Outside the Walls: Let Them Go

“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 […]

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, […]

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 […]