Viewpoints with Kerby Anderson

Penna Dexter
One purpose of the National Religious Broadcasters Convention is to help Christian ministries, especially media organizations, figure out how to meet the challenges they face in getting their message out. This year, a key topic was the cancel culture and how to fight back against it.
In his keynote address at the opening session, Franklin Graham described how Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association have taken steps to deal with cancellations by service providers like banks and payment processors. He warned leaders of the organizations gathered in Orlando, Florida, that the Left’s efforts to deprive Christian organizations of their funding could destroy their work if they do not take action to protect against it.
The risk of being cancelled applies, not only to large media ministries, but also to smaller online news outlets, individual journalists, podcasters, and even everyday Christians posting comments on social media. For them, cancellation can range from lost opportunities for communication to loss of livelihood.
The Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody moderated a helpful panel.
Panelist Allie Beth Stuckey, host of the popular podcast Relatable, said cancel culture is the fruit of moral relativism. Standards are arbitrary and are constantly changing. Christians must reject this because we have the unchanging standards of God’s Word. “We have the right and responsibility,” she said, “to say that which is good, right, and true.“  She reminded the audience that, throughout history, the Church has been persecuted, but the gospel cannot be cancelled.
To a question about cancellation by social media outlets, syndicated radio host Dennis Prager responded that 45% of young Americans say, ‘I believe in free speech, but not hate speech.’ Mr. Prager says, “Hate speech is anything the Left disagrees with.”
The Left claims compassion as its motive for curtailing certain speech. Allie Stuckey calls this “weaponized empathy.”  She said, “Ruining an individual’s life for something they said is the opposite of compassion.”
Cancel culture is the opposite of freedom.

Kerby Anderson
Christians have always needed discernment, but we especially need to develop our skill at discernment in our confused world. One book I would recommend is: Why Bad Looks Good: Biblical Wisdom to Make Smart Choices in Life, Love, and Friendship. The author is Dr. Wendy Patrick. She is a career prosecutor with not only a law degree but a master’s degree and a doctorate in theology. Her book helps you avoid falling victim to the hazards of misperception that she has seen in courtrooms as well as in life.
For example, she warns about the deception of public perception. We live in a world where abnormal is portrayed as normal. It is easy to follow the crowd right off a cliff. That is why her chapter begins with 2 Corinthians 4:4 where Paul reminds us that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers.”
Another chapter talks about when bad appears beautiful. She has seen this in her experience in prosecuting sexual predators. That is why she begins that chapter with John 7:24 where Jesus admonishes the disciples to “stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
Another chapter advises us to use discernment when bad sounds good. We live in a world where smooth talkers can convince us and our friends of ideas that are counter to biblical wisdom. We should also be alert to the dark side of praise. Psalm 55:21 warns us about people whose “talk is smooth as butter.”
Another chapter explains how to react when bad feels good. We live in a world that emphasizes emotion over logic and flash over substance. Ecclesiastes 1:8 warns that “the eye never has enough of seeing.”
If you want to improve your skill at discernment, I recommend you get a copy of her book.

Kerby Anderson
Lots of myths surround the millennial generation. We even spend some time on the radio during our millennial roundtable debunking many of them. Perhaps the most significant prevailing myth is that millennials are broke.
Sociologist Jean Twenge takes on “The Myth of the Broke Millennial” in her extensive article in The Atlantic. This isn’t just a myth that others have about this generation. It is a myth they have about themselves. One author complains about their plight in her book, OK Boomers, Let’s Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind. She says her generation is responding “with desperation and sometimes anger.”
To her surprise, Jean Twenge responds, “Millennials, as a group, are not broke—they are, in fact, thriving economically. That wasn’t true a decade ago, and prosperity within the generation today is not evenly shared. But since the mid-2010s, Millennials on the whole have made a breathtaking financial comeback.”
The great recession of 2008 was hard on American incomes, especially young millennials, who were just entering the job market. But the millennial income rebound has been both broad and steep.
Two groups that have not done as well are men and people with less education. Millennial men have not seen the income increases that millennial women enjoy (in part because of the gap in educational attainment). That points to the other gap: the income gap between millennials with a college degree and those with only a high school diploma.
In one of his commentaries, John Stonestreet explains that the true crisis for millennials isn’t a financial one. It’s a crisis of meaning and purpose. Once again, this is where the gospel provides the answer. The Bible provides a true foundation for meaning and purpose.

