Brandon Levering

Lead Pastor at Stonebridge Church, Cedar Rapids, IA. Married to Carissa, father of four. Utterly dependent on the gospel.

[The Gospel Coalition @TGC]

We’re not anti-tech. We’re pro-human.

We refuse to surrender our minds to the machines.

——

TGC Editor-In-Chief @CollinHansen weighs in on why TGC’s new AI policy is necessary and important.

https://t.co/oOsF1cIaId

[Charles Simeon Trust @simeontrust]

October Workshops are open for registration!

16 workshops across the globe. Two and a half days. Instructional sessions on the principles of exposition. Live expositions to learn from.

And small groups, where you do the real work: presenting and sharpening your own work with others.

The same fundamentals we come back to year after year.

Find the Workshop near you.
Register now at https://t.co/mbEgZxsmGg

#BetterPreachingEverywhere #CharlesSimeonTrust #FaithfulTeaching #TeachingWithPurpose #BiblicalExposition

[Charles Simeon Trust @simeontrust]

Wisdom Literature, including Old Testament poetry, often communicates through imagery, symbolism, and carefully shaped structure.

To teach these books faithfully, we need to understand more than just the parts, but how the parts relate. The Wisdom Literature course helps you grow in reading these texts with care, so you can teach them with greater clarity.

Explore the course:
https://t.co/Y1Lv6bmh8m

#WisdomLiterature #BiblicalExposition #FaithfulPreaching #TeachingTheBible #CharlesSimeonTrust

[Charles Simeon Trust @simeontrust]

We hear 2026 is the new 2016.

#CharlesSimeonTrust2016 #throwback

[Hoover Institution @HooverInst]

In December 2025, former US Senator @BenSasse announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. That's the primary topic for this @UncKnowledge conversation about mortality, faith, and what truly matters when time is short.

Talking to host @P_M_Robinson, Sasse reflects on "redeeming the time"—holding ambition lightly, loving family more deliberately, and resisting the urge to make politics or professional success the center of life.

The discussion also covers Sasse's thoughts on the failures of Congress; the dangers of a fragmented, attention-starved republic; the crisis of higher education; and the moral challenges of technological abundance.

He speaks candidly and movingly about regret, forgiveness, prayer, and suffering—arguing that while death is a real enemy, it does not get the final word. Watch the full conversation on X:

[J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling]

A young detransitioner, Fox Varian, has won $2 million damages in a medical malpractice lawsuit, in which she sued the psychologist and surgeon who approved her for a double mastectomy, aged 16. Varian's mother testified that she'd been against the surgery, but was pressured into agreeing because she'd been told that unless her daughter transitioned she was likely to commit suicide.

As the floodgates open, and more and more detransitioners sue the clinicians who subjected them to an unregulated medical experiment, gender identity activists will almost certainly continue to ignore any evidence that fails to support their preferred narrative. They'll keep insisting that hardly any transitioned people regret their irreversible procedures, that gender clinicians know exactly what they're doing, that surgeries, cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers are of proven benefit and that minors who're denied these treatments will to kill themselves. All of this is a lie.

Speaking at the WPATH conference in 2021, British endocrinology consultant Leighton Seal admitted 'we are doing procedures here where we don’t have outcome data.' A woman from Utah said she felt gender clinicians like her were making it up as they went along: 'Because I feel like we’re all just winging it, you know? And which is okay, you’re winging it too. But maybe we can just, like, wing it together.' (https://t.co/dW4xXKUzOY)

This will go down in history as one of the worst medical scandals of all time. Adults inside and outside the medical profession sold troubled young people like Varian the idea that all of their complex trauma would be resolved by removing healthy body parts.

