Religion

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Charleston by Pope Pius VII. This makes it the seventh oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the United States. At that time, the diocese comprised the states of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In spite of a ban on Catholicism in the Colonial era, it arrived in Carolina much earlier than 1820 via both colonists and enslaved persons.

"H" is for Huguenot Church (Charleston). Located at 140 Church Street, the French Protestant (Huguenot) Church was the first Gothic Revival ecclesiastical building erected in Charleston. Construction began in 1844. It was designed by Edward B. White and is built of brick finished in stucco. In color and scale it blends harmoniously with the city’s built environment. The church was damaged in 1864 during the siege of Charleston and nearly destroyed during the 1886 earthquake.

(Originally broadcast 05/04/18) - In an open letter to the South Carolina General Assembly, the Fellowship of South Carolina Bishops wrote, "Unfortunately, our state is marked by disparities in the delivery of education... Even in the most successful of school districts, too many students underachieve, or worse, fall through the cracks and do not achieve success."

In an open letter to the South Carolina General Assembly, the Fellowship of South Carolina Bishops wrote, "Unfortunately, our state is marked by disparities in the delivery of education... Even in the most successful of school districts, too many students underachieve, or worse, fall through the cracks and do not achieve success."

A musical tradition begun in Colonial America which flourished in the South in the late 19th to mid 20th centuries is still carried on in South Carolina.  It’s shape note singing - also known as fa-sol-la, Jubilee or sacred harp singing.  A method developed to teach music to people who couldn’t read music, the notes on the page use shapes such as round, square, and triangular to represent the various pitches. 

As a priest, archbishop, and president of the US bishops' conference, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, a native of Columbia, S.C., lived a ministry marked by thoughtfulness, compassion, and conviction. In his book, Joseph Bernardin: Seeking Common Ground (2016, Liturgical Press), Steven P.

As a priest, archbishop, and president of the US bishops' conference, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, a native of Columbia, S.C., lived a ministry marked by thoughtfulness, compassion, and conviction. In his book, Joseph Bernardin: Seeking Common Ground (2016, Liturgical Press), Steven P.

"F" is for Fire-Baptized Holiness Church. Several different groups have used this name. The initial group was formed in Iowa and taught that a Christian could experience salvation, then sanctification, and then a "third blessing," a baptism of the Holy Ghost with fire. Missionaries came to South Carolina in the 1890s. In 1898 delegates from across the country met in Anderson to organize the Fire-Baptized Holiness Association. Under the leadership of the Rev. William E. Fuller, a number of black congregations split off and formed the Colored Fire-Baptized Holiness Church in 1908.

"D" is for "Dr. Buzzard."  The title "Dr. Buzzard" has been claimed by numerous root workers [practitioners of West African-derived folk medicine and magic, commonly referred to as voodoo, hoodoo, or conjuring] along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. The best-known, if not original Dr. Buzzard, was Stephany Robinson from St. Helena Island who began practicing root work in the early 1900s. Until his death in 1947, he had a local as well as national clientele. According to legend, Robinson’s father was a "witch doctor" who had been brought directly—and illegally--to St.

"L" is for Lutheran Theologoical Southern Seminary [LTSS]. One of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, LTSS was established by German Lutherans in 1830. In Columbia since 1911, LTSS previously occupied several sites in South Carolina and Virginia.

"C" is for Clemson Blue Cheese. In 1940, a Clemson College dairy professor wondered if he could cure blue mold cheese in the dark, damp interior of Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel near Walhalla in Oconee County. He hoped that the product would be similar to French Roquefort cheese. His goal also was to use surplus milk from local cows, including Clemson’s own herd.

"B" is for Brawley, Edward McKnight (1851-1923). Missionary, educator. Born in Charleston, a free person of color, Brawley was educated in Philadelphia and studied theology at Howard University. He graduated from Bucknell College and was ordained a Baptist minister.

  In their book, Religion and the Struggle for European Union: Confessional Culture and the Limits of Integration (Georgetown University Press, 2015), Furman University professors Brent F. Nelsen and James L. Guth delve into the powerful role of religion in shaping European attitudes on politics, political integration, and the national and continental identities of its leaders and citizens.

  “H” is for Holmes Bible College. The roots of what is popularly called the oldest Pentecostal school in the world lie in a Bible study program that Presbyterian pastor Nickels John Holmes conducted at his family cottage on Paris mountain in 1893. In 1898 Holmes and his wife purchased the Altamont Hotel on Paris Mountain and converted it into the Altamont Bible and Missionary Institute. In 1903 the school moved to Columbia where it came under the sway of Pentecostalism. Within two years Holmes and the entire student body testified to receiving the gift of speaking in tongues. The school has remained oriented to Pentecostalism ever since. In 1916 the school returned to Greenville where it has remained to this day.   After a series of name changes, the 1998, the school became Holmes Bible College.