At Least Say, 'Thanks!'
by Richard T. RitenbaughOne of the saddest indictments of our modern, liberal culture occurred yesterday. ...
17-Mar-06
March 12, 2005: One Year Later
by David C. GrabbeLast Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the horrific church shooting in Brookfield, Wisconsin. On that fateful day, Terry Ratzmann entered the rented, hotel meeting room and opened fire with a semiautomatic pistol. A minute later, 22 rounds had been fired, four people were wounded, and eight lay dead—including the shooter. ...
10-Mar-06
Peaceful Is as Peaceful Does
by Richard T. RitenbaughSince September 11, 2001—and frankly since long before then—the Western and Islamic worlds have increasingly collided. ...
03-Mar-06
The Price of Arrogance
by Richard T. RitenbaughA consistent criticism of the Bush administration has been that it is arrogant in its dealings with the media, the Democrat opposition, and even with its own allies in Congress. ...
24-Feb-06
Where Are the Parents?
by Richard T. RitenbaughTwo recent incidents with Charlotte connections, both involving 18-year-olds, have made headlines and initiated debate over parental involvement and control of their offspring. ...
10-Feb-06
Under Green at the Crossed Flags
by Richard T. RitenbaughIf you will, please indulge me, as I am about to give some advice. ...
03-Feb-06
Is the Tide Turning?
by David C. GrabbeJanuary 22, 2006, marked the 33rd anniversary of the United States Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade, which made the killing of unborn children a legal right. ...
27-Jan-06
Somewhere in the Middle
by Richard T. RitenbaughA few weeks ago, a local talk-show host, self-described as "an aging hippie," remarked that he believed that in most matters one can find "the truth somewhere in the middle. ...
20-Jan-06
What 'The Bible and Its Influence' Will Teach
by David C. GrabbeFor decades now, the debate over the place of Christianity—and specifically the Bible—in public life has raged without any sign of abating. ...
13-Jan-06
Standing With God (Part Two)
by Charles WhitakerThe Failure of the American Left and Right—and the Responsibility of God’s People In Ezekiel 22, the prophet speaks of latter-day Israel. ...
06-Jan-06
Standing With God (Part One)
by Charles WhitakerThe Failure of the American Left and Right—and the Responsibility of God’s People Sociologists often point to the decline of the twin institutions of marriage and the family as the fount of most American cultural ills. ...
30-Dec-05
Twenty Years On
by Richard T. RitenbaughIt just occurred to me that January 16, 2006, will mark the twentieth anniversary of Herbert W. ...
23-Dec-05
A Sanitary Christmas
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe winter solstice has just passed, beginning the coldest three months of the year, and this means that Christmas is only days away. ...
16-Dec-05
The Rea$on for the Season
by David C. GrabbeWhile this time of solstice celebrations is especially wearying to those called out of this world’s paganism, it is not without the occasional gleam of ironic humor. ...
25-Nov-05
Coming Home to Roost
by Richard T. RitenbaughHow should one describe the news that the world’s largest automaker and the United States’ biggest corporation, General Motors (GM), will cut 30,000 jobs (17% of its 173,000-employee North American workforce) and close a dozen facilities by 2008? By all rights, Americans should consider it to be huge news. ...
04-Nov-05
What We Don't Know
by Richard T. RitenbaughDuring its approach to a mooring mast at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey on May 6, 1937, the German dirigible Hindenburg, filled with hydrogen, went up in flames in less than a minute. ...
07-Oct-05
Teaching Respect for Property
by Richard T. RitenbaughFrom last week's essay, it is apparent that Constitutional protections of private property ownership have been eroded over the past several decades, not just by major Supreme Court decisions, but also by the steady encroachment of socialism into American culture. ...
30-Sep-05
The Obsolescing Right
by Richard T. RitenbaughThursday, September 29, 2005, the Cato Institute’s “Daily Dispatch” ran this item concerning the debate over President Bush’s choice of John Roberts, Jr. ...
23-Sep-05
Cruising for Trouble
by Charles WhitakerAccording to Michael O’Hanlon (“Cruise Control: A Case for Missile Defense,” The National Interest, Spring 2002, p. ...
09-Sep-05
Every Which Way But Up
by David C. GrabbeEven though the decontamination and reconstruction will stretch into the indeterminate future, the immediate crisis appears to be, as they say, all over but the shouting. ...
02-Sep-05
The Thin, Frail Line
by Richard T. RitenbaughIn the huge water bowl that is the city of New Orleans now, the looting began not long after the worst of Hurricane Katrina had passed. ...
26-Aug-05
Open Mouth, Reveal Heart
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe news of the week involved the latest verbal blunder of televangelist Pat Robertson. ...
19-Aug-05
Population Trends in Asia (Part Three): Lots of Puppy-dog Tails
by Charles WhitakerThe third Asian demographic phenomenon highlighted by Nicholas Eberstadt (“Power and Population in Asia,” Policy Review, February/March 2004, pp. ...
12-Aug-05
Population Trends in Asia (Part Two): The Graying of Asia
by Charles WhitakerToday, the prospect of lengthening life expectancies appear more fantasy than possibility. "[A]ll five former Soviet Central Asian republics began the year 2000 with distinctly lower life expectancies than they enjoyed in 1990—all this in peacetime and in the absence of any obvious political catastrophe." In the old Soviet Union, it is even worse. ...
05-Aug-05
Population Trends in Asia (Part One): Charting Ups and Downs
by Charles WhitakerThree events are taking place in Asia with an intensity never before witnessed in human history—at least not since the Flood. ...
