Rick Warren and Moore Egalitarianism


This was an excellent discussion: Rick Warren recently was on a Christianity Today (or Astray) podcast with Russell Moore (former head of the ERLC and influential in Southern Baptist circles). Warren's church (Saddleback) was recently ejected from the SBC due to their hiring of women pastors, including a male/female pastor team to replace him in retirement, all which runs contrary to the Baptist Faith and Message (BFM2000). Warren argued that the Bible allows women pastors based on strained texts, essentially saying, "I know the clear texts that disallow it, but since there are other texts that seem to allow it, we should, too." He claims that he has repented of his male-only pastoral view, and that his change was entirely biblical and uninfluenced by culture --- yet, his new understanding coincided with the cresting wave of the #metoomovement and #churchtoo claims that we "need" more women in leadership. Considering that the besetting sin of Warren's whole ministry is pragmatism, I see no need to doubt that this was yet another pragmatic decision on his part.

Interestingly, Russell Moore, who wrote back in 2007 defending a complementarian position (that men and women have distinctive roles described by Scripture), offers no pushback against Warren. In fact, in a follow-up interview with his good friend Beth Moore, they talk about the shame it is that evangelicals don't work more closely with "egalitarians." Both Moores have left the SBC, and Beth Moore was reacting specifically to pressure due to her preaching in Sunday morning services. It's interesting that they shift the emphasis away from the SBC in this conversation to broader evangelicalism, considering that the debate is whether a church which claims to be SBC can practice contrary to the convention's confession; they would not argue that someone practicing infant baptism would be considered in cooperation with the SBC, so why would one thumbing its nose at the BFM2000 statement that "the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture"?

The truth is that Warren, for all his boasting of numbers and influence, should quietly accept this decision and start his own thing. He essentially admits that he's no longer in agreement with the BFM2000, so he should follow the Moores out the door. Unfortunately, he's signaled that he's going to appeal the decision at the next convention meeting, and he (and both the Moores) have a lot of undiscerning supporters in the SBC.

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