For the past few weeks much anger has been directed at Grace Community Church pastor, John MacArthur, after a sharp comment he made regarding evangelist Beth Moore. The incident took place during a Q&A session at the Truth Matters conference on October 18th when MacArthur was asked to word-associated with the phrase, “Beth Moore,” to which he responded, “Go home.” His jab caused many evangelicals (especially those in the Southern Baptist Convention) to not only come to Moore’s defense but also unapologetically defend her preaching ministry. 

Expressing their distaste for MacArthur’s comments, many detractors have used the incident as an opportunity to lob charges of misogyny and sexism against the pastor, all the while ignoring his ultimate claim that Scripture denies women the role of pastor/elder in the church (strangely enough, many of these same individuals who have vociferously defended Moore were conveniently silent when three prominent SBC pastors promoted heretic Paula White’s newest book, but I digress). 

Instead of asking the question Is MacArthur a misogynist?, which seems to be making the rounds on social media, thoughtful Christians should rather be asking, was MacArthur wrong to use the phrase “Go home?” and was his critique of Moore warranted?

As someone who has unapologetically supported MacArthur’s ministry for years, I have no problem admitting that his choice of words was wrong. This is not because I find his comment to be derogatory, though some may believe it to be, but because it was unhelpful for the promulgation of the gospel. One of the ramifications of pithy, divisive one-liner comments is that they have the ability to turn away well-meaning Christians from sound, expository preaching (like that found at Grace Community), due to negative press. I defer to the Apostle Paul when he stated that though he had freedom (being found in Christ), he made himself a servant that he might “win more of them [unbelievers]” (1 Cor. 9:19).

With that being said, it is still important that we understand MacArthur’s words in their context. Directly after his remark, he went on to say, “There is no case that can be made biblically for a woman preacher. Period. Paragraph. End of discussion.” Following up a few minutes later when asked why Beth Moore’s ministry troubled him, he went on to state, “[This] profoundly troubles me because the church is caving-in to women preachers.”

It should be clear to everyone what the basis of his initial remark was: a criticism for lack of biblical fidelity. MacArthur’s comment was solely in reference to Moore’s occupation of the pulpit on Sunday morning, and not her value in the church or before God. But is he right in his judgment?

Fortunately for us, Paul answers this exact question in his pastoral epistle to Timothy when he writes, 

“I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” (1 Tim. 2:12-13).

Writing in the context of church order, Paul speaks candidly as to who is to fulfill the role of pastor and overseer of the church. Alluding to Adam and Eve as the basis for his remark, Paul makes clear that his distinction is based on the creation order and not merely the cultural norms of his day. He goes on to state the qualifications for such office in 1 Timothy 3:1-5, explaining that if anyone aspires to the office of overseer (pastor/elder) they must be “the husband of one wife” and be able to “manage his household well.”

This is not to say that women are not equal in value before God (Gen.1:26-27, 2:23) or that women are not allowed to teach in the church (throughout the New Testament, Paul commended Phoebe as a servant of the church (Rom.16:1), Prisca as a fellow worker in Christ Jesus (Rom. 16:3), and the women in Philippi as those “who have labored side by side with me in the gospel” (Phil.4:3), but that as it pertains to the office of overseer, that role is relegated only to men.

We should also notice that Paul links the leadership found in the church to that found in the household (1 Tim. 3:4-5). In Ephesians 5, we see Paul instruct men to be the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church and that wives should submit in everything to their husbands just as the church submits to Christ. Paul’s focus on male headship in the church is no isolated notion, but one found all throughout Scripture. If one is to forward a different teaching of 1 Timothy 2:12-13, contrary to the complementarian view (men and women being equal, but called to fulfill different roles), they must also explain why that view does not also extend to the headship found in individual households. 

With such plain teaching on biblical eldership, it’s a surprise that disagreement exists on this issue. For Moore, she has made her thoughts known on this topic in a response to Professor Owen Strachan of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary when he tweeted, 

The biggest surprise from the MacArthur incident was not so much his comments, but the willingness of many evangelicals to negate clear biblical teachings on gender roles for the sake of social justice. Paul, and the church, have been clear in their teaching on this matter for 2,000 years and Christians would do well to follow their instruction.