known by all as a sweet tempered Christian lady, empathizing more for others than herself. Yet finally, in 1842 at the age of 75, Mary was brought home to her Lord, where she was finally free from all pain and standing upright to see His face.
Her ministry of evangelizing, letter writing, encouraging, praying, and teaching is known to us 182 years later as remarkable and a grace upon grace.
So it is with grief when I read of egotistical cretins like Beth Moore who complained an interview that she was “in a tradition where there were just very limited things that a woman could do” as Beth has said, so, that is why she chose to step out of God’s role for her and satisfied her venal ambition to preach. Her God-given role was “limiting.”
Limiting. As in, not big enough.
Gladys Aylward
A woman like Moore, with full body capabilities, given the blessing of two children, having a home and wealth (not evicted as Carey’s sister’s family was), considered her role limiting. Mary, bedridden in the 1700s-1800s, mute, one useful arm only and that in pain, lovingly cared for as she engaged in not one, not two, not three, not four, but five ministries, having global impact and heaven only knows the eternal impact.
Does Moore and her ilk not know of this? Do these strutting spiritual strumpets not know of lowly Cockney, uneducated, impoverished maid Gladys Aylward, denied support to go on mission in China, but went anyway? Pouring out her life to minister to and evangelize orphans? Working tirelessly for the pagan Chinese from 1930 to 1970, when she died in Taiwan?
Do they not know of Selina Hastings, the Countess of Huntingdon, who was born into lordly British privilege, and used her means to become an ardent supporter of ministers who preach the truth? Inviting others to her home and founding dozens of chapels for the area’s preachers to do their godly ministrations? In 1783 she founded “The Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion”, a society of English preachers and churches that continues to this day.
Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon – Portrait – National Portrait Gallery, London
Do they not know of the blessing of motherhood, helpmeet, teacher of children, godly role and support of the household? Beth Moore and rebels of her ilk consider motherhood limiting. Praying: limiting. Letter writing: limiting. Philanthropy: limiting. Parenting: limiting. They consider all the roles and opportunities to serve God too limiting. They want to preach. They want to be in front. Well, ladies, the first shall be last and the last shall be first.
I am sure, SURE, on THAT DAY, women like Gladys, Selina, Mary will be standing in front, receiving due praise from the KING for their obedience and positive impact for the Kingdom. I am sure, SURE women like Beth Moore and Christine Caine and Jen Wilkin and Aimee Byrd etc. who rebel and whine, and ‘step into the classic leadership role’, as Caine has said, will be told “DEPART FROM ME” because of their rebellion and their negative damage to the kingdom. These disguised servants of righteousness will be unmasked, seen as they are- ministers of wickedness. As 2 Corinthians 11:15 says, their end will be as they deserve.
Meanwhile, dear sister, nothing is too limiting with God. Wherever you are and with whatever means He has given you, you can make an impact for His kingdom and for lost souls. Mary, Martha, Susannah, Dorcas, Lydia, Priscilla, Lois, Eunice…Gladys, Selina, Mary-Polly; whatever amount of education, whatever amount of finances, whatever the family situation, look to the excellent examples of our sisters in the faith. One day, we will meet them all. What a day that will be.
Recently I was asked a great question by a reader. I love that, because my aim and goal in my Christian life is to help women become aware of discernment issues and to live a holy life according to the Bible. When I receive a good question it encourages me that women are striving to meet the standards set before us in honoring Jesus. Despite all the ‘bad news’ out there, many unknown women are diligently but anonymously working on their sanctification to the glory of God.
No matter how ‘dark’ things seem, there are always God’s people in every corner of the world learning, fellowshipping, growing, and praying.
