Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson Someone who tuned into Point of View for the first time left a comment on the Facebook page criticizing what one of my guests said and concluded by instructing us that Christians should embrace socialism. It’s the type of comment I usually ignore, but I thought it might deserve a response since I have heard it so often. Over the last few months, I have been teaching through the book of Acts. When you get to Acts 4,…

Kerby Anderson Although the concept of a free enterprise system developed primarily in Europe, it has become the most successful in the United States. Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, has a possible explanation. The founders promoted a free market where Americans were able to truly live their liberty. Thomas Jefferson famously said this in his first inaugural address. “A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to…

Kerby Anderson What are the key components of the free enterprise system in America today? Arthur Brooks in his book, The Battle, describes five principles. The first principle is: The purpose of free enterprise is human flourishing, not materialism. In this statement he sets forth the moral case for free enterprise. He argues in one chapter that people flourish when they earn their own success. It’s not money (per se) that is a measure. Instead, it is what Arthur Brooks…

Penna Dexter Valentine’s Day brought a couple of small COVID-style weddings among people I love. It’s refreshing that these couples decided not to wait out the pandemic to have big splashy events. This is an era where lots of couples are postponing marriage, sometimes for years, until they can “afford” the wedding. University of Texas sociology professor Mark Regnerus’s new book, THE FUTURE OF CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE, is based on research in seven countries. He says we’ve exported consumption-oriented marriage. He…

Kerby Anderson Rav Arora provides a sad and very sobering summary of what happened to black lives in 2020. He writes about race, crime, and culture for the New York Post. He reminds us how the nation was “united in shock and horror after George Floyd’s death.” But he goes on to describe in painful detail what happened in our cities. Consider this statistic. “Last year saw the largest year-to-year increase in homicides ever recorded in US history. The homicide…

Kerby Anderson Numerous surveys show that socialism is often more popular among young people than capitalism. That is why I have written numerous commentaries and booklets on the subject. My booklet on A Biblical View on Capitalism and Socialism explains the two views and answers many of the criticisms socialists have about the free enterprise system. My booklet on A Biblical View on Socialism helps to answer many of the arguments used to promote socialism. The latest post-election survey done by…

Kerby Anderson A columnist named Virginia is facing a dilemma. She lives in Brooklyn Heights and doesn’t know what to make of her neighbor who recently plowed her driveway without being asked. The neighbors are what she calls “Trumpites,” and she is a Harvard-educated liberal journalist. Rod Dreher writes about this because normal people don’t have a problem with such an act of kindness, no matter who provides it. She, on the other hand, says it is “kind of weird….

Kerby Anderson Even though Donald Trump is no longer on the national stage as president, populism appears to be here to stay. Populism can be defined as the reaction when ordinary people feel like they are being disregarded by elite groups. Many events over the last few weeks are feeding a populist perspective. Consider the topic I discussed yesterday. An average group of investors decided to buy stock of GameStop in order to hurt Wall Street hedge funds. A digital…

Kerby Anderson David Sacks is one of the founders of PayPal, so he certainly understands the tech world. He sees significant similarities between the latest GameStop stock controversy and social media censorship. The first involved hedge funds, which he refers to “as the apex predators of capitalism” who drive down companies and are “feasting on the carcasses.” The story is fairly simple. Various hedge funds “shorted” the stock of GameStop, and a group called WallStreetBets decided to damage those hedge…

Penna Dexter On his inauguration day, President Biden issued an executive order that could spell the end of women’s athletics. The order directs federal agencies to interpret existing anti-discrimination law in a manner that removes the protection Title IX of the U.S. Education Code affords to women participating in competitive sports. This issue is festering in certain states, notably Connecticut, where four accomplished female athletes have repeatedly been losing track meets to biological males who identify as females. They have filed…

Kerby Anderson Why is there so much panic and tension in our world today? There are probably lots of explanations, but Michael Brendan Dougherty puts his finger on our smartphones. He acknowledges that the pandemic and the lockdowns have contributed to the unease we feel. He also concedes that the polarization of our politics is also having a significant impact. But he goes on to explain that the smartphone is a “novel substance in our environment.” He believes it is…