Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Many historians have written about the descent into barbarism. Novelist Mark Lewis reminds us that the “descent into barbarism is easy and fast; you only need to let yourself go.” How does it happen? He suggests, “When it becomes socially acceptable to be a barbarian, as is increasingly the case in America, there will be more and more barbaric activity.” And he adds that it is often to the advantage of leaders to allow it to happen or…

Kerby Anderson Karol Markowicz calls it “America’s Great Rip-off.” What she is talking about is the rising tide of shoplifting in this country. Although it may be easy to dismiss shoplifting as insignificant, she reminds us that it hurts everyone. We pay for it economically with increased prices, and we pay for it culturally with a further decline and degradation in society’s standards. How bad is the problem? Anyone with a little bit of discernment should question the latest statistics….

Kerby Anderson For more than a decade, my radio program has had a millennial roundtable discussion to help the next generation learn to navigate the culture. One resource I recommend is the book, A Practical Guide to Culture, written by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle. The rowboat on the cover illustrates that the younger generations will have to navigate through choppy waters. John has been on my radio program many times to talk about culture and share his experiences from…

Kerby Anderson The media tells us we are facing an epidemic of loneliness. Everyone is writing about loneliness, and I have done so as well. But we must reject one of the reasons sometimes given for loneliness in America. John Stossel quotes from articles and magazines that argue that capitalism is what makes us lonely. In his new video interview with Johan Norberg, the historian explains, “There is no empirical data that actually shows that we feel lonelier now than…

Penna Dexter An article in the online publication — FLI Insider — sent me searching through several years of radio commentaries to find my stories covering the “Christmas Wars.” I found quite a few. Here’s one from 12 years ago:  Mayor Tony Court of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania received a threatening letter from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation about a nativity scene that had been displayed in his town for the previous fifty Christmas seasons. The letter insisted the nativity…

Kerby Anderson Thaddeus McCotter has a suggestion for you. Go to a search engine and ask it for the reasons for an impending climate apocalypse. It will list such things as the use of fossil fuels, agricultural practices, and much more. He says that is misleading because the seminal cause for this is YOU. “Well, okay, maybe not you, specifically, but certainly enough people to make the world less burdened by the blight upon Mother Nature that is humanity. Fewer…

Kerby Anderson Today is December 7 – a day that President Roosevelt said would be “a date which will live in infamy.” On that fateful morning of December 7, 1941, America was attacked without warning. More than 2,400 Americans died and 1,100 were wounded. Our country was changed forever. This attack led us into war, and the citizens of America responded with courage and resolve. So it may be well to reflect on what took place and how we today…

Kerby Anderson Yesterday I discussed a Wall Street Journal article about a poll that revealed that most voters see the American dream slipping away. Only a third (36%) of voters said the American Dream holds true. My focus yesterday was on the mindset that prevents young people from being successful. Why work hard if you are convinced the system is rigged against you? Perhaps the better way to look at it is to focus on the economic reality since the…

Kerby Anderson Just over a week ago, a poll published in the Wall Street Journal revealed that most voters see the American dream slipping away. Only a third (36%) of voters said the American Dream holds true compared to a majority (53%) of American voters who said that in 2012. Derek Hunter argues in a recent column that “the American Dream is not dead; what is dead is most people’s idea of what that phrase means.” The poll defined the…

Kerby Anderson Two weeks ago, I documented the rise in antisemitism on the left. Today, I will focus our attention on antisemitism on the right. Before I do so, let’s acknowledge that dividing anti-Jewish hatred into left and right is neither fair nor accurate. In my previous commentary, I quoted a liberal who condemns the views of his fellow Democrats who are antisemitic. Conservative leaders also condemn the views of antisemitic groups. Sarah Arnold reports: “Antisemitism is on the rise…

Penna Dexter Bioethicist and political thinker Leon Kass has often been called upon to weigh in on consequential moral debates. He lives both in the US and in Jerusalem where he serves as dean of faculty at Shalem University. His recent Wall Street Journal commentary, “Why the Jewish Way of Living Matters,” speaks to certain “Torah-based beliefs,” moral principles shared by the Jewish right and left. Some of these concern the centrality of family life. Dr. Kass states: “In this…