Joni Eareckson Tada sharing her testimony at The Strange Fire Conference held at Grace Community Church
The question was:
“I wanted to get your thoughts on whether a teen girl (I believe she was 18 or 19 at the time) speaking during a break out session at a conference on family discipleship. The topic was the “heart of a teen”. I loved everything this young lady shared and her experience and insight was all very helpful. Although there were both men and women present and she was speaking from a teen perspective to encourage parents I was questioning whether it was biblical for her to be speaking to the men as well.”
The conference was the ‘D6 Conference’. The ministry focuses on connecting church and family for personal discipleship based on Deuteronomy 6:4-7. It produces curricula and resources to aid families in their own discipleship, “The original small group” as they say.
The Bible says, But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. (1 Timothy 2:12).
So the conference atmosphere is kind of churchy (since D6 is a ministry) but the conference isn’t held at a church or put on by a church. The girl is not exegeting scripture, but sharing her expertise with a like-minded audience (in this case, Christians interested in family discipling). It’s like a testimony.
Since the prohibition in scripture is against women speaking during church to a congregation (and by extension in parachurch ministries/conferences) teaching men or usurping their authority by exegeting scripture, I think the teen’s talk is fine. Sharing expertise in an area of life to a co-ed group of people is being IN the world but not of the world.
See photo above of Tada speaking her testimony at the Strange Fire conference.
For example, The Master’s University (associated with Grace Community Church/John MacArthur/The Master’s Seminary) hosts a symposium every year called Math3ma, it’s science and math to the praise of God. Attached is a photo of molecular and cellular biologist Tara Sander Lee at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, sharing her firsthand knowledge of studying the wonders of human genetics and reproduction as designed by God.
Taking the pertinent verses together, we ask is she speaking in church or silent? Is she teaching men or learning? Is she usurping or submitting?
Tara Sandler Lee, Ph.D speaking about DNA at Math3ma
As in all the churches of the saints, the women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. (1 Corinthians 14:33b-35).
It’s a slippery slope, though. The 1 Timothy verse is clear about in church with the congregation. It’s also clear to me about an extension of the local church body learning at small group in a home or Sunday School. With parachurches and women speaking of personal thoughts during a conference or non-church service setting, it’s fairly clear that sharing thoughts or testimonies to an audience is fine.
A woman sharing knowledge, testimony, or expertise when not under ecclesiastical authority is fine. Or at church but not during the Sunday services, say, during a Saturday conference where the church becomes a venue. We are to be silent in the churches, but not in the world!
Nevertheless, the line is thin. It is easy to get sucked in slowly and incrementally. Optics are important. A woman or teen standing in the place where scripture is exegeted during church services, even if she’s just giving announcements, is part of that slippery slope. Photos of the moment afterwards simply show a woman speaking at the pulpit, later viewers of that photo don’t explain her content was secular, not biblical.
When “speaking” to audiences, careful approaches are necessary. In an incremental creep over time, a woman doesn’t wind up teaching men, to the disapproval of God!
The past few days has been involved for me with discerning a false ministry, but one that has a quarter of a million followers. Her impact is huge and the negative reverberations of her well-hidden errors will go on to the undiscerning and naïve. For that I feel prayerfully grief-stricken and have a deep concern for young ladies in this ever-darkening culture over whom they follow and what dark webs they may get caught up in.
One thing that caught my attention that I have been pondering in the calming-down aftermath here in my little corner of the world, is humility and teachability.
The more popular a teacher grows, the more chance there is for him or her to become prideful. It’s just the way of human flesh. God knows this. It is exactly why He said for new believing men not to become leaders, due to the temptation to become conceited-
and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the devil. (1 Timothy 3:6).
But the moment people start noticing our ministry is just the moment we need more humility.
So now I can hear the replies in your mind. ‘But I don’t HAVE a ministry!’
My reply to young ladies, married ladies, mothers, older ladies, is that we ALL have a ministry. It might not be codified. It might not have a name. It might not be a 501(c)3. But we do have a ministry.
you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.(1 Peter 2:5).
