“Thanks for helping me move into college, Dad. So, how long are you planning to stay?” Just like that, 18 years of preparing my second son Connor for the world came to an end. Connor is attending Anderson University and is on their inaugural football team. For those who have not experienced taking their child […]
Wholly Healthy: Alpha-Gal Syndrome
Although summer is drawing to a close, those of us in the South know that summer goes on and on, and Autumn can feel a lot like summer — so can parts of winter and spring. As such, it seems there are always bugs around. We learned this painful lesson in our log house, when […]
President’s Perspective: ‘Let’s Go’ … to Thailand!
Thinking of going on a short-term mission project? It could go something like this: Our mission team convened in the First Baptist, Newberry, parking lot in the wee hours of a July Thursday. Six of us from our church, plus Ben Harr, pastor of Willow Swamp Baptist Church of Norway, headed off to catch a […]
Legislative Update: What Can We Learn from the Ohio Constitutional Referendum?
On Tuesday, Aug. 8, the people of Ohio voted no on a constitutional amendment that would have raised the bar to change their state constitution from 50-percent-plus-one to 60 percent. The “no” vote means the current law will stay in place. The vote is being seen as a defeat for pro-life forces who are now […]
Grace and Truth: Courier Theme Issue No. 1 — Confessions
Welcome to the first in what we hope will be a long and helpful line of themed editions of The Baptist Courier’s monthly magazine. The Courier will continue to report the news and tell the stories of Palmetto State Baptists as in the past, but several months each year, we hope to build the publication […]
President’s Perspective: That’s Why
As I write this, I am sitting in my office at 12:33 a.m. on Thursday, July 13, 2023. It’s a strange time to be typing an article for The Baptist Courier. Indeed, what a strange time to be awake. Six of us from First Baptist, Newberry, plus a pastor friend from another South Carolina Baptist […]
Outside the Walls: Some Things Never Go Out of Style
It was a hot summer day in July. My wife and I would be married in just a few hours, and I had secured the perfect getaway car. It was my wife’s dream car, so I wanted us to ride in it at least once in our marriage. She was a cherry red, white sidewalls, […]
Legislative Update: U.S. Supreme Court Delivers Two Crucial Religious Liberty Decisions
For Christians, living in a culture that has abandoned absolute truth and reason as its foundation means freedom to speak the truth about biblical truths crucial to our witness and influence within the culture. Jesus’ prayer to His Father in John 17 focuses on our role as witnesses who are not of the world (that […]
Wholly Healthy: Reviewing Our Prescriptions
We live in the age of the prescription. Turn on the television, and you’re likely to see a commercial recommending the latest, greatest pill or injection for everything from psoriasis to bladder spasm. Furthermore, the ads clearly suggest that many of our prescriptions have potential side effects and interactions that are just terrible. Smiling actors […]
Guest Viewpoint: Baptists Want Secure Borders and Compassion for Immigrants
While the nature of Baptist polity allows for varying perspectives on many issues, there was one resolution that stood out when messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in New Orleans almost unanimously voted in affirmation: A resolution “on wisely engaging immigration” passed with incredibly broad support. Those outside of the SBC or of […]