Granger Smith is a Southern Baptist minister, radio show host and podcaster. He was an award-winning, platinum-selling country music singer, a profession that consumed him for two decades before leaving it in 2019 when God called him to the front lines of spreading the Gospel. His is a fascinating, if not tragic, journey that is laid out in his memoir “Like A River.”
“God is sovereign,” stated Granger earnestly in our interview. In all things, God is sovereign. There is a certain humility, joy and eagerness in Granger that reminds me of my brother Raul Francisco, who was also a husband, father, pastor, musician, and author, before he passed. So similar are their choice of professions, the way they parent and their demeanor - maybe that’s why I found my conversation with Granger so delightful. There was also a sense of urgency in Granger that is reminiscent of my brother, who wrote “Why Simple Discipleship: To Hasten the Wedding.” The operative word in that title is “hasten.” In like vein, Granger left his music career because he too felt that the “stakes are too high to be remotely away from the front lines of the battle.” Singing songs that had “vaguely” Christian themes was “too dull of a blade” for him. “I longed to be a sharper blade,” he said.
Despite being raised Christian, Granger admitted he didn’t have an encounter with God until he hit rock bottom after his son’s passing. Being a true Christian is like getting hit by a truck, he said. “I was the guy who got hit by a truck… I saw everything different; I wasn’t recognizable.”
Millions of people suffer devastation and heartbreak, and never realize that it is often those circumstance that refine their character. As it says in one of my favorite passages, Hebrews 12:11 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Harvest means the process of collecting crops or the collection of crops. In this context, the harvest of righteousness is the collection of qualities that Jesus models. Discipline transforms us into the likeness of Christ and manifests in fruit. That fruit appears to be in Granger’s ability to pastor his flock well and to model for people how to overcome grief with gratitude.
Interestingly enough, Granger also has a proclivity to ponder the intersection of AI and humanity. Here’s a podcast he did last year that caught my eye. “AI vs Religion - here’s the problem.” In our interview, we discussed AI’s impact on relationships, and the dangers of finding those connections in chatbots, something increasingly on the rise. But all is not lost. We talked about God’s redemptive hand working throughout this AI advancement, however scary the future may seem in a world of autonomous agents. We also talked about what makes us human and the suffering that we’re called to endure to produce perseverance, character and hope. Would AI really want to suffer?
Granger talks about his ministry; we discuss Calvinism, God’s sovereignty in all things and amidst a society that’s trying to malign the male identity, Granger gives some advice to young adult males.
You can follow Granger on his X account: https://x.com/GrangerSmith and his website: https://grangersmith.com/ where you can find his podcasts, YouTube videos, books (such as Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward after Loss and Heartache and Up Toward the Light), tours, and sermons. Granger’s wife Amber Emily Smith also has a book coming out this October titled: The Girl on the Bathroom Floor: Held Together When Everything is Falling Apart.”
Interview coverage:
1:35 – Granger’s decision to leave his profession: Stakes are too high to be remotely away from the front lines.
4:15 - Longing and craving to be a sharper blade.
5:30 - Granger’s Christian journey and hitting rock bottom. Living in light of the cross is like living in light of being hit by a truck.
10:00 - The journey been to become a pastor and life as a pastor. (Granger is in his third year at Southern Seminary in Louisville.)
12:50 - Granger’s initial focus in apologetics and shift to Masters of Divinity, and his desire to pastor young men.
16:40 - What kind of minister Granger aspires to be.
19:30 - Future of AI and music: the resurrection of dead musicians or AI-generated artists.
26:53 - How AI changes song writing and other heretofore communal activities.
29:20 - How AI is making everyone so self-sufficient that we’ve lost the process of collaboration, negotiation and serendipity.
32:05 - Community is found in youth sports, but it’s become the new fellowship, including Sunday mornings.
35:38 - The nature of humanity and the nature of AI.
37:40 - How important is suffering in building character and will suffering be written into the algorithms?
39:11 - The demise of all humanity: AI as personal companion and humanoids to date and love.
40:51 - Tower of Babel moment. And God’s redemptive hand in the process as AI helps spread the Gospel in the missionary field.
49:32 - Trump and his impact on Christianity
51:44 - The government should want human flourishing. Culture is now aligned with Christianity. When culture aligns with Christianity, people flourish.
1:01 - Calvinism is misdefined. God is sovereign over salvation and evil. But man is responsible to respond to the Gospel. Two parallel lines that intersect only in heaven.
1:06 - How Granger would explain this paradox to an atheist.
1:10 - Character traits Granger has developed since he hit rock bottom.
1:12:30 - The rationale behind writing “Up Toward the Light”?
1:15:35 - Granger gives advice to young adult males. And the importance of paying attention of who your friends are.
1:19:50 - The importance of being a Christ-like man and to find a woman of God.
Share this post