FDR changed the way Americans thought about the role of government by using government as the supplier of needs in a time of crisis. Lyndon Johnson, in the 1960s, took that concept a step further; one might refer to his “Great Society” program as the New Deal on steroids. The philosophy of the Great Society was a shift from helping in a time of need to helping all the time. Whereas the New Deal was conceived as a temporary measure… Read more »
In the midst of the current economic jitters, I have heard more than one commentator assert that when economic times are rough, voters tend to gravitate toward the Democrats. Why on earth would that be? I want to provide a little history lesson on how Democrats have handled the economy over the past 70-plus years. Let’s start with Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Great Depression hit America in 1929. Voters turned out the Republicans and looked to FDR to reverse the… Read more »
This past week marked the 221st anniversary of the writing of the Constitution. From May to September 1787, delegates from all states except Rhode Island labored over the intricacies of what makes government work. They did this in a room with the windows closed even on the hottest days to ensure that their deliberations did not leak to the public. They took a vow of silence, so to speak, in order that they might be able to discuss freely without… Read more »
Continuing with a review of Biblical principles, I want to focus now on the truth that God is the creator of all things. If God “is,” then it is not a great logical leap to conclude that He also “does.” We don’t really grasp the concept of how astonishingly creative He is. All that we see around us began with an image in His own mind. He then transformed that image into something tangible. The universe sprang from His creativity;… Read more »
I had a great experience last evening. As part of Constitution and Citizenship Day at Southeastern University, I moderated a panel discussion on politics. First, I presented, without comment, planks from both the Democratic and Republican platforms on such issues as: national defense and terrorism; government reform; energy policy; education; environmentalism; abortion; and marriage, among others. After I finished, I turned the program over to a panel of four Southeastern faculty members, who made comments on items in the platforms,… Read more »
As noted in the previous post, a foundational principle is that God actually exists. At one point, in Hebrew history, a man named Moses, a shepherd without any real status in society, saw a most unusual sight: a bush that burned but wasn’t consumed. Out of the midst of the bush, he heard the voice of God telling him to embark on a mission to free his people from Egypt. When Moses asks the name of the voice, he is… Read more »
A few postings ago, I started writing about principles and how they should be the basis for everything we do. Principles are general truths, and they come from God. And that should be the first principle we consider: the fact of God’s very being. One of the most influential writers in the Christian world, who speaks to us even after his death, was Francis Schaeffer. I’m reminded of the title of one of his books–The God Who Is There. Schaeffer… Read more »