We are all priests, working for His name in the spheres in which He has placed us. No matter if the sphere is large or small, we work for His name, aware that our every move, our entire being, is for His name.
Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1).
The young unmarried woman is a ministry – by example – of her modesty and chasteness and eagerness to learn. The married woman is a ministry – by example – of her unity with her husband and presentation of her marriage as a parable of what the Gospel is like. The mothers are a ministry – by example – of literally presenting your bodies as a sacrifice of praise to Jesus who knit the baby in your womb. Raising children is a worthy calling for both the mother and father. The older woman is a ministry – by example – of ministering to younger women. Grandchildren. Ladies in church and elsewhere. Our own raising of children may be complete (if the Lord had granted it) but there are others to minister to, encouraging them in the admonition of the Lord and exhorting to share the beauty of Jesus.
We all have work to do. We’re all in a ministry.
Now. I was also thinking of a certain someone in a ministry who said people are accusing her of the following: “I am even being called dangerous, legalistic, ungodly, and a false teacher.” She said people are saying those things of her. She is a person who does have a formal ministry. It has a quarter of a million followers, she’s been interviewed widely, she wields a great deal of influence.
None of that matters. None.
What matters is, are we ministering in such a way that the holy and spotless name of Jesus is being upheld by our teachings and our lifestyle? Ministry is about the outworking of doctrinal truths applied to our lives, in His name, for His name. Are we doing it well?
It does a person good to occasionally review one’s life, one’s ministry, one’s teachings. Are we still on the center line of doctrinal truth? Are we speaking and behaving in such a way that would bring glory to Jesus, or bring reproach to Jesus?
You know, we are told to examine ourselves, more times in the New Testament than we think.
2 Corinthians 13:5 – Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
Galatians 6:3-4 – For if anyone thinks that he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another.
2 Peter 1:10 – Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choice of you;
1 Corinthians 11:28 – But a person must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
Matthew 7:5 – You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye!
If we are told to examine ourselves so much for that variety of reasons, why ignore the fact that we are to examine ourselves when we are doing ministry? No! Let it not be so!
Let us all, those in formal ministry and those who quietly or informally minister, examine ourselves to see that we are doing and saying things that are pleasing to God. If people are saying to us or about us that we’re dangerous, legalistic, ungodly, or a false teacher the question remains: do we love Jesus first or do we love ourselves first? Our entire attention and focus must be on His name. If I am doing anything that is dangerous or false or legalistic, upon hearing such accusations, is my pride such that I never take the charges seriously and go examine myself fairly? Never let it be so!
Pride is the first sin and the most serious. It is the root of all other sins. God speaks in His word many times about pride. Here are a few,
Proverbs 8:13 – The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.
Proverbs 11:2 – When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.
Proverbs 16:5 – Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
It is humbling to publicly repent of something done in sin or taught incorrectly in His name. It is humbling to eat crow. But pride should not be so strong that it prevents us from kneeling down and saying “I was wrong. Forgive me.”
I’ve seen some public teachers do it. Far from making me think less of them, I think MORE highly of them. I myself have been open about my mistake of following Joel Osteen at the start of my Christian life (before I had a blog, thankfully). Also of my newspaper eisegesis and looking at signs according to the news, early on in my blogging career. I was excited to finally have had all the answers in the Bible as to why the world was the way it was, and I’m not apologetic at that first rush of relief and joy and my worldview shifted so rapidly. But I am thankful the Spirit grew me out of that and I didn’t persist and become wayward in doctrine or hopefully not lead others astray.
If you are receiving congratulations for a job well done in ministry, great, but don’t let it go to your head. If you are receiving charges of falsity or error, stop, take a breath, consider the source, and examine yourself to see if it is so. The spotless name of Jesus is paramount to all we do in ministry, and yes we all have a ministry.