As more and more detransitioners arrive in court, the public will learn the full extent of the harm done to kids in the name of an ideology. Clinicians performing these 'treatments' will go down in history as barbarous activists who betrayed a sacred oath: to do no harm. But we should never forget how many people outside the medical profession urged these young people on, gleefully assuring them that anyone advising caution was an evil bigot. There are people in elitist professions like publishing and academia, not to mention politicians and celebrities with young fan bases, who did all they could to champion the idea of gender identity, and kept pushing it even as the evidence of harm mounted. They're just as culpable as the clinicians. Too lazy to think more deeply than the fashionable mantras that got them social media likes, too arrogant to look at evidence from anyone outside their political bubble, they've slurred whistleblowers and attacked anyone with valid questions. In doing so, they've created a cultural climate without which this appalling tragedy could not have taken place.

Never forget, because only by learning the lesson can we stop this happening again.

https://t.co/6Z9rV8wI00

[clinthumfrey @ClintHumfrey]

In March 2026 the Calgary Workshop for @simeontrust will be on Wisdom Literature, with a focus on Ecclesiastes. How do you work with that kind of text? Find out here:

[Justin Taylor @between2worlds]

1. Read John Turner's new biography of Joseph Smith (https://t.co/LOgpZuqepx). Turner, who previously authored a biography of Brigham Young (https://t.co/nv3W5UfgQs), is a very fair and careful historian. You can't study the history and honestly conclude that Smith was not a deceptive man. (Hint: his wife didn't know that he had at least 30 wives, some as young as age 14.)

2. Read this summary of the differences between Mormonism and historic biblical orthodox Christianity in eight areas:

1. Apostasy and Restoration
2. God
3. Polytheism
4. Exaltation of Humans
5. Jesus Christ
6. Three Kingdoms
7. Sin and Atonement
8. Salvation

https://t.co/ORyL3OYtmG

[J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling]

If you believe free speech is for you but not your political opponents, you're illiberal.

If no contrary evidence could change your beliefs, you're a fundamentalist.

If you believe the state should punish those with contrary views, you're a totalitarian.

If you believe political opponents should be punished with violence or death, you're a terrorist.

[Charles Simeon Trust @simeontrust]

Fall is almost here, which means there’s still time to register for men’s workshops.

The first begins September 24.

These gatherings offer hands-on training, meaningful feedback, and a community committed to growing in how we handle God’s Word.

Take a look at where we’ll be this season, then check the full calendar and make your plans.

📍 Explore workshops: https://t.co/mbEgZxsmGg

#MensWorkshops #FaithfulPreaching #TeachingWithPurpose #CharlesSimeonTrust #BetterPreachingEverywhere

[Matthew Soerens @MatthewSoerens]

Christian Afghans who sought refuge in the US from the Taliban were among the many lawfully-present individuals who have received notices telling them "It is time for you to leave the United States" -- voluntarily or by deportation https://t.co/PfO4nqliBi

[Boston Celtics @celtics]

Baylor Schowerman 💦

[Trevin Wax @TrevinWax]

From "Every Moment Holy"

[The Dispatch @thedispatch]

"I think one of the reasons why our politics are so gross and so distorted is people are trying to get out of politics what is properly reserved for the realm of religion."

@JonahDispatch and @wrmead on today's #TheRemnant🎙️:

[Warren Smith @WarrenColeSmith]

Which Shepherds Are For Sale? - Warren Cole Smith - The Dispatch https://t.co/Ks0K6CAEYW

[Midwestern Seminary @MBTS]

📚GIVEAWAY📚

For Day 24 of #MBTSBooks, we are giving away Christ Our All by Dr. @geoffchang, published by @BHAcademic.

FOLLOW + LIKE + RT to enter. | Visit https://t.co/4E4fxXwM0q for a chance to win the entire Puritan Paperbacks series!

[Daniel Darling @dandarling]

I cannot believe how nonchalant we are about this. In any other context, the slightest hint of bigotry results in wall to wall coverage and national listening tours. But when it comes to Jewish people we nuance to death the most vile hatred. Shameful.

[MrBeast @MrBeast]

I’m gonna give 10 random people that repost this and follow me $25,000 for fun (the $250,000 my X video made)

I’ll pick the winners in 72 hours

[Brandon Levering @BrandonLevering]

@jaredcwilson @authorJCWilson @crossway It's wonderfully helpful. I've used it with elder and pastoral training on several occasions.

