Recent Viewpoints

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…

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…

Penna Dexter At its Christmas party this year, the Texas Equal Access Fund, a non-profit that helps women pay for abortions, gave workers and volunteers candles that say: “Abortion is Magical.” It’s a strange message. Especially since Christmas is about birth — as Family Research Council points out — “the most unplanned pregnancy of all.” Still, it’s a reminder that, as we end 2019 and head into the new year, we face a stark divide regarding the issue of abortion. Public…

Kerby Anderson Although we usually sing the carol “Joy to the World” during the Christmas season, the hymn isn’t really about the incarnation of Jesus. Isaac Watts wrote it and has often been known as the “Father of English Hymnology.” He composed “Joy to the World” in 1719. It was originally titled “The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom.” The original title illustrates why there is no reference to angels, shepherds, or wise men. It is really about Christ’s second coming. That…

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….

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 It is estimated that Charles Wesley wrote over 6500 hymns. Perhaps his best-known hymn is “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.” Over the years, it has been edited slightly, but the meaning and theology remains as he wrote it more than two centuries ago. It begins with a proclamation of the birth of Jesus: “Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” The hymn reminds us why…

Kerby Anderson The carol “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is an English translation of a Latin hymn that is sung during Advent and Christmas. The text goes back to at least the 18th century (and perhaps much earlier) while the music put to it goes back to the 15th century. “O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”…

Kerby Anderson Many of the Democratic presidential candidates have been critical of charter schools, and you might wonder why. After all, they are public schools and have a relatively good track record. David Osborne, writing in the Wall Street Journal, documents some of the charges made against charter schools. Senator Elizabeth Warren argues that these schools “strain the resources of school districts.” Senator Bernie Sanders also says that the growth of charter schools “has drained funding from the public-school system.”…

Penna Dexter People looking to shop this year for the gender confused have options. Online fashion collections and even retail shops feature what’s being called gender-free clothing. Gender-free clothing has been out there, on runways and in fashion magazines, for years. I received an ad from a clothing company called Primary that gives kids a chance to choose from a rainbow of colors. The photo shows a kid in a blue dress. It’s labeled “the-boys-long-sleeve-dress. In cobalt.” More recently, some…