Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson “American physician Duncan MacDougall is known as the man who tried to weigh the human soul.” That’s how neuroscientist, Dr. Sharon Dirckx begins her column in World magazine. If you have read the latest book by Lee Strobel on Seeing the Supernatural, you will notice he quotes her work frequently. She reminds us that scientists like Harvard professor Steven Pinker argue that the soul is merely the brain: “The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected…

Kerby Anderson What does it mean to be a human being? This is a question raised in Psalm 8, “What is man?” This question is at the heart of so many of our social issues, such as human rights, gender, sexuality, and artificial intelligence. Dr. Carl Trueman discusses the issue of biblical anthropology in his article in World magazine. He was on my radio program to discuss the topic by pointing to books that helped him more accurately define a…

Penna Dexter My walking route often includes a nearby high school’s grounds with a stop to look at the seniors’ beautifully-painted parking spaces. Many high schools allow seniors to pay for a space and then paint it with a picture or message that reflects their personality or interests. Most schools require that artwork be approved by administrators. Academy School District 20 in Colorado Springs, Colorado follows guidelines that prohibit messages it deems “offensive, negative, rude, gang-related, political, religious, or trademarked…

Kerby Anderson In America, we are facing a housing divide. We talk about a digital divide that illustrates the gulf between those who have computers and the Internet, and those who don’t. There is a growing divide between those who have homes and those who do not and may never own a home. Baby boomers are sitting on a staggering amount of housing wealth, estimated at $19 trillion worth of real estate. They hold nearly half of the nation’s real…

Kerby Anderson In a recent interview, James Lavish (Hedge Fund Investment Manager) explained the economic dilemma facing our leaders. First, he laments that so many in media and the government keep promoting that the economy is doing fine when the average American consumer isn’t doing well. Only the people who own assets are doing well. He has observed how hard it is for so many American to go to the grocery store and put healthy food on the table. He…

Kerby Anderson A recent YouTube video describes a pattern in history that has destroyed three global superpowers in the last 500 years. They were Spain, Britain, and the Soviet Union. Today, the U.S. is following a similar pattern. In 1590, Spain was the richest empire on earth. Spain controlled half the world’s gold and silver. Spain’s military dominated Europe. Their currency was accepted everywhere. Yet within 80 years, the Spanish government was bankrupt. In 1914, Britain ruled the largest empire…

Kerby Anderson Allen West argues in a recent commentary that, “We have come to a time when we should have a serious discussion about the roles, duties, responsibilities, and accountability of judges in our Constitutional Republic.” He explains that judges are appointed, or elected, to a position where they are to correctly judge the law. He also reminds us that we read about judges in the Old Testament. Sampson was a judge who was also a warrior. Deborah was not…

Kerby Anderson A recent issue of The Spectator attempted to tackle the difficult questions surrounding artificial intelligence. The opening editorial was appropriately titled, “The real threat of AI is spiritual.” It provided disturbing quotes from two Silicon Valley experts. Peter Thiel was asked whether he wanted the human race to endure. After a long awkward pause, he merely said, “I don’t know” and then acknowledged that “there’s so many questions implicit in this.” Marc Andreessen imagined a future where people…

Penna Dexter Our universities have been moving leftward for decades. William F. Buckley warned of the drift in his 1951 book, GOD AND MAN AT YALE. Conservatives advocating reform have mostly been ignored. Families who want to avoid the prevailing leftist indoctrination can seek out Christian colleges, or schools — like Hillsdale College — that refuse federal funding. But most chose based upon prestige, family legacies, or scholarship offers. Many parents were unaware of how socialists’ “long march through the…

Kerby Anderson An article about Wikipedia began like this: “I launched the site in 2001. Today’s it’s been captured by anonymous editors who manipulate articles to fit their ideological biases. Here’s my plan to fix it.” It was written by Larry Sanger, who says “Wikipedia was founded on an idealistic mission to provide the world’s information for free.” The evidence for left-wing bias can be found, for example, in the platform’s list of reliable sources: MSNBC, The Nation, Mother Jones,…

Kerby Anderson In this commentary, I want to explain an interesting business pattern that developed in China. It illustrates what many have called “the catfish effect.” What is the catfish effect? Live sardines are more expensive than frozen sardines and more valuable because they have better flavor and texture. One ship in Norway was always able to bring sardines home because the captain put a catfish in the tank. The sardines had to keep swimming to avoid this predator. The…