Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Yesterday, I talked about “misinformation” and “disinformation.” Today I want to quote from Barton Swaim who explains “How Disagreement Became Disinformation.” In the early part of the 20th century, progressives placed their “faith in the perfectibility of man” and “held that social ills could be corrected by means of education.” People do bad things, according to this view, because they don’t know any better and have bad information. Even secular people can see the folly of such a…

Kerby Anderson The terms “misinformation” and “disinformation” are frequently tossed around. That is why it is good to define the terms and explain why they are often misused. Getting a good definition shouldn’t be difficult. Historically, dictionaries have defined misinformation as false or mistaken information. But if you type the word misinformation into some Internet websites, you will get a definition that implies that it includes information intended to deceive others. That should be the definition for disinformation which intends…

Penna Dexter During the Q & A session at a recent seminar an audience member, a mother of four accomplished girls, wondered: “How do we help our teenaged children have good friendships?’ Coming from her, the question seemed odd. But the speaker, Coleman Ford, who teaches at Southwestern Theological Seminary, shares that concern. He pulled a phone out of his pocket and said, “The problem is this.” The mother nodded. Dr. Ford is writing a book he’s calling: Augustine and…

Kerby Anderson While we lament the fact that much of the news today is censored or suppressed, the American consumer understands that inflation is real and here to stay for the foreseeable future. David Catron argues in The American Spectator that “Inflation Can’t Be Censored.” A recent Gallup poll concluded, “Americans’ confidence in the economy remains very low, and mentions of economic issues as the most important problem in the US are at their highest point since 2016.” When asked…

Kerby Anderson One symbol of Russia has been the Russian bear. Sometimes the image has been positive. The mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympics was a bear cub called “Misha.” More frequently the Russian bear image has been used to describe Russia as “big and brutal.” The war in Ukraine has certainly reinforced the idea of brutality. Consider this short list of brutal acts by the Russian military: the massacre in Bucha, airstrikes in various cities and ports, the use…

Kerby Anderson Bobby C. Lee is an entrepreneur and was also an early adopter of bitcoin. In his book, he makes the claim that money is a natural right. He acknowledges that it may seem odd to say something like that. After all, it isn’t what John Locke listed as one of the many inalienable rights like life, health, liberty, or possessions. But if you think about it, money represents the fruit of your labor. You are paid for your…

Kerby Anderson As the threat from a global pandemic is beginning to subside in many parts of the world, the specter of a global food crisis seems likely. A major reason is the war in Ukraine. For example, 25 percent of all the wheat exports in the world come from Ukraine and Russia. About 20 percent of all the corn exports in the world come from there. Most of the sunflower oil comes from that region, along with significant amounts…

Kerby Anderson This year has already been a banner year for major Supreme Court cases that will be decided and announced in the next few weeks. Add to that the number of important pieces of legislation passed by state legislatures. The airwaves and public forums will be filled with sophistic reasoning. The arguments might seem plausible but will be unsound. Consider the standard argument that men shouldn’t make decisions about abortions. We didn’t hear that argument when seven men on…

Penna Dexter I read nearly every column Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker writes. I interviewed her for radio on her 2008 book, Save the Males: Why Men Matter Why Women Should Care. I loved the book and Kathleen struck me as a thoughtful voice for the center-right. I kept on reading her. I still do. These days I find myself disagreeing with Kathleen more than I agree with her. But I still read her columns because I like how she’s…

Kerby Anderson The latest research shows that Christian parents are sending mixed signals to their kids about living the Christian life. More than a decade ago, Probe Ministries surveyed born-again millennials and found that if parents had an inconsistent biblical view, their children would also have an inconsistent view. The only major exception to that would be for kids who got involved with a campus Christian ministry and grew in their faith. The latest research by George Barna illustrates this…

Kerby Anderson In a provocative commentary, Madeleine Kearns reminds us that “Cancel Culture Harms Us All.” She calls it “the persecution of one’s political opponents in the place of debate and the complete condemnation of those who make mistakes.” She has found that there are two common arguments against cancel culture. One argument is that cancel culture isn’t real and is “only an exaggerated right-wing talking point.” The other argument contradicts the first argument: people who are canceled deserved to…