A Year of War
by Richard T. RitenbaughMany column writers are taking a look back on 2002, applauding achievers and panning failures, rehashing the highs and the lows, and trying to gain some perspective on it all. ...
20-Dec-02
Celebrating a Lie
by Richard T. Ritenbaugh...Now, let us turn to the Scripture where God tells us to celebrate His Son's birth: —. Yes, that is correct. No place in either Testament tells us to honor our Savior by having a birthday bash for Him each year. Strangely enough, Jesus Himself tells us to remember, not His birth, but His death (Luke 21:14-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26)! ...
13-Dec-02
Much Ado About Lott
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe media have been brimming with words over the latest political gaffe, this one by Senator Trent Lott, a Republican from Mississippi and presumed future Senate Majority Leader. ...
29-Nov-02
Thanksgiving and Entropy
by Richard T. RitenbaughFor those of us who are not scientists, the Second Law of Thermodynamics can be a brain bruiser. Technically, it describes the fact that the amount of work produced from energy is constantly decreasing ...
22-Nov-02
The Shallowness of Pop Culture
by Richard T. RitenbaughIt never ceases to amaze. ...
15-Nov-02
Pharaoh's Magicians Return
by David C. GrabbeThis past week, an article appeared in the London Daily Telegraph about a television production that the British Broadcasting Corporation will be airing next month. ...
08-Nov-02
What Does Election 2002 Mean for America?
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe debates are finished, the commercials are silent, the votes are cast, and all but the dust has settled on Election 2002. ...
01-Nov-02
Why We Do Not Vote
by Richard T. RitenbaughIn America, where the political process is proudly hailed as free and democratic, it is considered somehow "un-American" not to vote whenever the polling stations open. ...
25-Oct-02
Connecting the Dots
by Richard T. Ritenbaugh...Is this not a typical American reaction? Two men kill ten people and keep the nation terrorized for more than three weeks, and once police nab the murderers, we all sigh in relief and, with hardly another thought, go back to our comfortable lives. ...
18-Oct-02
Lessons from a Stiff Neck
by Richard T. RitenbaughThis has not been a good week, primarily because I have been enduring a stiff neck since last Friday. ...
11-Oct-02
The Peace Prize
by Richard T. RitenbaughToday, the Nobel Foundation awarded its prestigious Peace Prize to former American President Jimmy Carter for his untiring efforts to promote peace and humanitarian goals throughout the world for more than three decades. ...
04-Oct-02
Absolute Power Corrupts
by Richard T. RitenbaughOur national anthem ends with the line, "Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave/O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave??" It is a good question—not whether the flag still waves but whether it waves over a land of free citizens. ...
11-Sep-02
September 11 One Year On
by Richard T. RitenbaughAn entire year has flashed by since four airplane crashes changed the way Americans behold the world. ...
06-Sep-02
Officially to Blame
by Richard T. RitenbaughPerhaps the most certain and lasting consensus decision to come out of the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg is that America and Britain are officially to blame for every ill that plagues planet earth. ...
30-Aug-02
His Hand Against Every Man
by Richard T. RitenbaughIt has been interesting to observe the reaction of Western European governments and politicians to the saber rattling of the George W. ...
23-Aug-02
Everything Is Political
by Richard T. RitenbaughPerhaps the most recognizable and lasting feature of the Clinton administration was its daily use of polls, focus groups, and other finger-in-the-wind means of gauging public opinion to position its policy. ...
16-Aug-02
Different Signs of the Times
by David C. GrabbeIf the mainstream media is a bellwether, the earth is about to be invaded by beings from another planet—or it already has been. ...
09-Aug-02
Bugs and Beasts
by Richard T. RitenbaughBehaviors have consequences. ...
02-Aug-02
Sign of the Times
by Richard T. RitenbaughTwo sets of news stories intersect this week to reveal just how far America has declined from her heights of morality and greatness. ...
26-Jul-02
Drought and Fire
by Richard T. RitenbaughA few weeks have passed since the wall-to-wall coverage of the devastating fires in Colorado and Arizona. ...
19-Jul-02
Freedom and Security?
by David C. GrabbeIs it possible for this nation to have full measures of both individual freedom and national security? Judging by the heat-speaking missives aimed at the government by the mainstream and alternative media in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks, such a scenario is an obscure dream. ...
