R.A. Mathews

Acclaimed theologian Rev. R.A. Mathews graduated from the highest-ranked Baptist seminary in the nation with a Master of Divinity degree and four years of graduate study. She completed extensive Bible research thereafter from 2015 to 2024.

Mathews is also an award-winning writer, and her newspaper columns (articles) about the Lord have been published over 6,000 times in newspapers across the U.S. and overseas.

The Reaching to God series contains both inspiring stories from the Bible and misunderstood Scripture—all supported with footnotes leading the reader to the verses in the Bible.

Mathews completed her university education at the age of 21 and started seminary that same year. She then sought ordination and was examined and approved by a panel of pastors and the association of American Baptist Churches to which her church belongs. She is perhaps the first Baptist woman to receive such an ordination in the South.

The Rev. Mathews subsequently worked in Christian broadcasting and local churches, preaching and working with children and youth. 

Like the Apostle Paul, she is bi-vocational, having graduated from a top-ten-ranked law school with an American Jurisprudence Award in mediation. She mediates disputes and represents children and the mentally challenged.

Mathews is also the author of a multi-volume serial novel, Emerald Coast, written under the pen name Red R.A. Mathews, which draws on her experiences as a state legislator.

She is the granddaughter of the Rev. Cora Hughes, an ordained Nazarene minister. 

"I was reared in a family that dearly loved the Lord," she says, "and I gained a deep understanding of Him early on. I definitely had a head start on my spiritual path.

“The Lord is my all, as you will see. 

“I hope these teachings about God comfort and strengthen your soul. But know that I am not perfect. Read the Scripture passages I have placed in the footnotes and please challenge me if you think I am mistaken. We take this voyage together.”