I went on my first mission trip while I was a teenager at Roebuck Baptist Church. We joined other South Carolina Baptists for a trip to the Caribbean island of Jamaica. The trip involved roof repair and other construction work on a local church as well as Vacation Bible School outreaches in the surrounding communities. […]
Striking the Waters: Racism, Independence, and Cruciformity — Where the Two Groups Become One
On July 4, 1776, South Carolina Gov. Charles Pinckney and future Gov. Edward Rutledge were among the 56 delegates to the Constitutional Congress who became signatories on the Declaration of Independence. Their bodies still rest in the St. Philips churchyard in Charleston, S.C., today. It is no secret that Pinckney and Rutledge were slave owners, […]
Biblical Typology: What Is It and Why Do We Need It?
In preaching a sermon a few years ago on Numbers 20, we ran into something known as typology. As it has been variously defined in church history, typology occurs in the Bible when an historical person, event, or institution — in this case, a water-giving rock — foreshadows the coming Son of God. As with […]
Grace and Truth: The Life-Changing Centrality of Christ in All of Scripture
I didn’t realize it at the time, but two days in seminary way back in January of 2001 changed my life forever. No, I didn’t get saved on one of those days — that happened in 1977 — but on those two days, one of my professors, Steve Wellum (who today I count as a […]
Three Reasons the Old Testament Remains Relevant
People approach the Bible in a range of ways. Some people treat it as a collection of disconnected stories, others as an antiquated moral handbook. For some, the Bible functions as a cryptic codebook about modern-day political affairs and “end-time” events. Then there are those who treat it as a theological encyclopedia with a specific […]
Wholly Healthy: What Does Hospice Care Mean?
Recently, I encouraged a dear great aunt to go into a hospice program. Like so many seniors, she lives alone, is adamant that she wants to do so, and has caregivers who come to help. Her will is strong, her mind sharp but her body is frail. Simple activities like moving around a room are […]
Outside the Walls: Pass the Baton
The USA Women’s 4×400 meter relay team is one of the most dominant teams in sports history. They hold the world record in the event and have won seven of the last eight World Championships and the last seven Olympic gold medals. The stage was set for another dominating victory at the World Athletics Championships […]
President’s Perspective: Till All Have Heard
Randy Alcorn tells the story of Florence Chadwick, the famed 20th century ocean swimmer, in his book Heaven. At the age of 10, Chadwick became the youngest person to swim across the mouth of the San Diego Bay. Later, she became the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions and set a […]
How, When, and Why You Should Memorize Scripture
When I was in college, I worked part-time as a dental assistant. One afternoon, a friend from church was in the office for a procedure, and when I stopped by her exam room to say hello, I noticed she was perusing a large binder with lots of plastic page protectors, sticky notes, and handwritten pages. […]
Legislative Update: 2024 Legislative Session Preview
The 2024 legislative session will begin Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. As we look to the beginning of the session, there are several bills I will be monitoring as the session moves forward. Before we dive into some of the bills that will be considered, we need to be aware of pertinent issues affecting the environment […]