No Defense for This

Before Ronald Reagan won the presidency, he discovered something that astonished him. While touring America’s missile silos, he asked a simple question: what can we do in case of a nuclear missile attack on us? The answer from the military officer? Nothing. We could rain missiles on the Soviet Union, but there was no way to stop missiles from hitting us. Reagan wanted to rectify that situation. That’s why in March 1983 he told the nation that he was directing… Read more »

A Meaningful Constitution Day

Yesterday was the celebration of the signing of the Constitution by the delegates to the convention that drafted it. It’s a day that goes generally unnoticed by most of the nation—we’re far more attached to days with far less significance. Don’t get me started on “Halloween.” At Southeastern, we had formal recognition of this anniversary. I thought the best way to commemorate this historical event was to have those who work in the government relate their thoughts about the importance… Read more »

Isn't It Nice We're Now Post-Racial?

A former president has decided to speak out again. Apparently, making nice comments about Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez or denouncing Israel for its policies toward Palestinians has not kept him busy enough. Now he has to interject race into American politics. Jimmy Carter, in an interview on NBC, expressed himself in this manner: I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that… Read more »

What Are We Supposed to Remember?

On this 8th commemoration of the terrorist attacks on this nation, I hope we haven’t forgotten some things. There really are evil people out there who want to destroy the United States. It’s going to take vigilance to maintain our security. We need to be united in our willingness to place the safety of our people ahead of our political interests. Defense is the first responsibility of any civil government. Without a Biblical foundation for our thinking, we will be… Read more »

The Role of Scripture in Education

For those of you who have read this blog over the months, you may have noticed that the guy on the right has shown up more than once. His name is Noah Webster, a man I got to know quite thoroughly as I researched and wrote my doctoral dissertation because he was the subject of that endeavor. I was fascinated with Webster because he became a Christian convert at age 50, and his worldview altered considerably in the realm of… Read more »

Who Educates?

Since the president opened the door for a discussion of education, I’d like to walk through it. As a professor of history, education is my livelihood, and I’ve spent more than three decades thinking about principles that apply to education. As always, I go to the Scripture for my foundations. For instance, in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, the nation of Israel was told: These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them… Read more »

It's the "Cult" Thing that Bothers Me Most

President Obama will speak to the schoolchildren of America today. Well, to most of them at least, but not as many as he had hoped. Many school districts are not participating, or at least making it optional. The furor over the speech has been rising. With all the distress over the speech, he decided not to say anything too controversial. He knows now he wouldn’t get away with urging the students to be part of his political agenda. Most of the problem… Read more »