Recent Viewpoints

During this election season we will be hearing quite a bit about the middle class. Candidates will claim that they want to fight for the middle class and argue that their policies will help middle class families. They will also say that members of the opposite party are the reason for the decline of the middle class, even though this decline has been happening under both Republican and Democratic presidents and Congress. The Pew Research Center documented that the middle…

It seems that welfare has replaced work in America. In the last few years, we have seen the largest expansion of the welfare state since President Lyndon Johnson. We have also seen the largest decline in the labor force in 30 years. Stephen Moore with the Heritage Foundation (and formerly with The Wall Street Journal) believes it is time to ask whether welfare has contributed to the reduction in the percentage of Americans holding a job. More than 46 million…

What is the relationship of elections to culture? Many Christians argue that elections are downstream from where real change is taking place. Often politicians and judges are making decisions to “catch-up” with the culture. Mark Steyn understands this. He writes about this in his book, The Undocumented Mark Steyn. He explains this in his New York Post article, The real battle for America is over culture, not elections. His argument is simple. Culture trumps politics. In many ways politics is…

Sometimes it seems a little presumptuous to ask God’s blessing on this nation. We’re aborting more than a million babies a year. Same-sex marriage is legal across America and the federal government is forcing the mainstreaming of homosexual sin. The ability to live according to the tenets of our faith is under attack. Knowing all this, how do we approach God? Prayerfully. Will you join me? Lord, thank you for the many blessings You bestowed upon our nation last year…

by 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…

by Kerby Anderson During this Christmas week, I have taken the time to discuss the theology of some of the Christmas hymns and carols that we sing. Today I would like to talk about The First Noel. It is an English song dating back to the sixteenth century. Some people believe that the First Noel was French because of the French spelling of Noel, but it is actually an English song. The French word Noël does mean “Christmas” and is…

by 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…

by Kerby Anderson This is Christmas week, and so I thought we might reflect on the hymn, “O Holy Night” by John Dwight. “O holy night! The stars are brightly shining. It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.” Jesus came into the world to save us and so we feel valuable and our soul feels its worth. Perhaps the most…

by Penna Dexter Presidential primary season is just around the corner — an opportunity for everyday Americans to influence who ultimately gets elected next November. Citizens can participate in their states’ primaries and caucuses to help choose the party’s nominee. Those who do this, and also those who make financial contributions to candidates, get a bigger say in who’s available to vote for in the general election. That’s democracy and it’s a way people who care can really have an…

by Kerby Anderson After every shooting there is the inevitable gun debate. But this time there are indications that the gun debate may be changing. Here are a few examples. First, there is growing evidence that law-abiding citizens have decided to ignore some of the gun laws. We all know that criminals buy guns on the black market and use them in the crimes they commit. And there are stories of people living in places like the District of Columbia…

How can we stop ISIS? That is a question many are asking, so it is worth sharing a plan that makes sense. Former CIA deputy director, John McLaughlin has written in the past about the scourge of ISIS and the tricky politics at stake. Today I want to explain his latest plan using military strategy. He is quick to explain that there is no military solution to the problem of radical Islam. But he also adds that it is impossible…