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Beth Moore: 'Legalism Will Make a Liar Out of You'

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Bible teacher Beth Moore recently tweeted to her nearly 900,000 followers one challenge she's faced as she's grown older:

"1 challenge of being older is the compelling to wave red flags & warn of dangers ahead. You want others to learn easier ways. You want to have made the mistakes so they don't have to. Red flag: Legalism will make a liar out of you. You'll force it on others & fail at it yourself." 

Moore elaborated on the dangers of legalism: 

"When our legalism exceeds our compassion, we have abandoned the heart of Christ to cling to the safety and control of the letter of the law. Legalism is a pet python. You can only keep it in the cage so long. Eventually it will slither out and crush the life out of you."

From demanding accountability within the church to imploring the administration of grace, Beth Moore has been making waves across Christian and public media. 

Last month her voice went viral when she called on Church leadership to be cognizant of sexual assault and oppressive culture. She shared about her years in ministry and how being a woman often provoked tension with her co-ministers, the majority of whom were men. 

Her activism prompted a response from The Gospel Coalition apologizing for either participating or being silent in the presence of misogynistic behavior within the Church. 

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About The Author

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John Wesley
Reid

John Wesley Reid is a senior fellow with the Hungary Foundation. Before moving to Budapest, John worked in Washington, D.C. for over six years covering politics, the Supreme Court, and church relations within the political sphere. John studied political science at Biola University and is an alumnus of Hillsdale College’s James Madison Fellowship. During his tenure in D.C., John was the editor-in-chief of Liberty University's Freedom Center, a producer with CBN News, digital media director for the Family Research Council, and he is a contributing author for various publications. John is a