At the Annual Southern Baptist Convention of 2021, Willy Rice gave the convention sermon. And while he used his bully pulpit to talk down on the grassroots, he received numerous rounds of applause by the convention floor and on social media afterwards. While he denied that Critical Race Theory was a real problem, furthermore denying that plebs could understand the issue, he found himself simping for Beth Moore afterwards when comparing her to Lottie Moon. The purpose of this speech was to equate those who would tell Beth Moore to “go home” with those who would have told Lottie Moon to go home instead of evangelizing in China.
The inspiration for the Willy Rice’s words were the pithy words of John MacArthur in a word association game at a conference. Mind you, another panelist said narcissist to describe Beth Moore. MacArthur’s words went viral angering feminists all over the Evangelical world and beyond. Southern Baptist elites, at the time, defended Moore in droves, and Willy Rice continued defending her in that sermon.
It’s worth noting that Lottie Moon was a famous missionary born in 1840 and died in 1912. She grew up on a tobacco plantation in Virginia, a slave state. In 1873 she went to China. And during a time of famine and destitution, she succumb to malnutrition and would die in an attempt to return to the country. Lottie Moon’s legacy is one of commitment to evangelism and missionary work.
“Lottie Moon’s theology was not only rooted in a deep affirmation of biblical authority, inerrancy and infallibility, but also in an urgent focus on conversion… Lottie Moon very clearly understood that the Gospel was the difference between life and death, heaven and hell. She understood that all persons were desperately in need of the knowledge of Christ.”
Al Mohler
In contrast, Beth Moore is a queen in Big Eva. She would leave the Southern Baptist Convention, after it would turn out that it was no longer a profitable audience. She would then come out as egalitarian to the surprise of no one. Evangelical Dark Web classifies Beth Moore as a heretic for preaching the Social Justice Gospel.
The comparison falls flat. Al Mohler’s kind words could not honestly be said of Moore. Yet Willy Rice would align with her as he attacks the grassroots. The elitist disparagement of a widely celebrated missionary figure should not go unnoticed. As for Willy Rice, there is another story concerning him coming soon.
