In 1981, Cochran began his career as a firefighter with the Shreveport Fire Department in Louisiana. After multiple promotions, he was appointed fire chief in 1999. In 2008, he was appointed fire chief of the City of Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. The following year, President Barack Obama appointed him United States Fire Administrator. Cochran wa…

Listen in as Dr. Steve Pettit interviews Chris Anderson about his new book, Theology That Sticks. "Why don’t we sing less and get on with the good stuff?” “Why are we singing so many new songs?” “Why in the world are we singing this?!” In Theology That Sticks, pastor and hymn-writer (“His Robes for Mine”) Chris Anderson addresses these kinds of que…

Pastor Tim Richmond is passionate about urban ministry and evangelism. He is the senior pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Queens New York, which he helped plant. Recently he came to speak to our students about the glorious opportunity all believers have through the call of the great commission.

In this week's episode, Dr. Pettit is joined by Dr. Alan Benson and Dr. Kevin Oberlin as they give an update on what is happening at the School of Religion and BJU Seminary!

This week's episode is an interview that took place back when Stu Epperson Jr. came to visit campus. Stu Epperson is the founder and president of The Truth Network, with radio stations across North Carolina, Virginia, central Iowa, and Salt Lake City. Truth Network also develops and syndicates programs on over 300 affiliates nationwide. It was an h…

The Russian-Ukraine war has caused heartbreak and confusion to spread across the globe. In the heart of the darkness, many Ukrainian pastors and Christian leaders are trying to serve their communities in the face of danger. Sergey Minka is the pastor of Word of Life Slavic Baptist church here in SC. He started the Ukraine Relief fund with his churc…

In this week's episode, we were thrilled to have one of our own back in Greenville. Pastor Jason was a professor in the Seminary and School of Religion here at BJU for a number of years. Since his time at BJU, he has gone back to pastor in the heart of Minneapolis. We were thrilled not only to be able to invite him back for Bible Conference but als…

On this week's episode, Dr. Pettit has a conversation with Noah Jackson and Jonny Pierre. They are the President and Vice President of one of our student organizations, METES. Listen in as they tell about the Mission of METES and how they are reaching out into the community to serve.

Today, Dr. Pettit is joined by Dr. Bernard Kadio to discuss everyone's favorite topic, COVID-19. Dr. Kadio is an expert in global health and is a faculty member at Bob Jones University. In this episode, we will take a quick look at the current state of the global health community to see what the future might hold for all of us.…

On this week's episode — Dr. Pettit is joined by Neal Ring to talk about how the Bruins have grown over the last 10 years.

In the wake of recent events, the issue of abortion has become more pressing than ever. In this week's episode, Dr. Marc Chetta joins Dr. Pettit in a conversation about the Sanctity of Life.

In this week's episode, Dr. Pettit speaks with Emilee Nelson about her grandfather, Ed Nelson, and his recently published biography. Below is the description of this wonderful book that Emilee co-authored with her grandfather: "A Sinner Saved By Grace is not your typical autobiography, especially about a preacher. In a most unexpected way, you will…

Today Dr. Pettit has a conversation with Dr. Renton Rathbun about the recent opening and the need for the Center for Biblical Worldview. The Center for Biblical Worldview will help faculty members and students integrate a biblical worldview into every aspect of campus life. Dr. Renton Rathbun, a professor in the School of Religion, is the newly app…

XPRIZE, the global leader in designing and implementing innovative competition models to solve the world’s grandest challenges, recently announced that a team from Bob Jones University is one of 23 student-led teams to win an award in the $5M Carbon Removal Student Competition. The foundation, which was given $100 million from Elon Musk’s Musk Foun…

If anyone understands the importance of Seminary training, it's Alan Benson and Dave Doran. Alan Benson is Executive Vice President for Ministry Advancement here at BJU and he oversees BJU Seminary. Dave Doran is the senior pastor of Inter-City Baptist Church and President of Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. Together with Dr. Pettit, they disc…

Why are standards and convictions so important for believers today? Listen in as Dr. Pettit and Dr. Ollila discuss how God uses these in the lives of believers.

How should we view the "other side"? Dr. Mark Ward and Dr. Steve Pettit engage in a lighthearted discussion about how you can choose to love your neighbor — even the one you disagree with.

