Category: Politics & Government

Opinions on contemporary political happenings and the workings of civil government.

Obama's Homosexual Appointees

  

An Associated Press article provides the impetus for today’s commentary. Once again, I enter a minefield with what I am going to say, but I do so willingly, with eyes open. The title of the piece is “Obama Appoints Record Number of Gay Officials.” Even though the president is less than halfway through his first term, the article notes, he has appointed more openly homosexual government officials than the previous record-setting president, Bill Clinton. The article then highlights how the… Read more »

Scared Voters Not Thinking Clearly?

  

In a speech on Saturday, President Obama gave even greater insight into his opinion of the voters. Here is exactly what he said: People out there are still hurting very badly, and they are still scared. And so part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now, and facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time, is because we’re hard-wired not to always think clearly when we’re scared. This… Read more »

Education Warning

  

Criticism of the Obama agenda has centered primarily on the most visible projects, such as taking over the healthcare system and the massive stimulus packages. I have also spent most of my commentary time on these. Along the way, though, I have called attention to a quieter revolution that most people have missed. It’s time to bring that one to the forefront now. In an op-ed in the Denver Post that appeared last month, two former Republican senators who are… Read more »

To the Evangelical Left: Please Rethink Your Principles

  

The presence of the Sojourners organization at the so-called One Nation rally last Saturday is disturbing to me. Sojourners says it is an evangelical organization, yet it found common cause with communists, socialists, homosexuals activists, and assorted other radicals at this rally. The leader of Sojourners, Jim Wallis, claims to want to bring civility back into the political debate. Is that what took place last Saturday? Civility? Not by any definition of the term with which I’m familiar. While Wallis… Read more »

God, Government, and Eternity

  

I do a lot of political commentary in this blog. I also write a lot about the role of civil government. As I do, my goal has always been to point to the Biblical principles that undergird my thinking. After all, the name of this blog is Pondering Principles: Reflections on God, Man, and Life. Therefore, I try to offer my comments within that context. This makes my ponderings different than the typical political commentator. And I know some of… Read more »

Constitution and Citizenship Day

  

Yesterday was a banner day for Southeastern University, where I teach. It was Constitution and Citizenship Day, a day set aside to remind students of the value of our constitutional form of government. To commemorate the signing of the Constitution [which was 223 years ago this week], we had as our special speaker former attorney general of the United States John Ashcroft. Mr. Ashcroft first spoke in chapel, showing a rare mix of genuine humor and a clear grasp of… Read more »

Obama's Religious Beliefs

  

A poll stunned the news media last week, and its reverberations haven’t ceased. Fully one in five Americans believe Obama is a Muslim. Reaction from the White House and the news media has been identical: no, that’s mistaken—Obama is a Christian. Even conservative commentators and news media have taken up the same chant. What’s the truth? First, I don’t believe Obama is a Muslim. To be a real Muslim, he would have to be adhering to all the tenets of… Read more »