If you are Southern Baptist or even loosely affiliated with the Southern Baptist Church through an often Baptist Influenced “non-denominational” mega-church Beth Moore is a name you recognize. If you are a Christian woman who participates in women’s groups and group Bible studies or has even stepped foot inside a Lifeway bookstore, Beth Moore is a name you recognize.

The recent news that Beth has cut ties with LifeWay Christian bookstores, the Southern Baptist Convention and her public announcement that she no longer considers herself Southern Baptist may be a huge shock to your system.

You may be thinking — who cares? Another multi-million dollar Christian ministry/business, why does it matter if she loses money? The money doesn’t matter to you or me personally. 

What does matter is what all of this means for women in the church at large.

Beth Moore has always walked to the beat of her own drum when it comes to her Bible Study style. Starting off in the 1980s doing devotions at aerobics classes, growing as a Bible teacher Beth started attracting large crowds to her Bible studies at her local Baptist church in Houston. Through the years as her popularity grew. Then in 1995 she established Living Proof Ministries offering guided Bible studies, live events, a YouTube Chanel and more. Using these platforms Beth Moore takes her audience on a deep dive into the Bible. 

She has helped millions of women (and some men) learn more about the Bible and their faith. Baptist or not.​

Despite the uber traditional, man-centered theology and leadership in the Southern Baptist Church Beth has remained dedicated to her denomination and Southern Baptist Convention affiliation for years.

Religion News Service reports she "was above reproach, supporting Southern Baptist teaching that limits the office of pastor to men alone and cheerleading for the missions and evangelistic work that the denomination holds dear."

Even following rude, misogynistic comments from well-known megachurch pastor John MacArthur saying she should “go home” after speaking at a church for a Mother’s Day sermon.

Read that again, a woman giving the “sermon” or “message” or “keynote address” at a church, during a regular Sunday morning church service on Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day. This happened. In real life. In 2019! 

​Southern Baptists had a fit and some Christian leaders attacked her in the media with statements like these:​

​Over the course of the last few years, Beth has become outspoken about sexual abuse and become an advocate for victims. She has also been outspoken about her opinion of Donald Trump. As a result of these things, stirrings of her unrest within the Southern Baptist Church started to surface.

Fast forward to today.

​I say good for her!

Let me be clear, I am not affiliated with a local Baptist Church or the Southern Baptist Church as a whole. I do however have a history with both. When I became an official “Christian” it was in a local Southern Baptist church with a Baptist youth group. Much of my early foundation for my faith comes from the Baptist church.

I moved on to non-denominational churches, got sucked into mega-church cult-like systems and mindset. I then landed in a Christian cult. A small ministry group/family business rooted in that same mega-church mentality. 

After years of spiritual and emotional abuse, devastating damage to my family, and having to face the reality that I did still have faith in God but no longer faith in people I separated from all church and ministry affiliation for a while.

It’s been a long journey mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Through it all I learned a lot about my faith, people, the church and different systems that operate within the church as we know it in Western Christianity.

One of those systems is groupthink.

​My message is for the untold thousands of women who are “never going to read her books or do her Bible studies again”. The evangelical women who are being swept along with this mob mentality but have the tiniest inkling they don’t really want to go along with this way of thinking.

Groupthink is rampant in organizations of all kinds including but not limited to churches, ministries, businesses, big, small, right, or wrong. In my opinion, groupthink is always wrong.
Groupthink is a dangerous thing.

What is groupthink? How is it different from educating yourself about something in a group setting? Like school or even a healthy religious setting?

​For many years I was influenced by groupthink. It is a tricky phenomenon. 

On the one hand, you are choosing to be part of the group right? So doesn’t this make you a willing participant? This very thing is what makes groupthink so dangerous. It happens all while you justify to yourself that you are essentially “thinking for yourself” even as you question the very thoughts and decisions you are making. The dangers of groupthink are very real.

​In more dangerous situations groupthink can cause people to ignore moral or ethical convictions, cut ties with family and friends, give or spend money in amounts that cause undue hardship or even keep them in poverty.

​If you are a woman involved in a Southern Baptist Church or a Baptist influenced “non-denominational” church the dangers of groupthink right now have everything to do with Beth Moore and you.

You probably find yourself being bombarded with a groupthink chorus of anti-bethmoore voices. Possibly and even more sneakily all Beth Moore books, Bible studies or any mention of her may be quietly tucked away. Like you won’t even notice. Like she was never there.

You may be getting rid of all of your Beth Moore books and Bible Study Workbooks. Maybe still “secretly” listening to her or following her now for fear of your church friends or leaders finding out. 

You may be thinking what was the problem with her speaking in church on Mother’s Day? Isn’t she allowed to have an opinion about Donald Trump? Isn’t that what conservative evangelicals (like the SBC) want? Free speech? What is all the fuss about?

Maybe you have even spoken up a little but now feel silenced and just going with the flow. Laying low.

I am not affiliated with Beth Moore in any way and personally do not prefer her style as a teacher.

