I clicked on her Facebook page with eager anticipation of seeing her husband again — an old friend — and their two children, now grown and likely with families of their own. Our two families had been among the up-and-coming leaders in our church many years ago. I viewed them both as spiritual giants. They […]
2023 SCBC Resolutions
APPRECIATION WHEREAS the messengers of the 2023 annual meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention have once again enjoyed the generosity of the staff and members of Shandon Baptist Church; and WHEREAS Hebrews 12:28 says, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God […]
Lost people facing hell is the world’s greatest problem, Chitwood tells SCBC
The digital numbers on the video screen counted upward in half-second intervals like an out-of-control speedometer: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, as IMB President Paul Chitwood preached from Revelation 20 before messengers of the 203rd annual South Carolina Baptist Convention Monday night at Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia. When the 28-minute sermon concluded, the counter abruptly […]
New and Noteworthy Books: November 2023
Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age (Crossway) by Rosaria Butterfield Modern culture is increasingly outspoken against a biblical understanding of what it means to be a woman. Even some Christians, swayed by the LGBTQ+ movement, have rejected God’s Word on issues of sexuality and gender in favor of popular opinion. In light of these pressures, […]
Uncomfortable Grace on Stormy Seas
The phrase “uncomfortable grace” may be unfamiliar to you — as it was to me — but that doesn’t mean we haven’t experienced it. In the past few weeks, I’ve become increasingly aware of its presence upholding us in very trying times. When our faith feels weak and our knees buckle, God’s gentle mercies often […]
What disasters preach: ‘Repent or you shall likewise perish’
My second Sunday as a full-time pastor came five days after the worst tornado outbreak in American history afflicted our city and its surrounding region. I preached from Job 1–2, and we put the sermon title on our marquee: “Where Was God?” Attendance that Sunday doubled and a couple of media members, intrigued by the […]
‘Why am I suffering?’ — When God gives you uncomfortable grace
A few years ago, I took a pastorate with the goal of shepherding that flock faithfully for at least 25 years. I told them as much after an overwhelming majority of members voted for me to occupy the sacred office. It was a mandate, and I pushed offshore for what I hoped would be at […]
Grace and Truth: God’s Alibi
It’s a question every Christian who has ever lived has asked: “I’m a follower of Christ, yet I’m going through some terrible adversity. Where is God?” Fundamentally, that question lurks behind the cover story for this issue of The Courier, what I like to call “uncomfortable grace” (a term borrowed from Paul David Tripp). What […]
Noted evangelical scholar Hunter Baker named NGU provost
Noted evangelical scholar Hunter Baker has been named provost and dean of the university faculty at North Greenville University, NGU President Gene C. Fant Jr. announced to the university’s board of trustees on Oct. 19, during its fall meeting. Baker was introduced at the board’s plenary session on the Tigerville campus, and also met with […]
$1.1 million grant will help Anderson University launch Center for Preaching Excellence
Anderson University has received a $1.1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to establish the Clamp Center for Preaching Excellence. The program, which is based in the Anderson University College of Christian Studies and Clamp Divinity School, is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Compelling Preaching Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to foster and […]