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Editor’s note: This piece is a bonus piece in a five-part series leading up to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message at the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas. “His going cast the... Continue Reading »
After years of limiting gambling to the elusive dream of instant wealth by finding that lucky lottery ticket, the South Carolina Legislature is considering three bills that would transform our state into a gambler’s paradise. The Equine Advancement Act... Continue Reading »
I came across a viral clip a few years back where a faithful Baptist pastor was rebuking his congregation for minimal investment. They arrived late, left early, sat in the back, attended half the time, and treated church like... Continue Reading »
By Nancy Lyons Thomas When I started my third year of teaching history at Poynor Junior High in Florence, S.C., following graduation from Furman University in 1962, I could not have imagined that I would start the 1965 school... Continue Reading »
The drive from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Idaho Falls, Idaho, was three hours of pure beauty. On every side there were mountains, cows, and the occasional herd of mule deer. Not to mention I’d just eaten a burger... Continue Reading »
At the end of their Annual General Conference in April, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) announced the construction of 15 new temples, one of which will be built in Greenville. That announcement “was shocking” to... Continue Reading »
(Editor’s note: This piece is the second in a five-part series leading up to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message at the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas.) Baptists seldom go through the... Continue Reading »
It’s been two years since the International Mission Board re-emphasized finding and researching unengaged and unreached people groups around the world. Project 3000 was born out of Southern Baptists’ commitment to ensure every people group has access to the... Continue Reading »
Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life (Crossway, 2024) by Mark Vroegop Throughout our lives, we experience countless periods of waiting. Some moments are mere nuisances — others are daunting seasons... Continue Reading »
The Bible specifically states in both Testaments that human beings are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26, 27; 5:1, and 9:6; 1 Cor. 11:7; Col. 3:10; and James 3:9). Even though explicit statements concerning God’s image in... Continue Reading »
I was born and raised a true Floridian. I grew up around mangroves and seafood. Outwardly, I was known as the football player and the “guy who could break dance” in high school. But inwardly I experienced intense, debilitating... Continue Reading »
During college, I served in several churches. I preached, taught, led discipleship groups, evangelized, and organized events — the kind of responsibilities one has when pastoring a church. After graduation, my wife and I headed to seminary so I... Continue Reading »
I was sitting in church on Easter morning, my second Easter since my beloved wife of 35 years, Kay, passed away from pancreatic cancer almost two years ago. I was thinking of the hope I continue to find in... Continue Reading »
For many years now, I’ve asked students about their quiet time with the Lord. Frankly, many struggle with consistency, especially with prayer. Anecdotally, though, here’s what I’ve learned: The students who struggle least tend to have had parents who... Continue Reading »
Editor’s Note: Today is the National Day of Prayer observance: “Pour Out to the God of Hope and Be Filled.” Most Americans pray, and many pray every day; but what do we pray about? Not surprisingly, according to Lifeway... Continue Reading »
I don’t like to wait. No, let’s be completely frank: I despise waiting. There is a certain highway in the city where I lived until recently that is notorious for traffic snarled for hours on both sides of rush... Continue Reading »
The National Day of Prayer will be Thursday, May 1. Christians all over the country will gather in or near courthouses, city squares and other central locations to cry to God for His blessing, forgiveness and leadership in their... Continue Reading »
Energy infused the worship center of West Edgecomb Baptist Church in Rocky Mount as the digital timer on the screen at front counted down the minutes. The congregation had reason to celebrate on Sunday, April 27. Five were baptized.... Continue Reading »
Short-term volunteer mission projects can make a long-term impact. The key, according to International Mission Board missionaries Cade and Ginny Wheeler, is for the local church to be fully invested and use volunteers within an already existing strategy. After... Continue Reading »
The smell of freshly roasted coffee beans lingers as women listen to a Bible story at the end of the third round of the coffee ceremony. Ennat* is one of the women who have gathered as part of a... Continue Reading »
Rarely do we get to see exactly how all of our ministry efforts bear fruit, but on occasion the Lord allows us to see and enjoy the fruits of our labor. These sweet moments of reflection on God’s sovereignty... Continue Reading »
The first part of this piece argued that we should want the resurrection to be true because it means freedom from sin and new life in Christ. (Read Part One here.) What’s the second reason? Reason Two: If it’s... Continue Reading »
Is the Easter story true? Since the time of the gospels, every week and especially once a year, Christians gather to sing and worship the death-defeating Jesus of Nazareth. As then, through today, right now, all over the world... Continue Reading »
Editors’ note: On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves. In so doing, Robinson became the first black player to appear in a Major League game, and his arrival led... Continue Reading »
A few years after Charles Dickens wrote perhaps his most popular book, A Christmas Carol, he compiled the long-unpublished work, The Life of Our Lord, as a personal gift to his children. Adapted from the Gospel of Luke, The... Continue Reading »
