How is this for irony? Recent actions by Canadian human rights groups have observers alarmed for the state of human rights in Canada. That is because the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal do not…

Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.

At the beginning of his administration, President Bush established the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The idea was as simple as it was controversial: The federal government would work…

The recent “Group of Eight,” or G8, summit of the world’s leading economies produced a pledge to cut global greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050. G8 leaders also “called for an increase in oil production and refining capacities .…

Less than a month from now, the 2008 Olympic Games will take place in Beijing. The Olympics have been front-page news this time around-and not because people are more interested than ever before in swimming, gymnastics, or pole-vaulting. From the…

According to a recent Reuters report, a leading Senate Democrat “would consider supporting opening up new areas for offshore oil and gas drilling.”

Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), the majority whip, said that, subject to certain conditions, he-and possibly even Majority Leader Reid-are…

In late June an angry crowd, estimated at 10,000 people, set fire to a government building and police cars in southwestern China. More than 150 people were injured, and it took 1,500 paramilitary and riot police to restore a semblance…

[Last week on] Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued guidelines, urging its members to “aggressively screen and medicate for high cholesterol in children.”If the prospect of commercials featuring child actors hawking cholesterol-reducing drugs seems outlandish, it should not…

You are probably familiar with the expression “like moths to a flame.” It refers to the way people are attracted to those things that can harm them. As Shakespeare put it in The Merchant of Venice: “Thus hath the candle…

He has been called “demonic,” “barbaric,” and has been compared to Nazi doctors. And when you read about his work, it is easy to see why Americans are so outraged. Dr. Norman Spack is a pediatric endocrinologist at Boston Children’s…

A few years ago, a good friend of mine decided to buy an old country campground, enlarge it, restore it, and invite inner-city children to use it. It was, for him, the beginning of a nightmare that would last for…

It is easy to grow weary over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As for me, a former Marine, I ache for the families of the men and women who have paid the ultimate price. But I also know why…

Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.

The latest in a string of superhero movies hit the silver screen this week: Hancock. It features Will Smith as a superhero who falls out of favor with the public,…

It is all about equal rights, the gay “marriage” lobby keeps telling us. We just want the right to marry, like everyone else.

That is what they are telling us. But that is not what they mean. If same-sex “marriage” becomes…

This week, America celebrates another birthday. Americans are hoisting their flags, marching in parades, and setting off fireworks. I get a thrill every time I hear the band strike up “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” And I get a lump…

It was one of the more awkward moments in the presidential campaign. Senator John McCain was appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and she was asking why McCain did not support same-sex “marriage.” A well-prepared DeGeneres made the usual arguments about…

Alice Walker, best known as the author of the novel The Color Purple, is one of the most renowned feminist authors and activists of her generation. She is also a mother, and that fact brought her public and private lives…

“Survey Shows U.S. Religious Tolerance” was the headline of a New York Times article about the Pew Forum’s survey of America’s religious landscape. It found that Americans have a “non-dogmatic approach to faith.” In fact, 70 percent of Americans who claim…

The past few months have been a rude reminder of just how dependent our way of life is on foreign oil. The skyrocketing price of crude oil has affected more than our driving habits and vacation plans-no doubt you know…

In early June, the German television network ARD aired a film called “God and the World: The Persecuted Children of God.” The “children” referred to are Iraq’s largest Christian community: the Assyrians. While any attention to the plight of Iraqi…

Children learn many useful things from television shows and cartoon characters. They learn letters and numbers from the characters on Sesame Street; Dora the Explorer helps them hone their reasoning and problem-solving skills.

Now, a cartoon character is telling them when they…

With all the hype over the presidential election, it is easy to think that that the nation’s future hangs in the balance. Sure, the election is important, and your vote is important; but the battle for our culture is really…

The housing report could hardly have been grimmer: “U.S. Home Sales Fall off a Cliff,” reported CBS News.

Great, just what we need-more bad housing news on top of skyrocketing gas and food prices. The economy hovers near recession, and polls…

Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.

You have heard us talk before about the monstrous problem of human trafficking on “BreakPoint.” The scope of this human tragedy is mind-boggling. Experts estimate that there are 27 million slaves…

Here is a little secret I have discovered over the years: Government does its best when it lets faith-based groups do what they do best. But, usually, this does not happen until government admits that it cannot do everything on…

Thirty-five years ago, I sat in a car and wept after my friend Tom Phillips read me a chapter from C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity. If you have read my book Born Again, you know the story. Lewis’s incisive words…

A few years ago, a film called A Day without a Mexican took an amusing look at our dependence on Mexican labor.

