The Rev. Dr. Don Flowers Jr. of Charleston has been elected chairman of the board of directors for the S.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. From 1994-1996 Flowers served as the first-ever board chair of the organization, which was formed in 1994 to address the issue of teen pregnancy in South Carolina through education, technical assistance, public awareness, advocacy and research.

Seacoast Church, with campuses in South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina, was voted one of the Top 10 most influential churches in America early this summer.

The list, compiled by TheChurchReport.com, includes the 50 Most Influential Churches in America. The 2007 survey was emailed to leaders of more than 2,000 of the largest non-Catholic congregations in the nation in April-June.

Will faith-based initiatives become a new American "wedge" issue?

Historically, there has been an increasing public acceptance of the idea that the responsibility for "social ills" (such as drug dependency, impoverishment, crime, unwed teen pregnancy, and so on) lies not with the individual but with external influences. It is a short step to conclude that, if society must be at fault somehow, it is incumbent upon society to take corrective action.

The Rev. Don Flowers, pastor of the Providence Baptist Church on Daniel Island, heard familiar themes about "social responsibility" from the Rev. Anthony Campolo, the main speaker at the 12th Annual John A. Hamrick lectures delivered last month at the historic First Baptist Church in downtown Charleston.

Mark Twain once said, "Golf is a good walk spoiled." I guess that’s true if the intention was to simply take a walk. After all, a walk is just a walk. Put one foot in front of the other, repeat, and pretty soon you find yourself on a walk. Golf, on the other hand, is more than a walk. The sport involves walking, for sure, but it also includes a goal that requires different instruments or tools that can be used to meet the goal.