President’s Perspective: We Must Sharpen Our Focus 

Charles Martin published the book “What If It’s True” in 2019. Martin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fiction novels, but “What If It’s True” is a non-fiction work where the storyteller revisits the life and ministry of Jesus and connects it to real-life experiences. The motivation behind Martin’s book […]

Outside the Walls: Walking with Your Father 

“I’m going to pray that God helps me find a shiny Pokemon.” My son Corder and I were spending a little quality time together walking around the South Carolina State House grounds, playing a video game where you find digital personalities in real places. My quick response was, “Don’t bother God with that. He has […]

Striking the Waters: A Comprehensive Strategy for Missions Giving 

Late last year, I enjoyed casual conversation at an SCBaptist association’s monthly pastor gathering. We discussed Baptist doctrine, organization, mission, and funding. Several in the room asked for help with a practical strategy for funding our shared mission work locally, statewide, nationally, and globally. Each church can make a huge difference around the corner and […]

Wholly Healthy: Health Documents

The past few years have opened my eyes to so many of the non-medical things involved in the wellbeing of my patients and family members. Our world is awash in assorted forms and documents that are often, if not absolutely necessary, certainly very helpful when loved ones become sick or injured, and especially near the […]

Outside the Walls: ‘No Thanks’

“I appreciate the invitation, but no thanks.” This is a common response for those who faithfully invite others to church in today’s culture. The fastest-growing religion in South Carolina are the “Nones” or the “no thanks,” according to Lifeway Research. These individuals do not associate with any religion. They are not antagonistic to Christianity. Uninterested […]

Grace and Truth: Let Us Be Slow to Type and Quick to Think

If you are a regular reader of The Courier, you may have noticed a significant uptick in our social media presence. At risk of undermining everything you are about to read, I would encourage you to follow us on all our platforms — Facebook, X, and Instagram. Communicating as followers of Christ on the internet […]

Legislative Update: Important Legislation Moves Between House and Senate

The South Carolina House passed H4624 by a strong 82 to 23 vote, sending this important piece of legislation to the Senate. H4624, also known as “Help, Not Harm,” would prevent minors from receiving puberty blockers, cross hormone treatments, and gender reassignment surgery. The bill was assigned to the Senate Medical Affairs Committee and set […]

Striking the Waters: The Priority of Personal Evangelism 

Many years ago, I pastored a normative size church in a rural town. Once a month I shared a meal with a pastor friend from a neighboring city whom I had met at an associational meeting. I needed that friendship more than I knew at the time. We encouraged, sharpened, and challenged one another. Pastors […]

President’s Perspective: We Must Strengthen Cooperation

In 1812, South Carolina’s own Sen. John C. Calhoun led a war hawk movement in Congress to deliver a declaration of war against the British to President Madison, officially beginning the War of 1812. Words cannot describe the despair that enveloped the nation as the United States slipped into another war with Great Britain just […]