Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Even though there is lots of evidence that violence is declining, many people don’t believe it. On my radio program, we have documented that the violent crime rate has dropped significantly over the last few decades. And if you want a longer look at the decline in violence over millennia, you could pick up the 2011 book, The Better Angels of Our Nature, by Steven Pinker. Apparently, many people don’t believe it. That is why he spends a…

Kerby Anderson What will be the long-term impact of the trade wars? Nobody knows for sure, but the tariffs imposed by the president could affect both the economy and the midterm elections. In fact, some industry experts and economists warn that the greatest economic fallout might occur just as voters go to the polls. The political impact, so far, hasn’t been great. One poll showed support for the tariffs from citizens who already support the president and opposition from citizens…

Kerby Anderson The public debate about transgender students using restrooms and showers became more intense in a small town in Oregon. I have actually preached in a church in this town and can imagine the reaction of the parents. A district judge ruled that a girl who identifies as a boy can use the boys’ facilities and vice versa. The judge did offer an alternative: parents can take their children out of the schools. Well, thank you. These parents pay…

Penna Dexter The birth rate in the US has hit an all-time low. Replacement-level fertility requires an average of 2.1 children per woman. Ours is roughly 1.76. Fewer women are having children. And the ones who do are having fewer of them. A Pew Research survey done in June reveals that Americans like the idea of larger families. According to the study “41 percent of US adults think that families of three or more children is ideal,” but millennials are…

Kerby Anderson Perhaps you have heard of the latest environmental movement to ban plastic straws. Even though they are small, they are large in number. The activists claim that we use millions of straws every day. That number seems high, at least to me, since I avoid using plastic straws. I figure that I don’t need a straw when I drink water or a beverage at home. Why do I need one in a restaurant? If I go to a…

Kerby Anderson Jonah Goldberg reminded his readers of a famous essay by Tom Wolfe entitled “The Great Relearning.” It was an essay about the Summer of Love in 1968 in San Francisco. It had great significance to me since I grew up in the San Francisco area during that time, but it also has significance to all of us concerned about our culture. He said that doctors at the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic “were treating diseases no living doctor had ever…

Kerby Anderson Over the last few months I have done a number of radio interviews dealing with sexual abuse and sexual harassment. During each program, I try to acknowledge the possibility that sometimes an allegation might be false. This is not to diminish the importance of speaking out but also acknowledge that sometimes there might be a false report. One prominent example is what has happened to Andy Puzder, who was originally put forward as President Trump’s nominee for Secretary…

Kerby Anderson Jonah Goldberg talks about “The Miracle” in his book, The Suicide of the West. The major focus of his book is on tribalism and populism, but he begins with a description and an explanation of the remarkable change in western societies in the last few centuries. “The Miracle is about more than economics, but economics is the best way to tell the story of humanity’s quantum leap out of its natural environment of poverty.” People used to live…

Kerby Anderson Who is the leader of the political left today? Many might say it is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer or House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. But if you asked who is the NEW leader of the political left many would probably say it is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She is the 28-year-old, self-proclaimed socialist who recently won a Democratic primary in New York’s 14th district in the Bronx. She has become the darling of political progressives and thus has attracted lots…

Penna Dexter If you are a middle child — or a parent of one of more middles — you are becoming increasingly rare. Every child born after the first and before the last is technically a middle. In an article in New York Magazine, culture editor Adam Sterrnbergh makes the startling revelation that the American Middle Child is now an endangered species. He explains the demographics: “As the ideal number of children per family has shrunk to two…the middle child, in…

Kerby Anderson Media critics have for years decried the proliferation of “fake news” and have been especially critical when quotes and comments were ripped out of context. J.J. McCullough recently wrote about another related issue that isn’t given enough coverage. A liberal press often runs photos that are “obviously ripped out of context.” Since he is a Canadian, McCullough begins his piece by talking about a deceptive photo of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump. They are…