Please understand my goal here is to help you think for yourself! To speak up at your church and in your denomination if you think this is wrong! To give yourself a choice and a voice!

My goal here is to educate and warn anyone who reads this about groupthink.

Beginning with speaking up about her unfavorable opinion of Donald Trump to her cutting ties with LifeWay Bookstores she is risking losing millions of dollars to live with integrity to her convictions. I can only hope every Christian leader in our country would do the same.

For myself, I want to live by the integrity of my convictions. I appreciate this brave woman taking a stand for hers. I hope the countless numbers of women she has helped find a love for Bible Study and a closer walk with God will find their voices as well.

In February of 2020, I found myself co-hosting a glittering party sponsored by a major mall in the DC area.

Music pumping, champagne-sipping feeling like I was dreaming as I strolled around in a designer outfit styled by a professional stylist. Dreaming of everything 2020 would bring for my writing, blog, direct sales business and my growing social media. My eyes were set on making money on all fronts.


Two weeks later everything changed as we heard rumblings of a national shut down, an actual quarantine. In America? It was hard to imagine…


Somehow we knew this was serious. Dazed and confused, fighting fear we drove around Northern Virginia late one night trying to find a store that was still open and had anything left. It felt like a bad dream, as we arrived at a 24- hour Wal-Mart only to have the doors closed just as we arrived.


We joined other nervous shoppers that were turned away, returned to our vehicle and took off to try again. Once we found a store (thank you Safe Way !) that was open and still had items on the shelves (including toilet paper!) we did our best to walk that thin line between panic hoarding and purchasing in moderation. Making sure we had enough for four of us to hunker down for the foreseeable future.


What a wild ride and not the fun kind that makes you scream with delight. This ride we all now know as 2020 has seen me scream in frustration and cry desperately, break out in full body hives from stress and at times wonder if we could pay our bills for the month. It has seen me spend countless fearful, sleepless nights.


My mental health is suffering along with nearly 1/2 of all Americans, according to The Washington Post.

In addition to the mental and emotional stress of facing the unknown, this ride has forced me back to work after over 18 years of being a stay at home mom. This wild ride, and all of its life lessons, has made me realize how good I had it and actually still have “it”.


I began to wonder this past year, what is “It” anyway? I realized for me “It” = my average everyday life.

The kind of life I was dreaming beyond in February.
The kind of life I have learned to love and appreciate more than ever before.


2020. The year average became ok again. The year I realized this average life that I have been duped into thinking is not enough actually is enough. More than enough. It is the “it” I have always wanted.

I have taken a long, unplanned break from my first blog, #thesosblog, and social media (with the exception of Facebook Marketplace, I am addicted to fixing up my house for $30 or less at a time!)
The long hiatus from everything has brought me here.


It has brought me back to Average Alice.

The concept for this blog came to me several years ago. I even started to build it, then I was swept up again in all the “more” of life.


You see, for years, I wanted a life “bigger and better” than the one I have. I wanted more, but there was a tiny part of me that knew my life, my average life was enough. I felt compelled to share that the “everyday” many of us have in common is good and can be full of contentment.


Then I was lured back with all the “more” messages I receive from outside sources like social media, or rather all media, self-help books (even or especially “Christian” ones), church, podcasts, religious groups — you name it.


The common message was (and is) I shouldn’t be satisfied with my life. I should always be reaching, serving, building, trying, working for more…more…more. The message was if I struggle with life at all I must not be satisfied with who I am, what I have or where I am going and I need help changing all that.


All the conquer the world, wash your face, become insta famous, you too can make $10,000 in a month messages that are constantly tempting us on social media. Strangely the same messages come from the pulpit and religious leaders preaching more, more, more. All the gurus, life coaches, and well-meaning cheerleaders selling their courses and having us sign up for their freebies, they mean well. I know they do. They are just trying to make their dreams come true while “helping” us reach ours. All the MLM superstars wanting you to sign up and “start your own business” with health products, oils, makeup, or ??? they mean well too. I think so anyway.


I have done all of this. Over the years and during 2020 I have signed up for it all, from freebies to paid courses, even MLMs. I have followed religious leaders, listened to all the podcasts, bought the books, applied all the messages and I have paid for it in more ways than one.


I have paid with my time and money. I have paid emotionally, physically even spiritually.


Here is what I have discovered. Average is really where “it’s” at.

Our average everyday lives, full of family, cleaning up the kitchen (again), re-painting the walls (myself! Not hiring a painter.), piles of laundry, grocery shopping, going to work at a regular job and gathering at night to watch some tv….this is the life of my dreams. Average.


For so long I missed it. Working for “more”. Constantly being told I needed to be more, needed to want more, strive for more, give more. I needed to do “more” by doing “less”. So many confusing messages from so many places when all along — I actually had (and have) “it” all.


So I present to you (and me!) Average Alice.

My new to me, old school blog”ish” writing. Where I will write for me and maybe for you. Back to basics. Writing, from my heart, the heart of an average, everyday wife, and mom.


Average is the new cool, the new standard, the new goal. I just want my average life and I am ok with that.