Dr. Charles Ware serves as executive director of Grace Relations and special assistant to the president at the College of Biblical Studies in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Ware has authored, co-authored, and edited several books. Among these is One Race One Blood. Dr. Ware co-authored this book with Answers in Genesis founder and President, Ken Ham. T…

It’s difficult to believe that we’ve come to the end of another school year and have said goodbye to another class of seniors. This class has persevered through an unusual and difficult year, and now we’re excited to see how the Lord uses them in the future. Today, I talk with two members of the 2021 Bob Jones University Senior Class – Sarah Rumpf …

Over the years, we have been blessed to have many alumni who have taken what they’ve learned from Bob Jones University and gone on to do great things. I really enjoy this podcast because it gives me an avenue to talk to some of those people and share their stories with you. Today, I had the opportunity to talk to Asa Hutchinson – a 1972 BJU grad an…

We have a special podcast for you today for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that we published this episode as a video podcast during AlumniLIVE! which is an online gathering for alumni of Bob Jones University. We thought it would be fun to bring you into my office to give you a behind the scenes look at how we record Highest Potential. The…

The Museum and Gallery has always been an important part of Bob Jones University. As an initiative of Dr. Bob Jones Jr., M&G has grown exponentially over the course of its history. In 1998, Erin Jones became the director of the M&G. Erin has worked hard to make M&G more accessible and educational to the surrounding community and is currently overse…

Soon, the U.S. Senate will begin debating a bill that would have far reaching consequences for Bob Jones University and other religious institutions. That bill – known as the Equality Act – forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) and contains no exemptions for religious organizations to exercise their beliefs. …

The Concert, Opera and Drama Series has always been an integral part of the student experience at Bob Jones University. Every year, BJU invites guest artists who join our students to put on high-quality plays, musicals and operas. This year, we had the exciting opportunity to perform “A Tale of Two Cities: The Musical.” I invited Dr. Darren Lawson …

It’s always an exciting time when the Bob Jones University Bruins are able to add another sport to the program. This year, the Bruins are celebrating the inaugural season of the new baseball team. I invited their coach, Brent Casteel, to join me in my office to discuss his journey to BJU, his coaching philosophy and the current team. God has truly …

In today’s episode, I invited my bluegrass band, BJUgrass, to my office to discuss how we came together and how we pulled together our first album—Wherever You Are. Before that conversation, I talk with our student co-host, Sarah Rumpf, about how the student body responded to the Bible Conference messages and offering. Be sure to check out the albu…

Bob Jones University just finished an amazing week of Bible Conference. God used our theme of “Sanctify Them” from John 17:17 to work in my life and the lives of our students. Each service was livestreamed and recorded so that you can benefit from them now. Not only that, but God allowed us to meet our goal of raising $200,000 for the Hope Christia…

Dr. Les Ollila is a longtime friend and one of my most important mentors. Dr. Ollila is also a leader of leaders. Recently, it dawned on me that many of the leaders of the Christian colleges and seminaries that Bob Jones University has close relationships with were greatly influenced by the ministry of Dr. Ollila. In order to properly recognize his…

This year’s Bob Jones University Bible Conference is approaching quickly! I’m excited to welcome several godly preachers to speak on the topic of “Sanctify Them” from John 17:17. This annual event is always the highlight of the semester and I encourage you to join us via livestream. I’m also very excited about this year’s Bible Conference fundraise…

The Bob Jones University Bruins women’s volleyball team secured their third consecutive NCCAA DII National Championship last week. The Bruins beat Dallas Christian College in a five-set thriller. To celebrate this accomplishment, I invited two of the key players from that team—Victoria Glaze and Brittany Annand—to my office to talk about not only t…

Bob Jones University is blessed with so many staff and faculty members who had an amazing career before God called them to minister at BJU. Mike Buiter is no exception. Mike—who now serves as the Dean of the School of Business—began his career in business at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and God eventually allowed him to become the Vice President for Fin…

November 3rd, 2020 is a big day in the United States as Americans will vote to elect the next president of the United States. To say that this is an anxious time for America would be an understatement. It’s also a very conflicting time for Christians because we’re living with a variety of emotions and thoughts about the future. Friends, God is in c…