Kerby Anderson
The consumer backlash to Bud Light is well known. But while Anheuser-Busch stock drops and Bud Light cans go unsold, other companies have decided to promote transgenderism. Suzanne Bowdey explains that there are four other companies that are willing to go “Full Bud Light” in their support of transgenderism.
The first is Target. A decade ago, the company was going woke before woke was even a word. A decade ago, they introduced their controversial line of “Love is Love” shirts. Six years ago, Target made news with their plans for mixed-gender bathrooms and fitting rooms. More recently they decided to fill its racks with resources aiding young people to reject their biological sex.
Second is Levi Strauss. We have learned more about the philosophy behind America’s oldest jeans company due to Jennifer Sey, who wrote Levi’s Unbuttoned: The Woke Mob Took my Job but Gave Me my Voice. She warns that radicalism runs deep at Levi’s.
Starbucks is a third company. The company has been financing transgender activism. There was their pronoun campaign in 2019 called #WhatsYourName. More recently, the company offered to ship employees’ children out of state if they wanted to “change” their sex.
A fourth company is Sports Illustrated. I wouldn’t recommend anyone pick up any of their swimsuit issues. But if you even glance at one image expecting to see an actual woman at the beach, you will be disappointed. Kim Petras underwent “gender-transition” surgery years ago and is the Sports Illustrated cover model.
This illustrates the mindset of so many in corporate America. They see a backlash to Bud Light, and the CEOs merely decide to double down. They are free to make those choices, but we are also free to decide what we will or will not buy.

Kerby Anderson
The consumer backlash to Bud Light is well known. But while Anheuser-Busch stock drops and Bud Light cans go unsold, other companies have decided to promote transgenderism. Suzanne Bowdey explains that there are four other companies that are willing to go “Full Bud Light” in their support of transgenderism.
The first is Target. A decade ago, the company was going woke before woke was even a word. A decade ago, they introduced their controversial line of “Love is Love” shirts. Six years ago, Target made news with their plans for mixed-gender bathrooms and fitting rooms. More recently they decided to fill its racks with resources aiding young people to reject their biological sex.
Second is Levi Strauss. We have learned more about the philosophy behind America’s oldest jeans company due to Jennifer Sey, who wrote Levi’s Unbuttoned: The Woke Mob Took my Job but Gave Me my Voice. She warns that radicalism runs deep at Levi’s.
Starbucks is a third company. The company has been financing transgender activism. There was their pronoun campaign in 2019 called #WhatsYourName. More recently, the company offered to ship employees’ children out of state if they wanted to “change” their sex.
A fourth company is Sports Illustrated. I wouldn’t recommend anyone pick up any of their swimsuit issues. But if you even glance at one image expecting to see an actual woman at the beach, you will be disappointed. Kim Petras underwent “gender-transition” surgery years ago and is the Sports Illustrated cover model.
This illustrates the mindset of so many in corporate America. They see a backlash to Bud Light, and the CEOs merely decide to double down. They are free to make those choices, but we are also free to decide what we will or will not buy.

Kerby Anderson
Doing a commentary on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” is difficult because the story keeps changing. In case you aren’t familiar, the “sisters” are drag queens whose shtick is to dress up as Catholic nuns and then mock every aspect of religion in general and Catholicism in particular.
The story keeps changing because the “sisters” were to receive an award on Pride Night. Then the inevitable reaction came, and the Dodgers canceled the event, and then reinstated the event due to pressure from the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the California Teachers Association. Then a Catholic advocacy group launched a $1 million campaign to promote a boycott of the team.
I do wonder about the Dodger front office that invited, disinvited, and re-invited the “sisters” to Pride Night. How will they now react to the push for a boycott and for “people of goodwill to express their opposition to your celebration of anti-Catholic bigotry and mockery.” Their latest attempt to address this public relations disaster was to schedule a “Christian Faith and Family Day” at Dodger Stadium a month later.
It’s worth mentioning that the Dodgers have had a long and significant connection to their Catholic fans even going back to the time when they were in Brooklyn. The O’Malley family owned the Dodgers for years and were well known for their Catholic convictions. They even sponsored a “Nun’s Day” at Dodger Stadium. That would be actual Catholic nuns, not the fake “sisters” who have spent years ridiculing Christianity and Catholicism.
Major league baseball teams have promoted various fan nights and given out everything from special hotdogs to signed baseballs to bobbleheads of popular players. But bringing in a group that mocks the faith of some of the players and many of the fans has become a public relations disaster.

Kerby Anderson
Doing a commentary on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” is difficult because the story keeps changing. In case you aren’t familiar, the “sisters” are drag queens whose shtick is to dress up as Catholic nuns and then mock every aspect of religion in general and Catholicism in particular.
The story keeps changing because the “sisters” were to receive an award on Pride Night. Then the inevitable reaction came, and the Dodgers canceled the event, and then reinstated the event due to pressure from the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the California Teachers Association. Then a Catholic advocacy group launched a $1 million campaign to promote a boycott of the team.
I do wonder about the Dodger front office that invited, disinvited, and re-invited the “sisters” to Pride Night. How will they now react to the push for a boycott and for “people of goodwill to express their opposition to your celebration of anti-Catholic bigotry and mockery.” Their latest attempt to address this public relations disaster was to schedule a “Christian Faith and Family Day” at Dodger Stadium a month later.
It’s worth mentioning that the Dodgers have had a long and significant connection to their Catholic fans even going back to the time when they were in Brooklyn. The O’Malley family owned the Dodgers for years and were well known for their Catholic convictions. They even sponsored a “Nun’s Day” at Dodger Stadium. That would be actual Catholic nuns, not the fake “sisters” who have spent years ridiculing Christianity and Catholicism.
Major league baseball teams have promoted various fan nights and given out everything from special hotdogs to signed baseballs to bobbleheads of popular players. But bringing in a group that mocks the faith of some of the players and many of the fans has become a public relations disaster.

