Recent Viewpoints

The fire department is supposed to put out a fire, but the mayor of Atlanta has decided to fan the flames by firing Atlanta’s Fire Chief. His offense? The mayor and some members of his department were angry over Kelvin Cochran’s book written for a men’s bible study that addresses sexual sin. Although the mayor insists that his decision to fire Cochran has nothing to do with his faith, most people don’t buy the mayor’s argument. The mayor’s office was…

The eight Oscar nominations for “The Imitation Game” will no doubt encourage more people to watch the film and learn about the debt we owe to mathematician Alan Turing. After all, we all use a Turing machine in our daily lives. Today, we call them computers. He developed the machine for decrypting the Enigma machine that was used by the Nazi military. In the movie he asks the intriguing question: “What if only a machine could defeat another machine?” Indeed…

This country has been at war with radical Islamic terrorists since the late 1970s. We may not feel we have been at war. The terrorists know they have been at war with us. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich argues in a recent column that we need to develop a clear mission and strategy by holding congressional hearings. He reminds us of the “Long Telegram” written in 1946 that outlined the nature of the communist threat. More than 13…

The highest court in the land will either restore the freedom of the people to uphold marriage, as the union between one man and one woman, in their state laws — or not. Judges in courts across the nation have denied citizens their voice in this matter, striking down laws protecting marriage in 20 states. Appeals courts have upheld these rulings. But not the Sixth Circuit. This court upheld laws in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Tennessee that defined marriage as…

Newsweek began 2015 with a cover story on the Bible. In the lead article, we get a heavy dose of liberal theory and secular skepticism about the Bible. But the author is correct in arguing that very few Americans are biblically literate. Many Christian ministries have documented this through various surveys as well as lots of anecdotal stories. Two writers with The Federalist decided to follow the lead of Newsweek and write about “The Eight Biggest Myths About the Bible.”…

Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. When the Supreme Court removed most state restrictions on abortion more than forty years ago, who could have predicted the world we live in today. When the ruling came down, few understood the long-term implications. I remember speaking on the issue in college classrooms a few years later and wondering when the Supreme Court would reverse its decision. By the 1980s, it seemed like only a matter of time that abortion would…

When the Affordable Care Act was debated years ago, one of the most compelling arguments for its passage was a claim that it would make health insurance affordable for people with lower incomes. Now that the employer mandate begins to kick in for 2015, we are finding that it is people with these modest incomes who are being hurt the most. Dr. John Goodman has (for decades) provided expert testimony before Congress on health care issues and health insurance. His…

No doubt you’ve heard the phrase: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Although many assume it was Voltaire who said it, actually it was the Voltaire biographer Evelyn Beatrice Hall who wrote it. Her phrase comes to mind as we look back over the last few weeks in which comedy and satire have come under attack. First we had the incident over the movie, The Interview. Sony originally…

After 42 years of legal abortion, how does one even comprehend 57 million unborn children aborted? Oregon Right to Life came up with a YouTube video that helps us get our heads around: “How many is 57 million?” The 4 ½ minute long video begins by declaring: “The United States Legalized Abortion in 1973.” Then, as the screen shows the date change to 1974, 1975, ‘76 and so on, the number of babies aborted ticks up — really fast. In…

When social commentators talk about out-of-wedlock births or divorce, they talk about the social and even emotional costs. But are there also economic costs? A study at Georgia State University suggests that the economic costs are significant. The study is titled “The Taxpayer Cost of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing.” Four pro-marriage groups commissioned the study (e.g., the Institute for American Values and the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy). The study concluded that the cost was a minimum of $112…

For decades, Christians have been warning about the dangers of pornography. It can ruin marriages and destroy families. Many researchers have provided evidence of the harmful effects of pornography. Much of this was catalogued in the 1986 Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography. Various groups ranging from Pure Hope to Enough is Enough have also been warning about dangers of pornography. And the problem has grown worse simply because porn is easily available on the Internet. The case has been made…