[The Gospel Coalition @TGC]

Pastors, don’t be afraid to tackle hard issues like cancel culture, politics, abortion, race, homosexuality, or gender identity.

Consider @BrandonLevering’s words in a new article at TGC: “Why I Led Our Church into a Cultural Minefield.”

—————

When I introduced our church’s new preaching series last January, I asked our congregation to pray I’d still have a job at the end.

I was only half joking.

For the next two months, we focused on how the gospel gives us perspective for navigating some of our modern world’s most divisive and confusing issues. The ones that derail dinner conversations and clog social media feeds. The ones that stir doubts, fuel anger and suspicion, erode friendships, and generally test faith. In the series, we tackled cancel culture, politics, abortion, race, expressive individualism, homosexuality, and gender identity.

My prayer request wasn’t in vain. What happened as a result of the series was both surprising and encouraging.

Rather than encountering angry criticism or running afoul of tribal loyalties, I found the flock received these sermons with eagerness, gratitude, and even relief. They appreciated our church’s willingness to address controversial issues in a way that lowered the temperature and recalibrated us to the gospel. Several commented on how they were moved from fear and anxiety to peace and courage.

When we looked at how the gospel helps us to understand the abortion crisis in America, for example, the reaction wasn’t only a deeper resolve to protect the unborn and care for mothers. Some found the freedom to confess past abortions with confidence in Christ’s mercy.

The sermon series was risky, but Jesus moved in our church, and the congregation grew in clarity, confidence, and compassion. As difficult as it sounds to walk into a cultural minefield with the gospel, pastors should seriously consider preaching a series on tough cultural issues. Here’s why.

𝟏. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬.

As uncomfortable as it may feel to bring up divisive and controversial topics, the reality is that you’re not the one bringing them up.

Our news feeds and text threads are filled with endless dialogue about these subjects, and many of those threads are marked more by outrage than by insight. It’s wise and important for churches to weigh in as well—not as one more opinion in an overcrowded comment section but as witnesses to Christ and heralds of God’s Word.

We need to bring the good news of Christ to bear on each controversial matter. Otherwise, we’re leaving it to the loudest podcasters and pundits to disciple our flocks.

𝟐. 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨��𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

The last thing I want is for the weekly headlines to dictate my preaching focus on Sundays. I’d much rather address issues as they arise naturally from each book of the Bible. But sometimes the cultural moment calls for more direct engagement, lest the sheep end up wandering the wilderness without a shepherd.

While there will always be some whose “itching ears” simply want you to confirm their views (2 Tim. 4:3), most are simply looking for help. With so many voices arguing confidently and obsessively, it can be difficult for many to know what to think. Your pulpit is a means of grace and an important tool the Lord has given you for pastoring your flock through dangerous terrain.

𝟑. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬.

It can be overwhelming to think about tackling divisive and complex subjects head-on. I almost canceled the series several times before we launched. But our confidence as shepherds doesn’t come from our own expertise. It comes from the sufficiency of our chief Shepherd. Our confidence (and thus our counsel) isn’t based on our own wisdom but on the gospel.

As I ventured into each issue with our congregation, God’s Word not only pointed the way forward but also supplied the guardrails to keep us from veering off the road into either unfettered assimilation (where the church becomes indistinguishable from the world) or self-righteous condemnation (where we so distance ourselves from the world that we’re no longer acting as witnesses). Whatever the subject, the gospel frees us to simultaneously uphold the sinfulness of sin and the sufficiency of grace. It’s our hope, power, and guide for living out our faith in an ever-changing world.

That doesn’t mean land mines will never go off. However courageous or compassionate you are in the pulpit, some may still take offense. But even then, God is giving you an opportunity to let the gospel do its refining work in both you and your hearers. Conflict is never exciting, but in the Lord, it’s never wasted (cf. 2 Cor. 4:7–18).

It’s impossible for pastors to be experts on every important subject. But take heart: you don’t have to be an expert, just a pastor. Through the truth and grace of the gospel, our Lord has given you and your flock the wisdom and perspective you need to navigate today’s cultural challenges without compromise.