Issues In Perspective

In 1798 a British clergyman named Thomas Malthus argued that human population growth would exceed the world?s ability to feed this growth in population. Robert McNamara in 1968, as president of the World Bank, spoke of ?the mushrooming cloud of population explosion.?

Probably one of the most influential women in America today is Oprah Winfrey. The Oprah Winfrey Show is now history but she has founded her own network and her influence will hardly diminish.

Marvin Olasky was at one point a radical leftist history professor and an advocate of the communist worldview. But he trusted Christ a number of years ago and is now the editor of World magazine. Olasky recently appeared on Glenn Beck?s TV program. Beck is one of the media stars on the late afternoon Fox TV lineup. I believe the substance of that interview needs to be summarized. In effect, I will quote verbatim from Olasky?s account of his time with Glenn Beck. Beck introduced Olasky as ?a former Communist. Now he believes man can rule himself.? Olasky comments: ?Not exactly, on the last part: I said, ?We are people created to worship in some way. If we don?t worship God, we?ll worship the human gods created by people . . .??

Issues in Perspective has lamented family breakdown, social disintegration and the decline of American civilization for several years now. The evidence for all these propositions seems overwhelming. However, a recent study gives a small ray of hope.

During World War II, Adolf Hitler showered the grand mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini (the titular leader of the Palestinians) with gifts, wealth and a Berlin villa.  Why?  Because he broadcast Nazi propaganda to the Middle East, recruited European Muslims for the SS, exulted the Holocaust and after the war went on to represent[continue reading...]

One of my favorite authors is Kay M. Hymowitz. Her written works have helped me in developing one of the major themes of Issues in Perspective?an analysis of cultural trends, especially the growing confusion of young men in American culture. She uses the term ?pre-adult? to define a new cultural development or even a new stage in human development between the teen years and adulthood. [Other sociologists, such as Christian Smith, have called this stage, emerging adulthood.] Here are some of Hymowitz?s observations about pre-adulthood, based on her new book, Manning Up: How the Rise of Women Has turned Men into Boys.

n preparation for a recent conference at which I was to speak, I was studying Matthew 6:19-24. Among other things, Jesus is clearly asking His followers to have an investment strategy, one that balances investment for the future with investment for eternity. Material wealth is not evil, but it is transitory, will deteriorate and can be stolen (vv. 19-20). Not so with investment for eternity. As Randy Alcorn has observed, ?Whatever treasures we store up on earth will be left behind when we leave.