By Jason Blankenship › I listened to the burden of a pastor friend of mine who, through his broken heart, shared the story of a child who has strayed from faith. I have many other friends who tell the... Continue Reading »
Sports gambling feeds on greed and thrives on the exploitation of the vulnerable, Baptist pastor and former college football coach RaShan Frost said. “The problem with sports gambling is that it intensifies covetous and idolatrous desires within our hearts,”... Continue Reading »
Kevin Bounds, of Douglas, Ga., is familiar with the concept that every little bit counts. About five years ago, he stepped on a scale, and a number appeared he wasn’t happy about. Then 38 years old, Bounds was a... Continue Reading »
Every church aims to welcome guests in some way. Those efforts may just look different in different churches and may have changed over the last decade. According to a Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors, more than 99... Continue Reading »
On March 30, more than 1,100 students and leaders gathered at First Baptist Rock Hill for ONE Night, a collaborative evangelism event hosted by South Carolina Baptist churches. The event resulted in over 120 students making decisions to follow... Continue Reading »
Impact Player: Leaving a Lasting Legacy On and Off the Field (Tyndale, 2012) by Bobby Richardson with David Thomas Former Yankee Bobby Richardson played alongside Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, Joe Pepitone, and Yogi Berra during one of... Continue Reading »
Creation is empty in and of itself. It can’t heal a wounded heart. But in another sense, there’s a fullness that creation points to. Creation is a beautiful gift that can supplement our faith. Here are three ways that... Continue Reading »
How do you use music? Stop and think about that for a moment. If music is a tool designed to accomplish a task, what tasks are you accomplishing with it? Some people use music as a tool to build... Continue Reading »
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you,” urges the Prophet Isaiah (60:1–2). “For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples.” We don’t need to be told that... Continue Reading »
I know he meant well, but he came off sounding a little pompous, more like a professional wrestler on Saturday afternoon TV than an ordained man of God: “The devil doesn’t take a day off. He doesn’t take vacations,... Continue Reading »
In 1972, Christian music legend Larry Norman recorded a song that resonated with many younger evangelicals, particularly hippies whom God saved out of the Jesus People Movement. One verse in particular frames the question: There’s a good world that... Continue Reading »
Men have outpaced women in church attendance the past three years, reversing a longstanding trend of more women in the pews that narrowed in 2016, Barna said in its 2025 State of the Church release, created in partnership with... Continue Reading »
Have you ever heard the statement, “He or she is a natural leader”? Typically, the conversation quickly shifts to a description of traits that validate this claim. Natural leaders are often described as self-confident, adept decision-makers, great communicators, trailblazers,... Continue Reading »
Reaching & Teaching is based on a foundational conviction: that the Church is both the means and the end of the Great Commission. In other words, it is only as churches around the world are strengthened that true disciples... Continue Reading »
“There was just something in my brain that kept me going.” Those are the chilling words of Kavita Fisher, a 41-year-old mental health professional who struck it big in online gambling, winning close to $500,000. According to the Wall... Continue Reading »
With March Madness kicking off, Furman University broadcaster Dan Scott can’t help but remember that magical moment two years ago when Furman pulled a major upset in the first round of the NCAA men’s tournament. Scott, who has been... Continue Reading »
It was a mildly chilly day in April when we got the call, “I’m taking myself to the hospital.” My grandmother had been in pain for a while, but she finally reached a breaking point. We held our breath... Continue Reading »
I met one of the million at the pickle ball courts. Don was curious about the college pickle ball tournament that was occurring in his neighborhood in Myrtle Beach. It wasn’t normal to see this many young people, laughing... Continue Reading »
Chuck Kelley, president emeritus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College, spoke about his journey of grief after losing his beloved wife, Rhonda, in his first chapel message since his retirement. Kelley’s chapel address on Thursday (March... Continue Reading »
Many Christians have encountered seasons — perhaps even extended seasons — of doubt regarding assurance of salvation. These seasons can range from “annoying background distraction” to “all-consuming joy-robber.” Below are considerations regarding gospel-centered truth and beauty that may help... Continue Reading »
The IMB has always required church endorsement for service overseas. Most missionaries were part of a healthy church where discipleship and accountability shaped their call. Churches committed to pray for their missionaries. In the last few years, the International... Continue Reading »
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Fourth Edition (Crossway, 2021) by Mark Dever This is a revised and updated version of the classic work that God has used to revitalize so many unhealthy churches over the past 34 years.... Continue Reading »
Trent Fetherston had a reputation — the kind of reputation a man will get in an everybody-knows-everybody kind of town like Bar Nunn, Wyo., when he spends what seems like thousands of consecutive happy hours with a drink in... Continue Reading »
Baggs, Bairoil, Glendo, Granger, Medicine Bow, Meeteetse — race past them at the posted interstate speed limit of 80 miles per hour, and one after another, every tiny town in Wyoming can easily look like the same blink-and-you’ll-miss-it blur... Continue Reading »
They didn’t want to do it, but they had no choice. Ecuadorians Eduardo Vera and his wife, Juliana, walked more than 1,900 miles with their family, pushing Juliana’s elderly father almost the whole way on a rusty, discarded tricycle... Continue Reading »
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