Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Is abstinence education a failure? One would certainly think so looking at some of the statistics being printed in various newspapers. But anyone willing to dig deeper will find that these statistics are sometimes misleading. First, let’s look at the overall trend. During the 1970s and 1980s, comprehensive sex education was being introduced into the schools. The proponents talked about condoms and so-called “safe sex.” What happened during this period? Teen sexual activity rates rose, and pregnancy and…

Kerby Anderson Doubt is something that we all face. All of us have doubts, but these shouldn’t lead to confusion, hopelessness, and unbelief. Doubts can often deepen our dependence on God and give us empathy for others. Pastor Bobby Conway was on my program recently to talk about his new book, Doubting Toward Faith: The Journey to Confident Christianity. Sean McDowell wrote the foreword to the book, and he was in my radio studio recently and also talked about doubt….

Kerby Anderson The refugees spilling into Europe illustrate the magnitude of this humanitarian crisis. Some estimate that more than half of the population of Syria has fled the country. Some have settled in nearby Lebanon and Jordan. Hundreds of thousands are trying to make their way to Germany or other European countries. How should the world respond? The Bible admonishes us to treat aliens and foreigners with compassion. Deuteronomy 10 instructed the nation of Israel to “show love for the…

by Penna Dexter The Affordable Care Act is proving to be a disappointment to individuals and insurers alike. The more people have to pay for the insurance offered by ObamaCare, the less attractive they are finding it. Americans who don’t have employer coverage were supposed to win with the Affordable Care Act. And some are winning because their incomes are low enough to warrant large subsidies. Others win by gaming the system, waiting until they are sick to get health…

Kerby Anderson We all benefit these days from the economics of a free market that allows the inventions of entrepreneurs to be manufactured at a small cost so all of us can enjoy them. We may not understand some of the complex economic issues around us, but we can see their impact in the prices we pay for sophisticated technology. John Tamny gives some great examples in his book, Popular Economics: What the Rolling Stones, Downton Abbey, and LeBron James…

Kerby Anderson ISIS is the world’s most successful terrorist organization, but it is also the most mysterious one. That is why Robert Spencer wrote his book, The Complete Infidel’s Guide to ISIS. He was on my radio program recently to talk about this jihadist group that rules eight million people in a territory larger than the United Kingdom. The book is written in the style of some of the previous books with titles like, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam….

Kerby Anderson Most people who have seen some of the videos of Planned Parenthood are rightfully disturbed by the images of women haggling over prices and explaining how to crush babies in order to get baby parts to sell. That doesn’t seem to bother the medical elite. The editor of the New England Journal of Medicine wrote an editorial this month to criticize the Center for Medical Progress for making the videos. That’s right. Criticize the people who made the…

Kerby Anderson Atheism is on the rise, which is why Christians need to know how to respond to many of the arguments put forward by the so-called New Atheists. There is energy and confidence in their presentations. But Dr. Andy Bannister (Canadian Director of Ravi Zacharias Ministries) says we shouldn’t be cowed by these atheist arguments. He responds to these arguments in this new book, The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist: Or the Dreadful Consequences of Bad Arguments. He was on…

Those of us concerned about the rising national debt often have trouble convincing others about the problem because of news articles and commentaries that minimize our concerns. A good example would be a recent New York Times column by Paul Krugman with the title: “Debt is Good.” Well, I guess that settles it. He is an economist with a Noble Prize to his credit. If he doesn’t think the national debt is a problem, then I guess none of us…

by Penna Dexter A dire threat to the religious liberty of Christian colleges and universities in California has been avoided — sort of. I guess you could say the schools ‘dodged a bullet.’ But the gun is still aimed at them. A piece of legislation that had passed the California state senate was headed to the assembly. If passed and signed by the governor, this law would have severely curtailed the right of these religious institutions of higher learning to…

Kerby Anderson Federal courts have thrown out part or all of the voter-ID laws in states like North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. Judges and politicians argue that they are racially discriminatory and completely unnecessary since voter fraud rarely occurs. Americans apparently disagree. The latest Pew Research Center survey found that only 31 percent of Americans were confident that the votes were accurately counted in the 2012 election. Last night I was at a meeting where party officials were concerned about…