Becky Tirabassi markets herself as a “certified life coach” and is a circuit speaker on topics such as prayer, leadership, addiction, mentoring, and parenting. According to her bio, she speaks to men, women, and youth on a variety of topics traveling to speak in person, appearing on television, and through her podcast and radio programs.

Tirabassi is the founder of Burning Hearts, Inc., which she says is a non-profit organization that “challenges students to join a 21-Day Adventure in prayer, purity and purpose.”

Tirabassi, however, claims to be a Christian yet she rebels against the Holy God she claims to serve. To start, she is, according to her biography, a licensed pastor of Viewpoint Church in Newport Beach, CA.

After visiting Viewpoint Church’s website, I noticed that the statement of faith seemed fairly orthodox until the very last paragraph, titled Women in Ministry, which reads:

It is Viewpoint’s belief that we are to affirm God’s call on both men and women in ministry. Each should be given the opportunity to exercise the gifts given to them by God.  We believe that Paul’s warning to the churches in Corinth and Ephesus were in the context of women who were disrupting the church services and teaching false doctrines, therefore the admonition for women not to speak in the church wasn’t for all times but for a specific situation, just as the admonition for women to wear head coverings was for a specific time not for all times.   

As we can see, Tirabassi and her church twist the clear meaning of the Scriptures and apply improper hermeneutics to support the false teaching that women can be pastors. There is no indication from Scripture that Paul’s commands to the churches on women teaching were limited only for a certain amount of time or only to those two churches. In fact, the fact that he gave the same commands to both churches indicates that Paul’s commands were universal.

The argument against Paul’s command in 1 Timothy 2 is that Ephesus was known for its idolatry of the Pagan god, Artemis which was led by women. But this practice or even the name Artemis is not once mentioned anywhere in Paul’s letters to Ephesus or Timothy. This reading into the Scriptures is known as eisegesis—or the practice of reading something into the Scriptures that isn’t there to support a preconceived notion.

Paul makes his reasoning for male headship of the church clear in  1 Timothy 2:11–14, “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” The fact that Tirabassi and her church even bring this up for debate demonstrates a rebellious heart that has no desire to submit to the authority of God’s word.

But that isn’t where Tirabassi’s troubles end. Tirabassi is also a proponent of Word of Faith “prosperity gospel” theology and this false teaching permeates her entire ministry. In one devotional that she wrote titled The One Year Sacred Obsession Devotional—which is written similarly to the notoriously heretical Jesus Calling by Sara Young—Tirabassi suggests that one can go to a quiet place and hear God audibly speak to them and tell them that He will bring physical healing to their bodies:

Tirabassi expounds on this idea of God speaking to her extra-biblically in her book, Let God Talk To You. In her book, she explains how God doesn’t just speak to her through the Bible, but also through “prompting” her with “thoughts,” and even through “silence.” Further, much like the heretical Jesus Calling author does, she writes down what she believes he is saying to her and then uses her own writings as “proof” that God knows and loves her.

This has to be one of the most dangerous teachings in all of professing Christendom, that one relies on their own supposed personal, private revelation from God as their basis of security in salvation. She is essentially placing her own writings on par with Scripture by doing this and calling it God’s word.

Further, from as much material as I’ve perused and as many sermons and podcasts I’ve listened to, I have yet to hear her mention the cross, the blood of Jesus, as the basis of our salvation. And while I’m sure she does mention the cross somewhere in her materials, it is certainly clear that the cross is not a priority in her teachings despite the fact that she calls herself a “pastor”—which she is not. All of her books, writings, seminars, and so-called “sermons” are rooted in self-affirmation, self-help motivational speaking designed to lure one away from their need of the cross while boosting their reliance on themselves.

Sadly, Tirabassi is highly recommended in by teachers such as David Jeremiah, Focus on the Family, and her materials are widely used in many Evangelical and Southern Baptist churches around the world. Yet, Tirabassi needs to be avoided at all costs as her teachings are largely anti-Christian.