Ladies, as a New Year approaches, you might be thinking you’d like to change up who you follow for women’s ministries. Or maybe the Spirit grew you in discernment and you’ve abandoned some less solid ministries but aren’t sure who to turn to next. I can recommend these ministries of women by women, though you’re certainly NOT restricted to women only! I do encourage women to follow solid men too.
I personally follow WWUTT.com (Pastor Gabe Hughes at When We Understand the Text, DB Harrison and Virgil Walker at the Just Thinking Podcast, and anything from The Master’s University or The Master’s Seminary. There are so many other male-led podcasts I can recommend too, Reagan Rose at Redeeming Productivity, the guys at Ligonier and Ligonier Connect, Chris Hohnholz and Rich Story at Voice of Reason radio, Nathaniel Jolly and Ekkie Tepsupornchai at Truth be Known podcast, Andrew Rappaport’s Striving for Eternity, and so many others.
Here are some ladies’ podcasts I think you may enjoy:
The Women’s Hope podcast, with Dr. Shelbi Cullen and Kimberly Cummings. “Join Dr. Shelbi Cullen and Kimberly Cummings as they bring hope and encouragement through 25 years of combined experience in biblical discipleship and counseling as ACBC counselors.”
Susan J. Heck With the Master. “Susan is a certified counselor with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (biblicalcounseling.com) since 2003. She is also the author of With the Master Bible study series for ladies and many books. She has memorized the entire New Testament along with two books from the Old Testament!”
Martha Peace. “…Received training and certification from ACBC, which stands for Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. Martha teaches counseling classes and counsels in her church’s Certified Counselor Training Center. She has also written many books, most notably “The Excellent Wife.” She is a noted church and conference speaker, too.
Amy Spreeman and Michelle Lesley “A Word Fitly Spoken“. Each of these women have separate ongoing ministries in the form of blogs, Bible studies, and other written material, links to which are inside the podcast link on their About page. Michelle has a long-standing blog of discipleship and discernment issues, has written Sunday School curriculum for publishers, and has authored a book, in addition to traveling for speaking engagements. Amy also has much written material on topics of discernment and discipleship and also founded Naomi’s Table Bible Studies for women, and participates in speaking engagements.
Brooke Bartz, founder of the free online annual conference, Open Hearts in A Closed World Women’s Online Conference, Brooke has authored “Chronic Love: Trusting God while suffering with a Chronic Illness” and the Christian teen book “Godly Ever After (Fiona’s Faith, 1)”
These women are solid.
What I look for in a podcast, either from men or women, is a serious podcast that takes on biblical concepts unafraid and unapologetic, in love and gentleness. If the podcast discusses cultural issues, do they do so in a tone of charity, yet being solidly informed?
I think too many podcasts from ladies send too much of the podcast time giggling, horsing around, and talking of inane things. It is insulting to me, to think that of a 40 minute podcast I’ve got 20 minutes to waste. I don’t. I have limited time and increasingly as I age, with limited mental energy to devote. My ‘think time’ has shrunk! If you’re a younger woman, you only have so much time before the baby wakes up, the dinner has to be cooked, the husband arrives home, etc. If I want to indulge in a mental break or some inanity I’ll watch Green Acres or a few kitten hijinks videos. Spending half your podcast time in personal conversations with each other, swapping in-jokes, and larking about, is self-indulgent! It also displays a lack of control and women who teach are supposed to display control. Titus 2:5, 7 says older women are supposed to teach the younger to “be sensible…dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach,” yet they themselves are not sensible or self-controlled. Ugh.
Secondly, I also think it lowers the credibility of a woman’s podcast to spend time with giggling and tomfoolery, and then turn to the word of God to share eternal concepts. A podcast to me, IMO, is kind of like a pulpit. If you’re going to relate biblical concepts to people, do so with gravitas and a commitment to the One who authored it, in seriousness and earnestness.
So look for podcasts from women who are sensible, self-controlled, dignified in speech, true to the word, and talk about Jesus more than themselves.