29-Jul-05
Bad Weather Is Not Climate Change
by Richard T. RitenbaughMost of the United States suffered severe--indeed, paralyzing--heat this past week, relieved by a cold front that slogged its way across the nation at a snail's pace. ...
15-Jul-05
So There Has Been Another Terror Strike
by Richard T. RitenbaughA week and a day have hustled down the track since the 7/7 bombings in London. ...
01-Jul-05
Dependence Day
by David C. GrabbeThis weekend, Americans will celebrate the 229th anniversary of the nation's stated independence from England. ...
24-Jun-05
Liberty and Justice for All?
by Richard T. RitenbaughOver the last two days, two branches of the American government—the judicial and the legislative—proved again either that they have no idea what this nation's Founding Fathers meant when they drafted, debated, and ratified the Constitution, or that they simply do not care what it says. ...
17-Jun-05
Apologizing for the Dead
by Richard T. RitenbaughOn a regular basis, the church receives a question from a subscriber or a visitor to one of its websites about the Mormon practice of baptism for the dead. ...
10-Jun-05
A Dull and Compliant People
by Richard T. RitenbaughWithin the past month, I read an article denouncing both government and industry for its use of fluoride in drinking water, toothpastes, mouthwashes, and other dental applications. ...
27-May-05
Jedi Versus Sith
by Richard T. RitenbaughWhile on vacation in Southern California with my family, we were able to attend a first-day showing of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. ...
20-May-05
Growth
by David C. GrabbeIn the world of money, growth is of supreme importance. Regrettably, this approach has taken root within Christianity, too—both true and false. "Success" for a church is all too often measured in income, membership, and new converts, all of which are typically very unreliable indicators. ...
13-May-05
The West's Religion Problem
by Richard T. RitenbaughChurch of the Great God is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and as such, it is considered to be located in America's Bible Belt. ...
06-May-05
Eradicating Humanity
by Richard T. RitenbaughWhen I am not editing someone else's writing or writing something of my own, I am often found reading. ...
29-Apr-05
Are We Losing Our Children?
by David C. GrabbeThe frenzied pace at which we live takes its toll. Stress, anxiety, pressure, and busyness are the norm in our Western, civilized nations. The demands of life leave most adults gasping for breath and struggling to shoulder the load. But what effect is this pace having on the next generation?
22-Apr-05
Do You Believe—Really Believe?
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI made the Catholic Church—and the Catholic faith—front-page news around the globe. ...
15-Apr-05
Whither the EU?
by David C. GrabbeFor decades, we have been watching and waiting for Europe to unite under a fierce dictator to form the last revival of the Holy Roman Empire. ...
08-Apr-05
Religion and Politics
by Richard T. RitenbaughTwo events occurred this morning to prime the old thinking pump: the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Vatican City and receiving the February 28, 2005, issue of The Journal: News of the Churches of God in the church's mailbox. ...
25-Mar-05
Judging Life and Death
by Richard T. RitenbaughMany Protestants and Catholics probably recognized the irony in the fact that the Terri Schiavo "right to life" case came to a head during their "Holy Week," in which the faithful contemplate the death and life of Jesus Christ. ...
18-Mar-05
Where Was God?
by John W. RitenbaughShortly after the 9/11 tragedy, I wrote a brief column because so many were asking, "Where was God?" implying, "Why did He allow such an event to occur?" Perhaps a few made outright accusations such as, "How could He be so cruel?" but mostly it was implied. ...
11-Mar-05
The Gospel of Freedom and Democracy
by David C. GrabbeConservative columnist Cal Thomas observes: "These fanatics [Muslim fascists] believe the United States, Britain and the rest of the West are the ones in bondage. They note our promiscuity, our abortions, our obsession with homosexuality, our television, our provocative way of dressing and they wonder who is really free?" ...
04-Mar-05
John Paul II's Successor
by Richard T. RitenbaughLast week's leading news story dealt with Pope John Paul II's illness, described as a relapse of a viral infection that was making it difficult for him to breathe. ...
25-Feb-05
Toward Anarchy
by Richard T. RitenbaughHere in Charlotte, the local school system has descended into another crisis—only the latest one on a very long string of such problems—and this time the turmoil concerns what is being called deconsolidation. ...
18-Feb-05
Something Is Wrong
by Richard T. RitenbaughI recently experienced another birthday (making me as old as Jack Benny always claimed to be—really!), and in looking back at the last nearly four decades, I was struck with how different the world is today. ...
11-Feb-05
Going Nuclear
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe big news late this week was that—surprise!—North Korea has nuclear weapons. ...
04-Feb-05
Is British-Israelism Racist?
by Richard T. RitenbaughA fairly common accusation leveled at believers of British-Israelism is that it is a fundamentally racist idea. ...
28-Jan-05
The Great Wave and God
by John W. RitenbaughA vital understanding we can reach from the many articles that appeared in the media following the recent devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia is the appalling ignorance of God's involvement in the minds of the inhabitants of Western-world cultures. ...
21-Jan-05
Four More Years
by Richard T. RitenbaughYesterday, January 20, 2005, witnessed the second inauguration of President George W. ...
31-Dec-04
Was the Wave a Warning?
by David C. GrabbeThe devastation has shocked the world. ...
10-Dec-04
The Conundrum of Christmas Cheer
by Richard T. RitenbaughAll the overdone jollity of the season serves to hide the well-known fact that December is the most depressing time of the year for many people. It is a time that mainstream Christians are supposed to be celebrating a joyous event - the alleged birthday of the Savior, Jesus Christ - yet it leads the year in suicide, depression, and aggravation. Why?
03-Dec-04
Vision of America's Future?
by Richard T. RitenbaughA storm broke over Charlotte on Thursday, but not the kind that brings wind and rain. ...