Government Control of the Economy: A Primer

  

A primer is something that provides elementary lessons; it teaches the basics. There is a segment of the American public that needs a primer on what happens when the government tries its hand at directing the economy. Personally, I think the lessons are quite obvious, but ignorance is widespread. The first lesson is that our political leaders [depending on who is in charge, of course] often believe that government spending is the key to prosperity. In fact, President Obama has… Read more »

Reflections on God's Grace

  

I want to take this opportunity to offer thanks to God for what He has allowed me to do in my life. There was a time when I thought my life was going to be wasted as a result of some bad decisions I made. Yet I learned a valuable lesson: if we turn our hearts back to the Lord, He is still there. He’s never done with us—we are truly works in progress. I was 38 when I received… Read more »

Cleaning, Yes . . . Clearance, No

  

My thoughts today are inspired by the following political cartoon and the philosophy behind it. On the one hand, I empathize with the message: Congressmen display an attitude of superiority toward their constituents far too often. Although no congressman would dare be caught referring to his “bosses” as “rabble,” the feeling fills the air. It would be easy to fall in line with this thinking and just call for a wholesale sweep of every sitting congressman/senator. Easy . . …. Read more »

The Christian Critique

  

Periodically, I revisit the question of whether it is Christian to criticize people. This is especially important for someone like me who has a daily blog and who teaches in the classroom and in other venues. My words are public; they can have more of a widespread impact. I do take seriously the cautions found in the book of James, where we are told that the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity. It also says we should… Read more »

Giving the Benefit of the Doubt?

  

An unusual event took place yesterday as Congressional Republicans held a policy retreat and invited President Obama to come speak with them. He actually came. Afterwards, the Republican leadership said it was a good first step, but no agreements resulted from the gathering. Obama declared to them that he was not an ideologue. I haven’t seen video of the reaction to that statement. It would probably be one of those things Mastercard can’t buy—priceless. The event was televised, unlike the… Read more »

Arrogance Unlimited

  

The big political question now is how President Obama will proceed. Will he moderate or push ahead with his plans to remake the economy in his own image? I think voters are upset by both the substance of what he is pushing and the tacky methods being used. I beg to differ with the president’s appraisal of why Massachusetts voters turned to the Republican candidate. They were angry, yes, but that anger was directed toward him and his congressional allies,… Read more »

A Glimpse of That Which Awaits

  

My post is going to be a little different today. Many who read these daily ponderings share my Christian faith, but I’m sure there are many who do not. Perhaps some are more focused on the political commentary and may even be a little impatient when I deviate from that to concentrate specifically on the Biblical worldview that undergirds all my perceptions on politics and government. Well, today I’m really going to deviate. Some of you may find this marginally… Read more »