Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Not only is the US government in debt, but many of its citizens are in significant debt as well. Economists announced that credit card debt for Americans has now reached a new height of $1.02 trillion. Matt Schultz is a senior industry analyst at CreditCards.com. He says, “This record should serve as a wake-up call to Americans to focus on their credit card debt.” He adds, “Even if you feel your debt is manageable right now, know that…

Kerby Anderson When the US debt officially reached $20 trillion, some listeners asked who owns this debt. In the past, we were assured that the national debt wasn’t a big deal since “we owe it to ourselves.” I never thought that comment was very reassuring then. It simply isn’t true now. The US borrows heavily from foreign countries, especially the Chinese. And this creates the first problem: foreign influence. One former member of Congress put it this way: “whoever pays…

Kerby Anderson According to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, the millennial generation has been reversing some of the social trends that were true of previous generations. For example about one-third of all millennials still live with their parents. They also apparently rely on them financially as well. The millennial generation is also postponing marriage, having children later, and buying homes later. Instead, they are pursuing education and various job opportunities. Many of these reversed trends have taken place recently….

Kerby Anderson So often we hear that the “vast majority of Muslims are peaceful.” While that is certainly true, the claim doesn’t go far enough. Many years ago, William Kirkpatrick wrote about “The Vast Majority Myth.” He countered this idea with three propositions. The first proposition is that “the vast majority of people are peaceful, until they’re not.” It is easy to find examples of people who were peaceful for a long time and then quickly turned violent. The vast…

Kerby Anderson Will orthodox, Bible-believing Christians find it harder and harder to buy and sell in America? If you had asked that question a few decades ago, people would have thought you’d lost all rationality. But that is a question Rod Dreher rightly asks in a recent editorial. He points to the decision by Vanco Payment Solutions to cut off services to a Christian ministry because it is listed on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Hate Map.” The Ruth Center…

Penna Dexter Conservative heads are spinning with successive announcements of presidential candidacies, complete with promises to enact expensive government programs. Let’s pick one: government day care. It’s really preschool because the proposal references “curriculum standards.” Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren proposes federal subsidies for universal early education and child care.  “In the wealthiest country on the planet,” she argues, “access to affordable and high-quality child care and early education should be a right, not a privilege reserved for the…

Kerby Anderson Psychiatrist Lyle Rossiter wrote an article many years ago with the simple title: “Following the Rules.” He has noticed among his clients and among Americans, in general, an unwillingness to follow basic rules in various arenas. As he points out, there are consequences for breaking the rules in these five areas: “In the care of our bodies, we have to obey the rules of physics, chemistry, and biology.” When we break these rules we get fat, we get…

Kerby Anderson Alex Berenson is a journalist who tended to be a libertarian when it came to drugs. But a conversation with his wife changed his perspective. She worked as a senior psychiatrist at the institution housing people diagnosed with psychotic disorders, like schizophrenia. She mentioned in passing that “of course” a patient had been smoking pot all his life. He asked why she said “of course,” only to find out that all of them smoke marijuana and that he…

Kerby Anderson You have heard most of them before. They are little phrases and one-liners that Christians (and even non-Christians) say in order to encourage you. You might be going through some tough struggles, and they remind you, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” At a funeral for a child, someone will likely explain, “God gained another angel.” And of course, there are the millions of people who believe that “God just wants you to be happy”…

Kerby Anderson Senator Ben Sasse is puzzled. He can’t understand why his colleagues in the US Senate don’t support his legislative attempt to prevent infanticide from becoming medical practice in this country. He says, “Infanticide shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Every single public servant should be able to say it’s wrong to leave newborn babies to die.” One of the best reasons for this bill came from comments by the governor of Virginia. Ralph Northam explained that an “infant would…

Kerby Anderson Over the last few weeks, we learned why we must exercise discernment when viewing media coverage of hate crimes. Even though so many have turned out to be fake hate crimes, the pressure on media outlets to get your attention prevents them from exercising any discernment. That is why you need to exercise discernment. There were good reasons the media should have exercised some caution. Why would a black man in a fairly liberal city like Chicago be…