While they disagree about everything else, both sides of the immigration debate share one assumption: There is a virtually endless…

If you follow the financial news, you have probably heard the phrase, “Stocks were up (or down) on news that . . .” The “news” that is referred to is always something having to do with some government economic report,…

For nearly 1,000 years, the people of Latvia have maintained a distinct identity, despite being dominated by their neighbors. Nearly one-third of Latvia’s population was killed by the Nazis and the Soviets between 1940 and 1954. Yet Latvia survived.

But, today,…

Three months ago, I told you about a new law in Montgomery County, Maryland, that demands co-ed locker rooms and restrooms in all public accommodations. The law was intended to accommodate “transgendered people”-that is, men who say they perceive themselves…

According to a study conducted by the Barna Group called “Teens and the Supernatural,” three out of every 10 teenagers have played the Ouija board, had their palms read, and eight out of 10 have read horoscopes.

Maybe these numbers do…

Food shortages are ravaging Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. One [eighth] of Haitian children die before their fifth birthday; and life expectancy in the country is only 50 years. Last month, riots over food prices had to…

This week on “BreakPoint,” we have been talking about teens and the particular challenges facing them. But did you know that the word teenager did not even exist until the twentieth century? That’s what teenage authors Alex and Brett Harris share…

From the double-edged sword of new technologies to the omnipresent media, today’s teens are facing unique challenges. And they often face those challenges alone-without input and guidance from adults.

Today, teenagers can go through days, if not weeks, without ever spending…

It is almost impossible to get away from the media’s fascination with the self-destructive tendencies of modern celebrities. Whether it is the tabloid splashing a picture of Britney Spears in and out of rehab, or a video circulating across cyberspace…

The University of Minnesota School of Health recently published a study documenting how teenagers who have a television in their bedroom are more likely to have unhealthy lifestyles: from poor eating habits, to bad grades, to less time spent with…

Where is God amidst the horrors of war? How do soldiers keep their faith in God’s goodness amidst the suffering and slaughter of battle?

American soldiers and sailors, airmen and Marines have asked questions like these ever since the War for…

Susan LeFevre was just 19 years old when she was arrested for selling heroin to an undercover cop. She pled guilty to the first-time offense, thinking the judge would be lenient. Instead, he gave her the maximum: 10 to 20…

In a recent issue of the New York Times, respected columnist David Brooks described how what he calls a “revolution in neuroscience” is shaping “how people see the world.” I agree with him-up to a point.

What Brooks calls the “revolution…

A decision by the California Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional any ban on gay “marriage” is sending shock waves across the nation. The 4-3 decision announced Thursday not only legalizes gay “marriage” in the largest state in America, but it…

With each passing day, the news from Myanmar-that is, Burma-gets worse: As of Sunday, May 11, nearly 300,000 people were reported as dead or missing. The United Nations estimated “that between 1.2 million and 1.9 million were struggling to survive…

Many of us can hardly wait for the release of the second film in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Prince Caspian will arrive in theaters this Friday.

If you have read the book, or if you [read] Mark Earley yesterday…, you…

Note: This commentary was delivered by PFM President Mark Earley.

This week, Hollywood is bringing the second book of C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia to the silver screen. And whether you are a parent introducing your kids to Narnia for…

Note: This commentary was delivered by PFM President Mark Earley.

Warning: The following commentary addresses a sensitive issue that may not be suitable for young children.

It is not unusual for people to lash out at others to release pent-up anger and…

I have refrained from commenting extensively on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy because this is an election year, and I avoid partisan questions. Until now, the Rev. Wright has been closely aligned with the Democratic front-runner.

Two recent events, however, now…

Biofuels are one of the major reasons you and I are paying more for groceries these days. For most of us, it is just an inconvenience. For many around the world, however, it is a catastrophe. Last week, United Nations…

When the prophet Isaiah and the apostle John caught glimpses of God, they were overcome with despair at their own unworthiness in the light of His glory. The same could be said of Daniel or Paul, or any number of…

Imagine the following social experiment: You divide up Americans into two groups. Those who agreed to live by traditional moral values live in certain states. Those who reject traditional values take up residence in other states that would allow them…

David Woodard is a political science professor at Clemson University-one who has first-hand experience on how dangerous it can be to speak out in favor of traditional values: He almost lost his job over it.

In 1993, Woodard was asked to…

Think your teens are using their cell phones only to keep in touch with you? Or maybe to make plans to see a movie with friends? Think again.

According to recent news reports, many teens are using cell phones to circulate…

You have probably heard of author Eckhart Tolle and his connection with Oprah Winfrey. What with Tolle’s bestselling book A New Earth, its repeated promotion on Oprah’s talk show, and the online course they are running together, they have become…