New and Noteworthy Books — January 2024

America’s Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794-1911 (Oxford University) by Mark A. Noll Noll’s exploration of the Bible in American history explains why Tom Paine’s anti-biblical tract “The Age of Reason” (1794) precipitated such dramatic effects, how innovations in printing by the American Bible Society created the nation’s publishing industry, why […]

A Conversation with Our New President

Wes Church, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Columbia for the past five years, assumed the role of president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention following the annual meeting in November. He will preside at next year’s annual meeting when the state convention will convene at Columbia First on Nov. 11-12. He has chosen […]

What We Believe About Scripture

Baptist Faith & Message 2000 Article I: The Scriptures The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, […]

I’m Crazy Busy, So When Should I Read the Bible?

What is the best time to spend time in prayer and meditation on the Word of God? For me, the early morning works best, generally around 5 a.m. This time also has the advantage of beginning your day by lashing your heart to the mast that is Christ. This was the practice of many of […]

Charleston Southern breaks records again with Christmas shoeboxes

Charleston Southern University has packed the most Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes of any college or university in the nation for the fifth year in a row, with a total of 13,601 boxes in 2023. “Every area of campus participated in packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child,” said Jody Jennings, vice president of student life and […]

Five Reasons You Should Read Through the Bible This Year

I vividly recall two pivotal conversations with pastors shortly after I surrendered to gospel ministry in the late-1990s. The conversations were pivotal because in them I was exposed to two divergent approaches to ministry, and the Lord used them to convince me that I must saturate my mind with Scripture. In one conversation, I asked […]

Obituary: Jack Causey

Richard Wayne “Jack” Causey, 88, of Statesville, N.C., died Nov. 28, 2023. Born in Meridian, Miss., he was a graduate of Mississippi College and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as associate minister in Greensboro, N.C., and later served as senior pastor at First Baptist Church, Gaffney, and Pendleton Street Baptist Church, Greenville. He was […]

Bible Reading Plans and Tips

How a person approaches reading through the Bible will vary from person to person, depending on their daily schedule and personality. Some will want to read the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi and the New Testament Matthew to Revelation. Some will read the OT one day and the NT the next. Some of you […]

Grace and Truth: Read Through the Bible With Us in 2024

I was recently asked what one thing had most spurred my spiritual growth over the years. The answer was easy: I read the Bible every day, and I read it in its entirety every year, and it’s a non-negotiable in my daily routine. By Dec. 31, I hope to finish reading the Bible through for […]

Obituary: DeWitt Atkerson

Samuel DeWitt Atkerson, 80, of Camden, died Nov. 1, 2023. A native of Batesburg, he served as pastor of Washington Street Baptist Church, Winnsboro. Survivors include his wife, Helen Raynor Atkerson, three children and five grandchildren.