I know we are all crunched for time most days, and every minute is precious. If you don’t listen to many podcasts (or sermons, teaching series, audio books, hymns, or Bible studies) I ask you to consider doing so. In the in-between times, like when folding laundry, doing errands in the car, or over a quick lunch, we can fill our mind with Bible-based, edifying material. Even 5 or 10 minutes’ worth will be edifying. 10 minutes 6X a week is an hour. An hour a week is 4 hours a month, and that adds up to 48 hours a year of “extra” edifying material. After all, our mind is how the Spirit transforms us, through the Bible’s good word and through discussions over the Bible’s concepts and doctrines.
In this blog I give some warnings and cautions to any sister in Christ whose ministry is growing.
Beth Moore tweeted a thread Saturday apologizing for making platformed Christian celebrity look so easy, and opining that (though) it is actually hard, you, too, can achieve it if you ‘keep at it’ and ‘hang in there’. No exaggeration. Screen shots and links blow.
I’ve written several times about the drastic error of these celebrity evangelical women who traded motherhood for celebrity, leaving kids and hubby behind, taking on the male role while hubby accepts the female. All in the name of “ministry,” when in reality it was just about a feminist career.
Lois and Eunice were Timothy’s mom and grandmom. They were lauded for teaching Timothy the Jewish scriptures well, and raising him as an obedient son of God. He was ready for the Gospel message when it came. We know where that ended up! Timothy became a pastor.
What if Lois and Eunice said one day “We believe in the passion, purpose, and potential of every woman everywhere. Let’s start a guild to activate every woman to make an impact in her world for the Kingdom”. And, what if, forsaking teaching the boy, Lois and Eunice cast their eyes on the wider world, abandoned their sphere of influence at home and instead struck off to focus on women everywhere ‘make an impact’? No Timothy, true son of Paul and pastor to many. The Lord developed spheres of influence and roles for each demographic, including women for a reason. The Lord puts us where we are for a reason.
This past week Andrew Rappaport of Striving for Eternity ministry asked me to come on his show which is a live show broadcast on Thursday nights with Anthony Sylvestro. It’s called Apologetics Live and people call or write in with comments and questions. The topic they’d asked me to speak to is women in ministry, women talking theology, and discernment. Did I mention it was live? And two hours long?
I was honored to be asked and also nervous. But it turns out I can talk about Jesus all night long. The time flew. I’ll leave it to you to decide if it was a good talk. If it wasn’t, that’s on me, the two gentlemen are personable and knowledgeable with a long history of preaching & teaching, apologetics ministry as well as evangelism and discernment.
My podcast is The End Time Blog Podcast, available on Apple and all the rest. Also it’s a direct widget on my right sidebar at the blog, https://the-end-time.org
Welcome to new folks who heard about this site from the show and checking me out. I appreciate it! If you would like to know a bit more about me I wrote about why I named this blog The End Time, a few nuggets of quirky info about me, and my doctrinal stance, this information is here at my ABOUT page.
I’ve been writing here at The End Time since 2009. I started the podcast 6 months ago. It’s just me reading what I wrote that day on the blog, lol. Nothing fancy. The longest one was I think about 25 minutes but mostly they last between 5 and 10 minutes long. A friend of mine said that is a great length because she can listen to two or three episodes while driving in to work. I had busy women in mind moms at home, busy working singles, who might not have the time to sit and read, but can listen while they do something else like fold laundry or drive. I’m pleased to report 10,000 listens already. Thank you!
One of the questions Andrew asked me on Apologetics Live was who I thought credible and solid women’s ministries are. I shared a list of several I enjoy, my list is certainly not exhaustive. Quite a few of these are pastor’s wives. Though that certainly isn’t a requirement for a women’s solid ministry, I believe it helps. Many men do not pay attention to what their wives are reading or the conferences they attend. Pastors have a higher diligence in protecting the flock and that includes their wives, as well as striving to maintain an orderly household as the scripture says they must.
