FaithWire – California pastor John MacArthur doubled down Sunday, several weeks after he criticized well-known Christian author and speaker Beth Moore. In mid-October, MacArthur, while speaking at a celebration of his 50-year preaching career, was asked by moderator Todd Friel, also a pastor, to respond to the name “Beth Moore.”
The 80-year-old minister obliged, offering a two-word response to Friel, “Go home.” The cavalier reaction sent shockwaves through the evangelical community, leading some to come to MacArthur’s defense while others criticized the seasoned pastor for the tone of his rhetoric. After the audience’s laughter subsided, MacArthur said there’s “no case that can be made biblically for a woman preacher.”
Moore, it should be noted, does not refer to herself as a pastor, as she has said she subscribes to the theological belief that the role of pastor is reserved for men. She responded at the time via Twitter, writing she did not “surrender to a calling of man” when she dedicated her life to ministry at the age of 18. Moore said she “will follow Jesus — and Jesus alone — all the way home.” The dustup between the two prominent Christian leaders subsided in the days that followed, but over the weekend, MacArthur raised the issue once again in a sermon posted to his YouTube channel titled, “Does the Bible Permit a Woman to Preach?” READ MORE
