Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson James Meigs, writing in City Journal, talks about what he calls “the chump effect.” He is not the first to use the phrase. Andrew Ferguson coined the phrase years ago to deal with a different issue. But James Meigs uses it to illustrate how many of us feel like “chumps” when we follow the rules and see others succeed when they break the rules. You know the feeling that he describes. You are inching forward in the freeway…

Kerby Anderson The slogan “defund the police” has done great damage. Byron York took the time to talk about the political implications of this slogan and also document the real-world costs of the phrase. For months the phrase “defund the police” was repeated at every protest and riot. As we got closer to the general election, some Democratic candidates started getting nervous, fearing that the slogan would hurt them politically. That is why they tried to redefine the term, by…

Kerby Anderson Over the last few weeks, I have been struck by how many journalists and broadcasters are using the catchphrase “without evidence.” One headline, for example, said that “Trump, Without Evidence, Makes Vote Fraud Claims.” No matter how many vote fraud stories were published, or affidavits were signed, any claim of voter fraud by the president or by his campaign was always modified with the phrase “without evidence.” This has been going on for some time. Two months ago,…

Penna Dexter The chaos that characterized much of our electoral process this year is no shock and here’s why: When Democrats retook the House of Representatives two years ago, they surprised many of their constituents with the bill they unveiled as their first priority. H.R.1 did not become law, but this election gave us a look at some of its core ideas. In the name of “election reform,” H.R.1 would provide a vehicle for the federal government to dictate how…

Kerby Anderson With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas in front of us, this is the time of year when many are thinking about charitable giving. Mark Cuban tweeted that instead of donating to candidates in the Senate runoff races in Georgia, “please reconsider and donate that money to your local food bank and organizations that can help those without food or shelter.” Who could be upset by that? According to Derek Hunter, it turns out “a lot of people.” One…

Kerby Anderson Each year, we take time from our busy lives to celebrate a day of Thanksgiving. Though many holidays have become secular celebrations, this holiday still retains much of its historic religious overtones. A day of Thanksgiving was set aside by the Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony. Life was hard in the New World.  Half of the Pilgrims died in the first terrible winter. After the first harvest was completed, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving and…

Kerby Anderson Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I suspect that you are doing lots of things to get ready for this special day. Let me suggest you add one more item to your to-do list. Visit our website and download a copy of my Thanksgiving Quiz. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to gather as a family, but I also believe it can be a great time to teach our children and grandchildren about America’s godly heritage. I created this short quiz…

Kerby Anderson In one of his famous essays, C.S. Lewis warned about the tyranny from bureaucrats and politicians whose rules and regulations essentially impose a gentler form of tyranny. “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.” Cameron Hilditch argues that totalitarianism today is “soft around the edges” and thus a gentler kind of tyranny. “It…

Kerby Anderson Before Thanksgiving and Christmas push the election from our minds, we need to remind ourselves how wildly inaccurate polling organizations were in 2020. We should recognize that political polling has always been an inaccurate science. Kristen Soltis Anderson reminds us that in 1936 Literary Digest declared Alf Landon would be the next president. The Gallup organization that year got it right only to later be embarrassed by being on the wrong side of the “Dewey Defeats Truman” upset….

Penna Dexter A faith-based foster care agency, Catholic Social Services, is suing the city of Philadelphia to restore its right to place foster children in homes. Children deemed in need of foster care are wards of the state. Governments partner with private agencies to recruit, evaluate, and endorse families for fostering. But Philadelphia is refusing to work with Catholic Social Services unless the agency consents to endorsing same-sex married or unmarried couples as foster parents. The city is thus depriving…

Kerby Anderson Sadly, it has become trendy in some circles to say that the world would be a better place without religion in general and Christianity in particular. I really do wonder if professors, commentators, and people on social media really believe this or are just saying it without any serious reflection. As I like to sometimes say to my atheist acquaintances, I see lots of Catholic hospitals, Presbyterian hospitals, and Baptist hospitals. I have never seen a humanist hospital….