Kerby Anderson
We recently had another case of the major media publicizing book banning that never took place. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised since the same media last year told us that the Florida legislature passed a “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” That’s how they described the Florida Parental Rights Education legislation that was supported by a majority of citizens in Florida (both Democrats and Republicans).
The Associated Press, CNN, ABC, NPR, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Politico, Daily Mail, and the Guardian all ran headlines claiming that a school within Miami-Dade County Public Schools “banned” or “blocked” access to a poem read by Amanda Gorman (who spoke at President Biden’s inauguration). Their story was based on an original erroneous story by the Miami Herald.
The true story is that the poem (and a few other resources) were moved from a shelf in the library’s “media center” for grade school kids and put on the shelf for middle school kids. That’s all that was done. One school, one library, moved some books. But that was enough for most of the major media to run with a story about book banning.
Why do we keep getting these fake stories about book banning? They occur for the same reason that we keep getting fake hate crime stories. It is a matter of supply and demand.  For leftists, the demand is greater than the supply of examples of racism or homophobia. That’s why I have written a dozen commentaries over the years of fake hate crimes that were reported in the media long before anyone ever heard of Jussie Smollett.
Have there been attempts to ban books in the past? Of course. Catcher in the Rye, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and To Kill a Mockingbird are just a few examples. But as one commentator put it “Book Banning Isn’t What It Used to Be.”
The next time you read about a book banning, be skeptical.

Kerby Anderson
We recently had another case of the major media publicizing book banning that never took place. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised since the same media last year told us that the Florida legislature passed a “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” That’s how they described the Florida Parental Rights Education legislation that was supported by a majority of citizens in Florida (both Democrats and Republicans).
The Associated Press, CNN, ABC, NPR, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Politico, Daily Mail, and the Guardian all ran headlines claiming that a school within Miami-Dade County Public Schools “banned” or “blocked” access to a poem read by Amanda Gorman (who spoke at President Biden’s inauguration). Their story was based on an original erroneous story by the Miami Herald.
The true story is that the poem (and a few other resources) were moved from a shelf in the library’s “media center” for grade school kids and put on the shelf for middle school kids. That’s all that was done. One school, one library, moved some books. But that was enough for most of the major media to run with a story about book banning.
Why do we keep getting these fake stories about book banning? They occur for the same reason that we keep getting fake hate crime stories. It is a matter of supply and demand.  For leftists, the demand is greater than the supply of examples of racism or homophobia. That’s why I have written a dozen commentaries over the years of fake hate crimes that were reported in the media long before anyone ever heard of Jussie Smollett.
Have there been attempts to ban books in the past? Of course. Catcher in the Rye, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and To Kill a Mockingbird are just a few examples. But as one commentator put it “Book Banning Isn’t What It Used to Be.”
The next time you read about a book banning, be skeptical.

Penna Dexter
In 2015 the United States Supreme Court, in Obergefell v. Hodges, struck down the nation’s marriage laws, bringing same sex marriage to every state.
Same sex marriage: That’s what LGBTQ activists said they wanted. But they moved on very quickly. Within a year the quest to mainstream transgenderism was underway. First there were high-profile battles over bathroom policies. Soon biological males were participating in women’s sports. Then the Left was insisting that everyone in the corporate world, in education and in the media respect gender-confused individuals’ preferred pronouns. The trans agenda was quickly being implemented by major institutions of our society. It seems to have happened so quickly.
Journalist Brandon Showalter reports for The Christian Post on the trans phenomenon. He has learned that it didn’t rise as suddenly as it may seem. He told an audience at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention that deconstruction of the gender binary has been a long-running goal of gender and queer theorists.
This new gender ideology has gained strength recently because the medical industry has learned of the tremendous amount of money to be made. Place a teenager on puberty blockers and you have begun the process that leads to cross sex hormones and surgery — often several very expensive surgeries. Once a transition is complete, a person is enslaved to the medical/industrial complex for life.
Mr. Showalter and others point to the totalitarian nature of this agenda. This movement is divisive. It assaults language and our way of communication. It inserts itself between children and their parents. It destroys the minds and bodies of young people.
The human body is good and our spiritual leaders should be saying that. Transgender ideology is an attack on the very image of God. Despite what troubled teens and their parents are being told, no one has ever been born in the wrong body.
We must summon the courage to tell them the truth.

