Recent Viewpoints

We are told that there is a scientific consensus on the cause of climate change. Pope Francis published his new encyclical on the subject and also talks about a scientific consensus. What should the average layperson believe? Jay Richards has written a helpful piece with the title, “When to Doubt a Scientific Consensus.” He reminds us from the history of science “that scientists are not immune to the non-rational dynamics of the herd.” So when do we accept what scientists…

The story earlier this month was that the Treasury Department was planning to take Alexander Hamilton off the $10 bill. An unnamed woman would replace him on the money. The most recent announcement is that his image won’t disappear completely but remain in a secondary way. The announcement from the Treasury Department created a small stir. It would have been a huge controversy if it weren’t for the ignorance of most Americans of the contribution of Alexander Hamilton. He fought…

This morning the Supreme Court issued its 5-4 ruling for the marriage case. Through this ruling, five unelected justices have attempted to force their view of marriage on the entire nation. In this act they have nullified the votes of 50 million of our citizens who sought to protect the sanctity of marriage. The four dissenting Justices each filed their own opinion. “This court is not a legislature. Whether same-sex marriage is a good idea should be of no concern…

The Wall Street Journal reports on the fact that the five largest commercial health insurers in the U.S. are pursuing various combinations of mergers and/or purchases of one another. In an editorial, The Journal expresses concern about the possibility of “all five fusing into one monster conglomerate.” They call this an oligopoly. The Journal, explains the phenomenon, saying “the economics of ObamaCare reward scale over competition.” Standardized benefits and premiums have compressed profit margins for insurance companies. There are few…

If you have been to a movie recently, you probably were watching a remake or a sequel like Jurassic World or Mad Max. We are in the midst of nearly 30 movies that could be described as remakes or sequels. There are more to come. And don’t forget the franchise operations like James Bond, Mission: Impossible, X-Men, and Hunger Games. Charlie Jane Anders asks, “Why does Hollywood keep rebooting the same movie properties over and over again? It’s not just…

The latest story about scientific fraud illustrates how political and cultural bias can influence even reputable scientific journals. The complete story can be found in the Wall Street Journal under the title “Scientific Fraud and Politics.” The case in point is the paper by graduate student Michael LaCour that was published and then retracted by the journal Science. The journal published his stunning findings because LaCour found that a 20-minute conversation with a house-to-house canvasser could convert huge numbers of…

With all that is happening in our world, it is easy to be discouraged. Warren Cole Smith and John Stonestreet wrote their book, Restoring All Things, to encourage you and show how God and His people are engaged in fulfilling His promise to restore all things. Restoring is just one of the “re” words that John Stonestreet talks about. There are other words like redemption, reconciliation, and resurrection along with renew, repent, and restore. When he was on my radio…

After the attack on America on 9/11, Stephen Coughlin was brought into the government to research and present information on Islam and especially about Sharia law. His presentations were so effective, that the special operations community dubbed them “Red Pill” briefings. This was a reference to an iconic scene in the movie, The Matrix. Neo is given a choice of taking the blue pill and going back to his reality or taking the red pill and see that world as…

Many of the governors and former governors running for the presidency are pointing to their economic success as an important credential. Rick Perry, for example reminds potential voters that when he was governor, Texas created more than thirty percent of all the new jobs in the country. It was also in the top three in job creation. He credits low taxes and a light regulatory touch for the booming Texas economy. Apparently the editors at the Wall Street Journal agree…

The United States Senate now has before it the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The bill, which passed the House in May by a 242-184 vote, bans abortions after 20 weeks gestation. There’s now a broad consensus that the fetus feels pain by this point in its development, if not much earlier. South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham introduced this legislation. Over the past five years, fourteen states have passed bills that are virtually identical to Senator Graham’s Pain Capable…

“Proper Bible reading begins before we open the book.” That is how Tony Reinke begins his blog post on “4 Things to Remember When Reading the Bible.” The material is adapted from his book, Newton on the Christian Life. In a pair of sermons “On Searching the Scriptures,” pastor and hymn-writer John Newton explains how four elements should inform our approach to the Bible. The first is sincerity. We should “submit both our sentiments and our practices to be controlled…