Posts Tagged ‘Center for Vision and Values’
Heaven and Hell
By Dr. Gary Scott Smith Heaven and hell are in the news and on Americans’ minds a lot lately. “Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back” is currently number one on The New York Times Best Seller List for nonfiction. It details a four-year-old’s near-death experience as told to his pastor father. “The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life beyond This World” describes the similar ... Full Story
America’s Debts: Even More Calamitous Than We
By Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson Brace yourself. This isn’t going to be pleasant. If you’re in a bad mood or get easily upset, you may wish to pass on reading this article. The country is in even worse shape economically than we thought. We awoke on Feb. 14 to find that this year’s federal budget deficit is going to be larger than previously projected—a record $1.65 trillion. Recently, the official accumulated debt of the federal government passed the $14 trillion threshold. A ... Full Story
“Thank You for Your Service”—A Veterans
By Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson November 08, 2010 We Americans tend to look forward to the various holidays on the calendar. Sometimes we pause to ponder the meaning of these commemorative days; often we do not. Perhaps in your own experience you can recall a Thanksgiving, an Easter, or an Independence Day when something happened that brought home to you the true meaning of the holiday. So it was with me on November 11, 1987. That is when Veterans Day became special to ... Full Story
The 50th Anniversary of an Historic Speech
By Dr. Gary Scott Smith This September 12 marks the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s historic speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in which he countered religious objections to his candidacy and promised to honor the separation of church and state. This speech played an important role in Kennedy winning the closely contested 1960 election and helped set the stage for reducing religious prejudice in politics. To understand Kennedy’s ... Full Story
Are We All Ideologues Now?
Dr. Gillis J. Harp August 04, 2010 New media have shaped our political culture. Some, like talk radio and all-news cable stations, are developments of older, established technologies. Others, like internet blogs, are based on comparatively new technologies. Yet, both venues have provided congenial habitats for that enemy of reasonable, constructive political discourse: the ideologue. What exactly is an "ideologue?" Merriam-Webster defines it as "an often ... Full Story
“When They Dropped the Bomb”
"When They Dropped the Bomb," Remembering August 1945 By Dr. Paul Kengor This week marks 65 years since the United States dropped the atomic bomb. On August 6, 1945, President Harry Truman delivered a “rain of ruin” upon Hiroshima, Japan, with Nagasaki hit three days later, killing 100,000 to 200,000. Truman’s objective was to compel surrender from an intransigent enemy that refused to halt its naked aggression. The barbarous mentality of 1940s Japan was beyond ... Full Story
