Until such time as I can pull together an article proper on The Gospel Coalition (TGC), please allow the article below on TGCW24 and the following two resources to serve as evidence of the reasons TGC is no longer doctrinally sound and should be marked and avoided as a whole: TGC is woke, progressive, egalitarian, soft on perversion, has a social justice bent, and mishandles Scripture.
Why It’s Time to Say Goodbye to The Gospel Coalition at Clear Truth Media
Unmasking False Teaching in Women’s Ministries with Michelle Lesley on the Contending for the Word podcast
Photo courtesy of TGCW24- edited
Ladies, The Gospel Coalition’s 2024 Women’s Conference (TGCW24) is coming up in about two weeks. I would encourage you not to attend the conference itself or any local simulcast of it, and to give any of your friends who are considering attending a heads up about the biblical issues with it.
About 15-20 years ago, TGC was a great, doctrinally sound resource, but it’s been on a downhill trajectory of wokeness, egalitarianism, softening toward perversion, and Scripture mangling ever since. One of TGC’s favorite article templates in recent years seems to be “Finding Jesus/the Gospel in [insert current popular secular movie here],” a gross mélange of worldliness and Scripture twisting. They have platformed Thabiti Anyabwile, who, the last time I read anything he wrote, had moved beyond woke to flat out racist. They’ve platformed Jackie Hill Perry (and others like her), who is not only woke, but preaches to men. And these are just a few small examples.
Over the last several years, TGCW has typically platformed this same type (woke and egalitarian) of speaker, and this year is no exception. This year’s line up also includes two Side B speakers who both identify as “Same Sex Attracted (SSA) Christians.“
You can find the list of speakers for TGCW24 here (until they’re removed from the TGCW site) and in the slideshow below:
I am not familiar with all of them, but let me provide you with some brief info on the ones I am familiar with and you’ll see why this is an event (and an organization) to avoid.
[Items in brackets are quoted from speaker bios at the TGCW24 website linked above. Just click on the speaker’s picture to verify.]
Jen Wilkin
Vanessa Hawkins: [serves as diversity advisor] Click the X post below (or the “link” underneath the post) and scroll down to see several video excerpts of Vanessa’s unbiblical teaching at TGCW24.
link / screenshot
David Platt
Alicia Akins: lots about race/diversity on her blog
Kristie Anyabwile: [She joyfully supports her husband…Thabiti]
Tina Boesch: [She works at LifeWay and manages the women’s Bible Study publishing team.] LifeWay’s prototypical women’s Bible study author preaches to men, yokes with false teachers, and mishandles Scripture. You’ll notice several of the authors Tina publishes are listed either in this article, at my Popular False Teachers tab, or both.
Missie Branch: [Missie serves on the SBC’s Racial Reconciliation Steering Committee and as chair of the board of trustees at Lifeway Christian Resources.] As chair of trustees, Missie bears much responsibility for the false teachers’ materials LifeWay carries. Missie also spoke/participated in events at the 2021 and 2022 Southern Baptist Convention, always in the company of other progressives.
Rachel Gilson: [serves on the leadership team of theological development and culture with Cru] Describes herself as “same sex attracted”.
Mary Wilson Hannah: [teaches Old Testament at Memphis City Seminary. Mary enjoys teaching and training others to teach the Scriptures,]
Rebecca McLaughlin: Calls herself a “Same Sex Attracted Christian” (She’s also one of LifeWay Women’s featured speakers/authors, by the way.)
Raechel Myers
Ann Voskamp
Amanda Bible Williams
Elizabeth Woodson: Preaches to men (see videos). “We also seek to elevate the voices of men and women of color so that our understanding of the way of Jesus reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of the kingdom of God.” (source)
Ladies, when you sit under someone’s teaching – whether it’s your pastor, Sunday School teacher, a conference speaker, or even a blogger or podcaster – you want to be sure that person is as doctrinally sound as possible. Women who defy Scripture by preaching to men, who embrace worldly, unbiblical paradigms regarding ethnicity, who identify themselves by ungodly, disordered lusts, and who twist Scripture to justify all these things and more are not women you should trust to teach you the truth of God’s Word. I urge you, stay away from TGC and TGCW.
If you’d like find out more about any of these or the other speakers on your own, may I suggest my article Is She a False Teacher? 7 Steps to Figuring it Out on Your Own for some research tips.
And if you’re looking for a doctrinally sound alternative to TGCW24, IF:Gathering, and all of LifeWay’s women’s conferences, may I recommend…
Shepherds’ Wives Conference (open to all women)
Any conference Susan Heck is headlining.
Answers for Women 2025– (Update: Now that this conference is over, you can access the teaching sessions here if you have a subscription -or a free trial subscription- to Answers TV. I am recommending only the 2025 Answers for Women conference, Resolute.)
G3 Women’s Expository Teaching Workshop (More of a weekend class than a conference, but still a great alternative.)
Any conference I’m speaking at. I promise I’m not trying to promote myself, it’s just that I know firsthand that these conferences will be doctrinally sound because I’m the one teaching them. :0) Plus, you can schedule one at your church on your timetable! Click here and scroll all the way down to my calendar of events.