Another thing that helps is if the woman has a long track record of being in the public eye without compromising their message nor becoming immoral in any way (in other words, fame or influence hasn’t gone to their head). There are many other solid ministries by women too besides the ones on my short list, who are proclaiming Jesus and honoring His name by being a diligent daughter of the King.
You can find many of these women in their blogs, on Youtube, Instagram, etc. The links I offer are just one of their many presences online. I’m listing women, because the topic I was asked to speak on was women doing theology and women in ministry, but at my blog there is a blogroll that contains many great men’s ministries. I don’t feel that women must listen to women only. In fact, I encourage women to listen to men.
1. Dr. Shelbi Cullen & Kimberly Cummings– Women’s Hope Podcast, part of the Master’s University. https://womens-hope.masters.edu/
Shelbi and Kimberly have 25 years of combined experience in biblical discipleship and counseling as ACBC counselors, and their content deals with both theology and practical life issues for women.
Susan is a certified counselor with the ACBC, recently widowed after 46 years of marriage to her husband- who was a pastor for 50 years, an author, and serves in her church as well as online and at conferences.
Martha is also an ACBC counselor, speaker, and author. Her books The Excellent Wife and The Exemplary Husband are in 3rd printings and translated into many languages.
Younger and newer to the scene are these two ladies. Brooke is Founder of Open Heart’s in a Closed World Conference which is now featured on American Gospel TV, and author of “Chronic Love: Trusting God while suffering with a chronic illness.” Co-Host, with her husband, of the “LIT” (Lead in Truth) Podcast.
Erin and Brooke just started a podcast together which will be dropped for the first time in November, and available on AGTV, the BAR Network available on all major podcast streaming and on the YouTube page-Open Hearts in a Closed World. They are also starting an online woman’s book club in November!
Amy helped launch a discernment radio program called Stand Up for the Truth, speaks at conferences and women’s groups and is the founder of Berean Research and Naomi’s Table Bible Studies for Women. She is married with two grown children.
Michelle is a family-focused stay at home mom of 6, home school veteran, is active at church and in women’s ministry, and trains Christian women through her blog, speaking engagements, and the podcast with Amy.
6. Lauren Hereford – Host of Tulips and Honey Podcast, and Technical director of Open Hearts in a Closed World. Lauren is married, and is a Reformed, Christian blogger/podcaster who also homeschools her daughter. https://afterthoughtbybiblicalbeginnings.podbean.com/
Robin Self is a Baptist pastor’s wife in a tiny town in Oklahoma, serving alongside her husband in church ministry for 28 years. She has 3 grown children.
The key for me is in this set of verses. Older women are to be reverent, younger are to be subject to their husbands, for the sole purpose of NOT dishonoring God. And isn’t that our chief aim? Whether we’re in a ministry or enjoying the benefits of someone else’s ministry, we women should honor God. It is our chief end in life.
Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. (Titus 2:3-5)
Someone on Twitter asked if we could recommend any good women’s conferences centering on faithful Biblical exposition and an unrelenting love for the church. This was my reply:
Good conferences centering on faithful Biblical exposition &an unrelenting love for the church are any from MacArthur, G3, TMU’s Truth & Life conference, etc. I’m not an advocate of separate women’s conferences. Women need theology, so, “Conference”, not “Women’s conference” IMO.
Below is why I prefer men’s conferences, exactly this, as a reader alerted me to a few days after the Twitter inquiry-
The Dallas Seminary’s Women’s Leadership conference concluded a few days ago. Christine Caine as the keynote speaker makes me so sad, because she teaches things unworthy of Christ. Through this invitation, the Dallas Seminary gives Caine credibility. Think of how many women are negatively influenced and exposed to her, or even when they see the line-up of speakers on the website.
I looked up the Bios of the other women who were on the schedule at the Leadership conference. A pattern emerged.
