Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Today there are two US Senate elections in Georgia. Of course, you know that, because they will likely determine the direction of the US Senate and the country. In past years, a runoff election for the US Senate did not garner much interest from most Americans. But this has not been a normal year. And this year of 2021 is starting off with even more turmoil. In addition to these two US Senate elections in Georgia today is…

Kerby Anderson This year there will be great pressure put on politicians and health care officials to extend lockdowns in an effort to curtail the health impact of the pandemic. In past commentaries I have talked about the devastating social and economic impact the lockdowns have had. They also have been a major factor in widening the gap between rich and poor. Stephen Moore, in a recent column, reminds us that “Democrats and liberal economic advisers obsess about income inequality.”…

Kerby Anderson Let me begin by wishing you a Happy New Year. At the start of this New Year, I wanted to pass on some advice. In previous commentaries, I have talked about the value of using this time of year to change something in your life. There is nothing magical about using January 1 as a start date, but why not use it to improve yourself? First, I would recommend you pick just one thing to change. If you…

Kerby Anderson Yesterday I talked about charitable giving. Today I wanted to follow up by challenging us as Christians to consider giving even more than we do. Perhaps the best book on that subject was written by David Green. It has the arresting title, Giving It All Away. He is the founder of Hobby Lobby and tells the story of his success and calls for Christians to give generously to churches and other ministries. He and the rest of his…

Penna Dexter You have probably noticed the conservative–liberal divide on COVID-19 mitigation measures, especially lockdowns. It’s not that conservatives aren’t worried about the current uptick in cases. We just don’t think another set of lockdowns will be particularly effective in the long run. We see the millions of jobs lost, businesses shuttered, whole industries devastated — perhaps never to fully recover, and the academic setbacks. We simply don’t advocate a repeat. As the virus sickens and sometimes kills, we notice…

Kerby Anderson As this year winds down, many Americans focus on year-end giving. There is abundant evidence that charitable giving has been affected by our newly revised tax code that rewards fewer taxpayers with tax benefits. Howard Husock wrote about this earlier this month when many Americans took advantage of “Giving Tuesday.” His observations then are even more relevant at the end of December. Indiana University’s school of philanthropy had been able to document two significant trends. While overall giving…

Kerby Anderson The recent revelation of a Chinese spy involved with a member of Congress has been a vivid reminder that China has been using various ways to gather intelligence. They not only use actual spies, but gather intelligence from students, tourists, and businessmen. This “thousand grains of sand” approach gathers what might seem to be inconsequential bits of information they can then put with other information to gain a full picture of what is happening in this country. When…

Kerby Anderson China is a national security threat. That is the conclusion of the Director of National Intelligence. John Ratcliffe begins his assessment by reminding us that he has access to more intelligence than any member of the US government other than the president. He says that if he could “communicate one thing to the American people from this unique vantage point, it is that the People’s Republic of China poses the greatest threat to America today, and the greatest…

Penna Dexter As we enter 2021, many scholars I respect warn that things are becoming quite different in America. What’s being described as a ”soft totalitarianism” is taking hold in American public, economic, and academic life. People are being canceled, losing jobs, educational opportunities, and the ability to express ideas that have Christian and conservative roots. If you’re a believer, you will be tested. To respond to testing well, each of us must decide beforehand how we will react. Princeton…

Kerby Anderson On this Christmas day, I think it would be good to reflect for just a moment on the Incarnation. God became man and took on human flesh. This is a great theological wonder and mystery. Malcolm Muggeridge wrote this to describe the importance of the birth of Christ. “Thanks to the great mercy and marvel of the Incarnation, the cosmic scene is resolved into a human drama. A human drama in which God reached down to relate Himself…

Kerby Anderson On this Christmas week, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the coming of the Messiah. The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies that give specific detail about the “anointed one” who is the Messiah. The prophets proclaimed that He would come to save the people. The Bible is unique in many ways, especially when it comes to fulfilled prophecy. At the time when it was written, 27 percent (1800 verses) of the Bible was prophetic. Large…