By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor NOTE: Dashes were substituted for letters of a curse word in paragraph five. Also, [fire emoji] is used in paragraph nine to indicate Smith substituted a picture of flames for the word “fire.” NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) – Kevin Smith, pastor of Family Church Village in Palm Beach, Florida, was unanimously elected trustee chairman of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. His Sept. 13 election is being heralded as historic because this is “the first time a black individual has assumed this leadership role within the organization,” according to the Christian Post. Smith was lauded for his “deep ties in SBC life” and as someone who “personally understands the importance of cooperation as a Baptist distinctive,” in an ERLC press release published the same day. However, others pointed out that he attacks those who hold opposing views to his beliefs. National media sources cited Smith as saying, “I think some Southern Baptists just bent over and became political wh---s with this whole Trump stuff,” when he was an audience member commenting to a panel at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting. Prior to that statement he declared, “I think some … [Read more...]