Evangelist Beth Moore has lamented that while some Christians in America have managed to avoid the "prosperity gospel," many are adhering to a "pampered gospel," which she says are making them afraid of listening to critics.
In a panel discussion commemorating the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, Moore talked about her experiences in calling for reform within American evangelism and how she responded to criticism from fellow Christians.
Moore said some people have commended her for bravely speaking out against issues that might be deemed politically disadvantageous for conservatives. But she asserted that she was only practicing what is taught in the Gospels.
"It is not brave. This is Gospel. What I think has happened here is that in our discipleship, we are not teaching what is normative in the believing life," Moore said, according to The Christian Post.
"When we carry our cross and we follow Jesus, we are walking into a storm. We were told that in Luke 10, Matthew 10 we will be 'sheep among wolves,' not wolves among sheep," she continued.
Moore, founder of Living Proof Ministries in Houston, Texas, asserted that many American believers do not understand that Christians must be ready to be criticized, persecuted and even killed for their faith.
"We have been very proud of the fact that we have not subscribed to a prosperity gospel. But what we have subscribed to is a pampered gospel where we are so afraid of suffering and we are so afraid someone is going to criticize us and hurt our feelings," she argued.
She said that Christians should develop "thicker skin," noting that Jesus Christ himself was hated for the Gospel.
The panel discussion, which took place at the Memphis Convention Center on Wednesday, was co-hosted by the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and The Gospel Coalition (TGC) in Memphis, Tennessee.
On Tuesday, the event organizers and Southern Baptists read some verses from the New Testament and prayed to God for racial unity.
ERLC president Russell Moore asked God to give the church a "sense of broken-heartedness" and repentance for its role in defending slavery in the past.
Collin Hansen, TGC's editorial director, asked God for the healing of America and a "revival of justice and mercy," according to Baptist Press.