Penna Dexter
In 2015 the United States Supreme Court, in Obergefell v. Hodges, struck down the nation’s marriage laws, bringing same sex marriage to every state.
Same sex marriage: That’s what LGBTQ activists said they wanted. But they moved on very quickly. Within a year the quest to mainstream transgenderism was underway. First there were high-profile battles over bathroom policies. Soon biological males were participating in women’s sports. Then the Left was insisting that everyone in the corporate world, in education and in the media respect gender-confused individuals’ preferred pronouns. The trans agenda was quickly being implemented by major institutions of our society. It seems to have happened so quickly.
Journalist Brandon Showalter reports for The Christian Post on the trans phenomenon. He has learned that it didn’t rise as suddenly as it may seem. He told an audience at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention that deconstruction of the gender binary has been a long-running goal of gender and queer theorists.
This new gender ideology has gained strength recently because the medical industry has learned of the tremendous amount of money to be made. Place a teenager on puberty blockers and you have begun the process that leads to cross sex hormones and surgery — often several very expensive surgeries. Once a transition is complete, a person is enslaved to the medical/industrial complex for life.
Mr. Showalter and others point to the totalitarian nature of this agenda. This movement is divisive. It assaults language and our way of communication. It inserts itself between children and their parents. It destroys the minds and bodies of young people.
The human body is good and our spiritual leaders should be saying that. Transgender ideology is an attack on the very image of God. Despite what troubled teens and their parents are being told, no one has ever been born in the wrong body.
We must summon the courage to tell them the truth.

Kerby Anderson
Is the abortion drug safe? That is a question being debated in federal court pointing back to the decision made by the Food and Drug Administration two decades ago. US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a national injunction on the use of mifepristone. The case then went to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Are the drugs used in a chemical abortion safe? Obviously, they are not safe for the unborn child since the first drug is used to block progesterone and kill the baby, and the second drug causes uterine contractions to expel the dead or dying baby.
But the question before the court is whether the drug is safe for the mother. This is no small issue since the Guttmacher Institute estimates that more than half (54%) of all abortions are done using these drugs in a chemical abortion.
If you have followed the debate surrounding the abortion drug, you have likely heard that it is safer than Tylenol. The FDA reports that there have been just 28 deaths from the abortion drug. By contrast, about 150 Americans died each year from Tylenol (usually because of an overdose).
Dr. Randall O’Bannon (director of Education and Research for National Right to Life) puts these numbers in context. Yes, there are 150 Tylenol deaths, but Americans take 25 billion doses of Tylenol each year. There have only been 5.6 million chemical abortions since FDA approval.
Once he ran the numbers, he concluded that your risk of dying from the abortion drug is about 833 times higher than your risk of dying from Tylenol. And I might mention that the risk of a woman facing a complication and having to go to the emergency room is quite high.
Doesn’t look like the abortion drug is as safe as we have been led to believe.

Kerby Anderson
Is the abortion drug safe? That is a question being debated in federal court pointing back to the decision made by the Food and Drug Administration two decades ago. US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a national injunction on the use of mifepristone. The case then went to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Are the drugs used in a chemical abortion safe? Obviously, they are not safe for the unborn child since the first drug is used to block progesterone and kill the baby, and the second drug causes uterine contractions to expel the dead or dying baby.
But the question before the court is whether the drug is safe for the mother. This is no small issue since the Guttmacher Institute estimates that more than half (54%) of all abortions are done using these drugs in a chemical abortion.
If you have followed the debate surrounding the abortion drug, you have likely heard that it is safer than Tylenol. The FDA reports that there have been just 28 deaths from the abortion drug. By contrast, about 150 Americans died each year from Tylenol (usually because of an overdose).
Dr. Randall O’Bannon (director of Education and Research for National Right to Life) puts these numbers in context. Yes, there are 150 Tylenol deaths, but Americans take 25 billion doses of Tylenol each year. There have only been 5.6 million chemical abortions since FDA approval.
Once he ran the numbers, he concluded that your risk of dying from the abortion drug is about 833 times higher than your risk of dying from Tylenol. And I might mention that the risk of a woman facing a complication and having to go to the emergency room is quite high.
Doesn’t look like the abortion drug is as safe as we have been led to believe.

Kerby Anderson
Theft in stores and businesses has increased significantly. This includes everything from shoplifting to smash-and-grab to organized retail crime. The stores may initially pay the price, but they pass on the cost to us as customers in the form of higher prices to cover their losses. The local community also pays a price when stores close because of higher crime rates.
The CEO of Target Corp. has put a number on what is called “inventory shrinkage,” which is mostly theft from stores. