A Letter to the SBC, Regarding Female Pastors

Last updated on: June 27, 2023 at 7:31 pm By Gregory T. Smith

A former Southern Baptist Pastor congratulates the SBC for its decision against female pastors. (Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.) Dear Southern Baptist Convention, I want to congratulate you on your recent decision to ban all women from being called pastors. This goes a long way toward ensuring that your people will not go through that menacing deconstruction process where many people evaluate their own faith and decide for themselves what they believe. I know firsthand what a bother that... Read more

Open Your Soul with One-Word Prayer

Last updated on: June 25, 2023 at 7:32 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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My previous articles about one-word prayer suggest Christian mantras to open your soul to God. Here are a few more in the languages of Jesus: Open Your Soul with One-Word Prayer One-word prayers can open your soul to God like no other kind of prayer. In the first article of this series, “How to Pray a One-Word Prayer,” I wrote, “I’m convinced that we tend to talk too much when we pray. Prayer is better when we let our words... Read more

The Ethiopian Eunuch and Transgender, Intersex, & Asexual Folks

Last updated on: June 19, 2023 at 1:22 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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The story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch demonstrates how the Church should welcome and affirm transgender, intersex, and asexual folks. Everybody loves the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8. I mean, it’s got so much to offer! When I was younger, the big takeaway was how the Holy Spirit teleported Philip from Samaria to Azotus (verses 39-40)! As a Baptist, I used this story as a proof text for believer’s baptism. Later, I noticed how... Read more

When Did Jesus Mention Transgender, Intersex, and Asexual Folks?

Last updated on: June 19, 2023 at 3:46 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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When did Jesus mention transgender, intersex, and asexual folks? Let’s see what he had to say about eunuchs, the closest analog to today’s trans, intersex, and Ace community. When Did Jesus Mention Transgender, Intersex, and Asexual Folks? What did Jesus think about transgender, intersex, and asexual people? The closest analog in Jesus’ tie were eunuchs. In his article, “God Made them Male and Female…and Eunuch: Why the Biblical Case for Binary Gender Isn’t So…Biblical,” Tony Keddie discusses Jesus’ take... Read more

Worship God with One-Word Prayer

Last updated on: June 11, 2023 at 7:16 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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Prayer is best when we let our words be few—or even a single word. Here are four one-word prayers to help you worship God. One-Word Prayers In the first article of this series, I wrote: One carefully chosen word can be all it takes to make a whole prayer. For example, think of a time when you were in danger, and you only had a split second to pray. You might have uttered a prayer like, “God!” or “Jesus!” Prayers... Read more

Take Off Your Clothes! Flash Your Tats!

Last updated on: June 10, 2023 at 12:42 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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Why do some avoid tattoos due to religious prohibitions, while others treat their bodies as temples by decorating them with religious symbols? Is It a Sin to Get Tattooed or Pierced? Almost twenty years ago I was the pastor of the most tattooed and pierced church that I had seen at the time. Many of my church members asked me, “Is it a sin to get tattooed or pierced? Can Christians get tattoos?” Instead of going into a lengthy... Read more

How to Pray a One-Word Prayer

Last updated on: June 1, 2023 at 6:58 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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Most of us have prayed the one-word prayer, “God!” in moments of surprise and crisis. One-word prayers can be more powerful than you think. The Power of a Word John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” There’s definitely something majestic about God’s Word. God’s living Word is Jesus. Christians often call the Bible the written word that conveys the living Word. Both have glorious power in the... Read more

“Should You Be Loyal to Your Church?”

Last updated on: May 30, 2023 at 12:00 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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Loyalty is a virtue in many relationships. Let’s look at different types of loyalties and then ask, “Should you be loyal to your church?” Four Types of Loyalties On some level, society teaches each of us to be loyal. Here are four types of loyalties that learn from a young age: 1. Patriotic Loyalty I learned patriotism from my dad, who wore red, white, and blue checkered pants on the Fourth of July (those were the 1970s). He took us... Read more

When is Feeling Empty a Good Thing?

Last updated on: May 19, 2023 at 7:04 pm By Gregory T. Smith

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Usually, feeling empty is bad—like a hungry stomach or a heart vacant of love. But when is feeling empty a good thing? The Potter’s Purpose Sometimes, it’s good to be empty. Jeremiah’s passage about the potter illustrates this concept well. Jeremiah 18:1-6 says: The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear my words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and... Read more

How To Decide When Jesus’ Teachings Are Silent

Last updated on: May 30, 2023 at 8:51 am By Gregory T. Smith

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Jesus’ moral and ethical teachings are great—as far as they go. But how do you decide on important matters, when Jesus’ teachings are silent? For Christians, Jesus is the ultimate example of how to live a good life. By following Jesus’ lead, we learn and practice loving God and loving others. In fact, those two things, Jesus says, are the most important commandments. Beyond that, matters of religion can become confusing. The Hebrew Scriptures contained not just ten but... Read more

What year was the Temple in Jerusalem destroyed by the Romans?