Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson One of the campaign promises Donald Trump made was to remove the Johnson Amendment that has limited the free speech of pastors from their pulpits. A little history is in order. When Senator Lyndon Johnson was running for reelection in 1954, he wanted to prevent outside groups from interfering in his campaign. The amendment he added back then prevents any 501(c)(3) organization from participating in any political campaign. His goal wasn’t to muzzle pastors, but this amendment has…

Kerby Anderson As Republicans in the House and Senate move forward with the possible repeal of Obamacare, Democrats have developed a plan to distract lawmakers and the public. They believe they can sidetrack the attempt by demanding Republicans focus time and attention on prescription drugs. A number of Democratic senators outlined steps they believe must be done to control the price of prescription drugs. Their ideas include setting prices for drugs, imposing price controls, and allowing bureaucrats to determine costs….

Kerby Anderson The Bible gives us a story of the world told through God’s perspective. That is why the Christian worldview provides the best explanation of the world. It answers questions like: Why am I here? and What is my purpose in life? Greg Koukl provides a big-picture introduction to the story of the Bible in his new book, The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important That Happens in Between. He was on…

Kerby Anderson All of a sudden deficits matter now that we have a new president and a new administration. That’s about the only conclusion you can come to with the radical change in perspective from New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. Kevin Williamson, in a recent column, reminds us what columnist and Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman wrote back in October. He said that future president Hillary Clinton should ignore people worried about deficits and the national debt and engage…

Penna Dexter Congress’s first order of business this year is to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Some legislators advocate repealing and replacing ObamaCare simultaneously. Others favor immediate repeal and replacing later. The real question should be: Should we replace the Affordable Care Act? And the answer is, No. We don’t need Congress to write another gigantic law. Before the ACA, the federal government was already way too involved in healthcare. Now we’ve got a freedom-destroying entitlement that is not sustainable….

Kerby Anderson Today is the presidential inauguration. Not only is it a time when there is a peaceful transition of power, but it is also one of the few times when Americans can enjoy a little bit of pomp and ceremony. Even at the beginning, there was excitement and large crowds. George Washington took office in 1789 in New York City to the sounds of ceremonial artillery and church bells ringing. He made his way through the large crowds to…

Kerby Anderson I hope you can see the irony in the announcement from George Washington University. The administration announced that it would no longer require history majors to take a class in American history. Yes, the university named for our first American president won’t require students graduating with a history degree to actually take a course on the history of this country. I guess this shouldn’t be so surprising. I remember when my alma mater, Yale University, decided to return…

Kerby Anderson The crime rate is up in many cities, so maybe its time to consider a solution rarely suggested. Let’s see what faith-based organizations and people of faith can do. The evidence is that they can reduce the crime rate and the recidivism rate in our prisons. This is the argument Baylor University criminologist Byron Johnson makes in his book, More God, Less Crime. Sadly most social scientists and even criminologists seem reluctant to make the connection between faith…

Kerby Anderson During the first week of January, Senator Rand Paul urged Republicans not to repeal Obamacare without having a replacement plan ready. Friday night his phone rang. It was Donald Trump. He agreed with the senator that repeal and replace needs to take place simultaneously. This means that the replace part of the equation will be getting much more attention. Everyone will have to explain their positions. Those who support the Affordable Care Act and do not want it…

Kerby Anderson On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, let me suggest that you take some time to read his letter from a Birmingham Jail. If you are young, I think it will give you a better idea of what the civil rights movement in the 1960s was all about. If you are older, it will remind you of some forgotten events and chapters in American history. I realize that it will take some time to read his letter. When I…

Penna Dexter As the president-elect chooses his cabinet we’re reminded of the size and complexity of our federal government. One wonders, can this really be changed? Larry Arnn, President of Hillsdale College, is one observer who is hopeful. In the December issue of Hillsdale’s publication Imprimis, he writes “our government has swollen beyond recognition.” The founders enshrined a separation of powers in the Constitution so that each branch could work to keep the others in check. We have come to…