Issues In Perspective

Oil consumption in America remains an important issue for our economy and for our national security. Our nation, however, has become more efficient in its use of petroleum and has secured new energy sources, as shown recently by Daniel Yergin. How did this startling development occur?

As we begin 2012, as Americans and as evangelicals, we will face, no doubt, huge challenges?the economy, foreign policy challenges, and a national presidential election to name a few. To at least create a framework for answering questions that arise, the entire Issues in Perspective is devoted to the question.

Sometime during the 2011 Christmas season, you have no doubt heard the reverberating words from George Friderich Handel?s imposing oratorio, Messiah.

For over 150 years Charles Dickens? story of the miserly, miserable Ebenezer Scrooge and his three ghosts has been a regular Christmas tradition throughout Western Civilization.

One of my favorite books, or actually series of books, is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. In the first book of the series, Narnia is frozen in a seemingly permanent state of cold, frigid winter. There is never spring and there is never Christmas.

In November, the voters of Mississippi voted down a human personhood amendment by a 58% majority. Similar efforts have failed in other states as well. This amendment was a frontal assault on the legal and moral logic of Roe v. Wade.

On 6 December 2011, President Obama delivered an important speech at Osawatomie, Kansas, site of the famous 1910 Teddy Roosevelt speech. In this Perspective, I hope to not so much evaluate his speech but focus on the much larger issue of the role of the welfare state in our lives.

We live in a curious culture! Scandals abound. But what we seem to ignore as a culture is that we all have the same problem?the Bible calls it sin.

Over 100 years ago, a path-breaking book by the famed sociologist Max Weber was published in which, among other things, Weber made a profoundly important argument about the connection between religion and economics.

In his Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus), the Apostle Paul argues very compellingly that ?sound doctrine? produces godly living. The two are thereby inextricably linked.