Have you noticed this phrase very often? It’s become a constant to many women’s ministry bios and purpose statements.
Her mission in life is to equip and inspire women to reach their full potential in Christ.
It sounds good. “Full potential.” Who wouldn’t want to reach their full potential, especially “in Christ”? It sounds great. Here are some more Ministry purpose statements I found along those lines.
[This ministry] exists to serve the local church, leaders, organizations, and individuals by inspiring and helping them connect with their God-given potential and purpose.
[This ministry] believes in the passion, purpose, and potential of every woman everywhere.
[This Teacher] has committed her life to equipping women of all ages, regardless of marital status, with practical, biblical truth to help them live more genuine lives. I share this dream with some amazing friends… to gather and equip and unleash a generation of women.
According to these teachers in their ministry purpose statements, I can be genuine, reach my full potential, be ‘unleashed’ (because I’m shackled now, right?), find my purpose, and more. Sounds good.
Except it’s wrong. Ministry isn’t about me. It isn’t about my potential. It isn’t about my life. It isn’t about my purpose. We do ministry for an entirely different reason. A reason that has its focus not on ourselves, looking laterally. We look up.
My potential is this: as a sinner I have the utter and constant potential to sin. (Genesis 6:5). Sinners gossip, steal, covet, murder, lust, and more. That is what sinners do. It is what we have the “potential” for. As a believer, my potential is in Christ, and will be fully realized in Christ when He comes. When we are glorified our potential will be full, but not until then. As it is now, as long as we’re not raptured or dead and dwelling in heaven until the Day, we have the total potential to sin. More than potential, actually.
We have the Holy Spirit as a help and an aid to resist our sin-nature. The more we grow, the more we can resist sin through the Holy Spirit’s help. But we do sin. Paul remarked about that, and if there was any believer who had a shot at reaching his “full potential”, as Christine Caine puts it, it was him. Yet he still struggled with doing what he didn’t want to do, and didn’t do what he wanted.
For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:15-20).
The kind of ministry purpose statements I read and quoted some above sound more like a fortune cookie than deeply committed evangelical purpose. It’s like that funny blog essay Challies did, ‘Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookie?’ Joel Osteen was selected as the unwitting target because he is well-known for issuing nebulous platitudes instead of firmly proclaiming the Word. We can play the same game. “Ministry Purpose Statement or Confucian saying?” Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who lived in around 500 BC. Here is an example:
The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.
It’s a Confucian saying, but if we add “in Christ” to the end it might well match any of the liberal Christian ministry purpose statements we find of the type I’m talking about.
I wish these ministries would have in their purpose statements and their leader bios, something like this:
“Helping women learn who Christ is through the study of His word.”
Or,
“Helping women to learn theology so we bring honor to Christ in our lives and deeds.”
Or,
“Women together studying the person, life, work, and ministry of Jesus Christ.”
Or,
“Studying His word so as to transform our minds and become more Christ-like.”
Or,
“Encouraging women to study God’s revelation to us through His written word.”
If you’re checking out a ministry online and see something like the me-statements mentioned above, promising full potential or unleashing or finding your purpose, beware. Alternately, just because a ministry puts up a solid-seeming purpose statement, it doesn’t mean they are necessarily solid. There’s this purpose statement for a famous ministry, which sounds fantastic:
[This ministry] is dedicated to encourage people to come to know and love Jesus Christ through the study of Scripture.
Sadly, the about statement of purpose is Beth Moore’s at Living Proof. Rather, her purpose statement should read:
This ministry is dedicated to encourage people to come to know and love Beth Moore through the study of my direct revelations, personal dreams, pop psychology, and funny anecdotes.”
So, just be aware of the language ministries use. If they claim to want to help you attain your full potential, it might be wise to say to yourself,
“No thanks, I want to study Christ while on earth, resist my potential, and wait for Him to fulfill it when I’m glorified.”
the-end-time.org 