05-Jul-02
The American Faith
by Richard T. RitenbaughMost people do not consider patriotism to be a kind of faith, a religion of sorts, but it has every possibility of being or becoming one, especially to those who have become disaffected with "traditional religion." ...
28-Jun-02
A Nation Under God?
by Richard T. RitenbaughWithout a doubt, the biggest story this week has been the ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California that the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance make it unconstitutional. ...
21-Jun-02
A World Gone Mad
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe reader may recall the 1963 movie called It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in which a bunch of misfits alternatively race, ally with, and fight each other to find a buried treasure. ...
14-Jun-02
The Jewish Testament?
by Richard T. RitenbaughBack in February, this column reacted to a statement made on the radio by a local preacher who said that what we do does not matter. ...
07-Jun-02
Cold Facts of Global Warming
by Richard T. RitenbaughThat humanity causes global warming is a hoax. ...
31-May-02
Fading Freedoms
by Richard T. RitenbaughThis past Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that its agents will be given more latitude to conduct surveillance without providing reasonable proof of suspected wrongdoing. ...
24-May-02
Give It to Us Straight!
by Richard T. RitenbaughThroughout a normal day, we are constantly reminded just how little we can trust what we hear or read. ...
17-May-02
Above the Fray
by Richard T. RitenbaughDr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, recently gave a speech at the National Religious Broadcasters' annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee. In the last half of his message, he spurred the members of his audience to use their political influence to stem and reverse the declining cultural tide of this nation...
10-May-02
Lesson Learned
by Richard T. RitenbaughYesterday evening, my son John learned an important life lesson, "courtesy" of our young Siberian Husky, Chocolate. ...
03-May-02
Semantics
by Richard T. RitenbaughHave you ever been in a verbal squabble in which your opponent brought the conversation to a screeching halt with the accusation, "You're using semantics!"?
26-Apr-02
Deterrence
by Richard T. RitenbaughFor the past several weeks, the nation has been wringing its collective hands over the pedophilia scandal among Catholic priests. ...
19-Apr-02
Blindness or Disregard?
by Richard T. RitenbaughLast night, I viewed a disturbing video called War of Images. ...
12-Apr-02
The Solution? Character
by Richard T. RitenbaughEvery so often, I get a mild case of depression. ...
05-Apr-02
A Time for War
by Richard T. RitenbaughHowever one reads the book of Ecclesiastes, it must be admitted that Solomon's conclusions are spot-on in terms of human reality. ...
29-Mar-02
For Teens Too!
by Richard T. RitenbaughDo you know of someone who has done everything perfectly? Conversely, do you know of someone whose whole life is one big mistake? Have you ever made mistakes—maybe a lot of them? We have all done stupid things in our lives. ...
22-Mar-02
Sick and Tired
by Richard T. RitenbaughThis past week I have literally been sick and tired. ...
15-Mar-02
American Amnesia
by Richard T. RitenbaughAmericans have a memory problem—and always have. ...
08-Mar-02
Fast Food
by David C. GrabbeA number of recent articles have brought to light a disturbing new facet of schoolwork at both the high school and college levels. ...
01-Mar-02
Always on Call
by Richard T. RitenbaughLet me say up front that I am not a phone person. ...
22-Feb-02
BC (Before Columbus)
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe March 2002 The Atlantic Monthly contains an interesting cover article by Charles C. ...
15-Feb-02
New and Improved? A PC Bible
by Richard T. RitenbaughMost readers will probably not be aware of the latest raging controversy over the Bible. ...
08-Feb-02
A Christian Nation? Reprise
by Richard T. RitenbaughSeveral weeks ago, this column commented on the state of American "Christianity" ("A Christian Nation?", January 4, 2002). ...
01-Feb-02
Behavior Matters
by Richard T. RitenbaughI listen to the radio in the mornings as I prepare for and drive to work. ...
24-Jan-02
Welfare and Christianity
by Richard T. RitenbaughIt is beyond question that Christians should be compassionate. We are to give to the poor and aid the needy. We are to lend a helping hand to those who have stumbled and bear the burdens of the weak. It is sin to us if we know to do good and fail to do it. But how far does this go? ...
11-Jan-02
Discounting the Bible
by Richard T. RitenbaughI have a pet peeve: I hate it when people flatly discount the Bible. ...
04-Jan-02
A Christian Nation?
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs I drove home from work the other evening, I listened to the local talk-radio station, WBT. ...