“The Sense of the Nonsense of Preaching”
2026 Lecturer: Robert Smith Jr.
Speaker Information
Robert Smith Jr. served as professor of Christian preaching at Beeson for more than 25 years and held the Charles T. Carter Baptist Chair of Divinity. Previously, he served as the Carl E. Bates Associate Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. A popular teacher and preacher, he received Southern’s 1996 Findley B. Edge Award for Teaching Excellence and was named the 2017 E.K. Bailey Expository Preaching Conference Living Legend and has preached in more than 100 countries. An ordained Baptist minister, he served as pastor of New Mission Missionary Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio for 20 years.
He earned his PhD while serving as a pastor. He is a contributing editor for a study of Christian ministry in the African American church, Preparing for Christian Ministry and is co-editor of A Mighty Long Journey. Additionally, he has served as an editor of Our Sufficiency Is of God: Essays on Preaching in Honor of Gardner C. Taylor (Mercer University Press, Macon, Georgia: 2010) and Worship, Tradition, and Engagement: Essays in Honor of Timothy George (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2018). He has written the book, Doctrine That Dances: Bringing Doctrinal Preaching and Teaching to Life (B&H Publishing Group, Nashville: 2008). He also has writtenThe Oasis of God: From Mourning to Morning—Biblical Insights from Psalms 42 and 43. His latest book is Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary: Exalting Jesus in Joshua (B&H Publishing Group, Nashville).
His research interests include the place of passion in preaching, the literary history of African American preaching, Christological preaching and theologies of preaching. Smith has contributed essays and articles to various books, magazines and commentaries. He and his wife, Wanda Taylor-Smith, PhD, are the parents of four adult children (two in heaven).
Schedule
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
11 a.m.-12 p.m., Hodges Chapel
Chapel Sermon: "I Don't Know Where I Am Going, But I Ain't Lost," Hebrews 11:8; Genesis 22:1-14
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
11 a.m.-12 p.m., N-101
Lecture 1: "The Sense of the Nonsense of Preaching"
12:15-1:15 p.m., N-101: Spirit and Power Project Lunch and Learn: A Conversation with Robert Smith Jr.
Thursday, March 26, 2025
11 a.m.-12 p.m., N-101
Lecture 2: "Preaching Beyond Mere Words"
All events are free and open to the public.
About the Conger Preaching Lectures
Past guests include Vaughan Roberts, Jeremy Treat, Jared Alcantara, David Bebbington, James Earl Massey, William Willimon, Bryan Chapell, Richard Bewes and John Piper. Second in a series of three lectureships, the William E. Conger Lectures on Biblical Preaching are made possible through the generosity of the late Colonel William E. Conger, Jr. After a distinguished military career, Colonel Conger served for many years as a close personal advisor to Ralph Waldo Beeson, the founding benefactor of Beeson Divinity School. Colonel Conger long shared Mr. Beeson's deep commitment to the pastoral ministry of preaching. In 1991, that commitment was expressed through the endowment of a lectureship to recapture the vision of preaching ministry, furthering the cause of Christ in today's world. Preaching is the central task of Christian ministry and mission. In the Conger lectures, we affirm our commitment to this biblical reformation mandate. These lectures are presented in the fervent prayer and hope that they shall enlighten the preacher's skill, but above all, stir the preacher's soul, so God Himself may shine "in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (1 Corinthians 4:6).
