Brandon Smith

6 August by Brandon Smith

Goodbye, SBC Voices.

18 comments

Over the past two years, I have learned more about SBC/Baptist life than I ever have in the churches I’ve worked with. I’ve seen the good and the bad, said the good and the bad, and have grown a ton through my interactions here. Thank you all, especially Dave and the regulars for your support, [...]

1 August by Brandon Smith

On the SBC: An Interview with Ed Stetzer (Part 2)

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Connect with Brandon on Facebook and Twitter — Ed Stetzer, Vice President of the Insights Division at LifeWay and phenomenal researcher/writer, was kind enough to take the time to answer some of my questions regarding SBC life. I hope this will encourage us all!   BRANDON: There has been a semi-resurgence of debate surrounding Calvinism [...]

1 August by Brandon Smith

On the SBC: An Interview with Ed Stetzer (Part 1)

15 comments

Connect with Brandon on Facebook and Twitter — Ed Stetzer, Vice President of the Insights Division at LifeWay and phenomenal researcher/writer, was kind enough to take the time to answer some of my questions regarding SBC life. I hope this will encourage us all! BRANDON: Electing Fred Luter as SBC President was a monumental step [...]

19 June by Brandon Smith

Will Voting in Fred Luter, Jr. Matter?

36 comments

By the team you read this, Fred Luter, Jr. may have already been elected as President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Most Southern Baptists have prayed for years that we as a convention would atone for our regrettable past in the slave debate and both privately and publicly initiate racial reconciliation on a grand scale. Our prayers [...]

18 May by Brandon Smith

The Gospel According to The Avengers

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Here is the cast: Nick Fury is Jesus – The consummate leader, always leading with perfect intentions and precise calculations. Captain America is Christians – The one with upright character and unmatched integrity. (Let’s pretend that Christians exemplify this regularly.) Hammer of Thor is Scripture – An other-worldly power, unstoppable when in the right hands. [...]

26 March by Brandon Smith

Missional Church Leadership: A Conversation with Steve Timmis

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As someone feeling called by the Lord to pursue church planting, there are not many better resources than the work of Steve Timmis. He and I recently Skyped (though my Internet connection and webcam had a mind of their own!) and I picked his brain about missional living and leading a missional church in particular. [...]

22 February by Brandon Smith

Interview with “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” star Jeff Bethke

26 comments

Unless you live under a rock and completely avoid social media, you’ve at least heard of my man Jeff Bethke’s viral YouTube video “Why I Love Jesus, But Hate Religion.” If you haven’t, watch it here. At the time of this post, just six weeks after its release, the video is sitting at 19.3 million [...]

25 January by Brandon Smith

Open Letter to T.D. Jakes

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This was originally posted at Modern March Bishop Jakes, Let me first commend you on your acceptance to join the furnace that is the Elephant Room. You have taken a lot of heat over the years from pastors and theologians of all ilks, and you have handled it rather gracefully just as you did today. [...]

9 November by Brandon Smith

What is Primary? (Round Two)

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I have done this post before, but always enjoy the conversation it brings. Here would be my (current) primary, secondary, and tertiary issues: PRIMARY: Trinity Hypostatic Union Christ’s Resurrection Christ’s Second-Coming Authority and Inerrancy of Scripture The Virgin Birth Subsitutionary Atonement Justification by Faith Alone SECONDARY Calvinism/Arminianism Cessationsim/Continuationism/Charismaticism Believer’s/Infant Baptism Women in Ministry Denomination (usually [...]

11 October by Brandon Smith

BGCT: Are They the Bad Guys?

19 comments

Since the controversy in Texas regarding the Baptist Faith & Message (2000), the Baptist General Convention of Texas has been vilified as the liberals of the state, especially considering the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention formed to affirm the BFM and its support of inerrancy and the roles of women. My question is, is the BGCT as “bad” as advertised by [...]

23 September by Brandon Smith

Rick Warren on Rob Bell

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Rick Warren tweeted this in response to Rob Bell leaving his church: Speaking tours feed the ego=All applause&no responsibility.It’s an unreal world. A church gives accountability& validity Someone then asked him, “Do u think well-known pastors who leave their churches have more or less impact?” His response: Always less.No base 4credibility I think there is some [...]

19 September by Brandon Smith

Did Homosexuality Exist in Biblical Times?

33 comments

I read this article by a former SBC pastor and was greatly disturbed by his exegesis and thought process. I like his spirit of grace and humility toward the LGBT community, but this is just insulting to Scripture: [T]he concept of homosexuality was unknown for centuries after the Bible writers lived. It was not until [...]

16 September by Brandon Smith

On Calvinism

28 comments

Thank you, Peter Lumpkins. I know, I know… Not a sentence that you will see often. But, in light of a typical shock jock post that he wrote about myself and Voices, I have to give him his due… He reminded me of what a dumb Calvinist I can be at times. Dave Miller wrote a great post on [...]

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