Meet Ronnie

Ronnie McBrayer was born in the foothills of the North Georgia Appalachians. He claims he barely survived the fire-and-brimstone, fundamentalist indoctrination of his hard shell Baptist-reared childhood. But in the great comedy of God, Ronnie has spent his adulthood in ministry, both preaching in and protesting against; both loving and leaving; both running away from and returning to the church. The faith he is trying to keep isn’t in organized religion, however. It is in Jesus.

Ronnie has been a pastor, chaplain, leader in social justice ministries, and a writer. He holds degrees in Christian Education and Theology, with post-graduate studies in Bio-Ethics and Critical Incident Stress Management. His post-Katrina relief work with Habitat for Humanity was featured by the CBS Evening News and the New York Times.

McBrayer’s weekly newspaper column, “Keeping the Faith,” began as a devotional article for his local newspaper. It is now a past Florida Press Association award winner in Religion, and is nationally syndicated. He is the author of multiple books and publications including Leaving Religion, Following Jesus, and soon-to-be-released The Jesus Tribe, both published by Smyth and Helwys. Correspond with Ronnie at ronnie@ronniemcbrayer.net.