How many people do you know who have been positively impacted by the ministry of a Christian summer camp? I spent almost 30 years serving as the staff evangelist and the camp director at Northland Camp and Conference Center, and during that time, I saw God work powerfully in the lives of thousands of campers. God saved our student host, Sarah Rumpf…

Perseverance is a quality that the Bob Jones University students are learning and practicing as we crossed the mid-point of this semester. God has truly blessed us and has allowed the University family to remain mostly healthy. Please continue to pray for his protection for our students, faculty and staff. In today’s episode, I talk with students a…

It’s been a busy couple of weeks here on the campus of Bob Jones University! As most of you know, this September 11th was the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that forever changed our country. That day, 2,977 people lost their lives. To commemorate this somber anniversary, BJU set up several memorials to honor and remember the victims of t…

One of my favorite aspects of this podcast is the opportunity to get to know the students who helps me host the show. In this short bonus episode, I’m happy to introduce you to our new host for this year—Sarah Rumpf, a senior communications major from Massachusetts. Be sure to stay tuned to this podcast feed to get Sarah’s perspective on the import…

It’s good to be back! After a bit of a summer lull, I’m excited to more consistently talk to you through this podcast again. In this new episode, I have a great conversation with Dr. Neal Cushman, the new Dean of the Bob Jones University Seminary. In our conversation, Dr. Cushman and I discuss the history of the seminary, and its new and exciting i…

I look forward to welcoming the BJU community back to campus as we return to on-campus, in-person classes for fall 2020. As we begin the semester, the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and community continues to be our highest priority. We’re making plans based upon the best and most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Cont…

Dr. Steve Pettit welcomes to his office Dr. Neal Ring – the Bruins Athletic Director – to discuss the news that the BJU Bruins have been approved for provisional NCAA Division III membership. What does this news mean and what will change within the Bruins athletic department? Dr. Pettit and Dr. Ring answer those questions and share some history of …

Dr. Kevin Oberlin – Associate Dean of The School of Religion at BJU – joins me in my office to discuss how churches and pastors are continuing to shepherd their congregations even though many are unable to meet together. Dr. Oberlin also shares a ministry that he leads called the "Pastor's Prayer Huddle." I hope this conversation encourages you to …

We named this podcast Highest Potential because we wanted to share stories of how BJU helps students reach their highest potential for God’s glory. In this episode, we’ll be talking with someone who has dedicated much of his life to helping his constituents reach their highest potential. Having served in the United States Senate since 2013, Senator…

As the school year winds down, I wanted to feature several students from Bob Jones University's 2020 senior class. I'm very proud of these students and their fellow seniors. They've overcome many obstacles this semester – including the coronavirus, remote classes and a postponed commencement. I'm looking forward to seeing how God uses these young m…

Easter 2020 marks my 45th spiritual birthday. I wanted to take this opportunity to share my testimony of how God saved me from my sins. We serve a great God!

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to alter every aspect of our world, it's fair to wonder what the future of higher education will look like. Dr. Steve Pettit talks with Dr. Gary Weier and Dr. Beverly Cormican about how Bob Jones University is adapting to the new reality that coronavirus has presented and how BJU is preparing for the different …

Two weeks ago, I welcomed Dr. Amy Hicks and Dr. Bernard Kadio to my office and the podcast. They provided an excellent explanation of coronavirus and how it could alter our world. Unfortunately, the situation in the United States has only gotten worse during the past couple of weeks. On this episode, Dr. Hicks and Dr. Kadio give us an update on how…

Dr. Steve Pettit provides encouraging words and an update on Bob Jones University's response to the Coronavirus crisis.

COVID-19 – also known as coronavirus – has disrupted our world in unprecedented ways. Though Bob Jones University has no diagnosed cases, the virus has still changed the course of this semester as students will finish their academic responsibilities through online means. In this time of fear and misunderstanding, I thought it would be valuable to h…

Bob Jones University has raised over $194,000 to purchase a Save the Storks bus for the Carolina Pregnancy Center to use in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This mobile medical unit encourages women who are considering abortion to instead choose life for their unborn baby – and it also provides the opportunity to share the Gospel with those who are los…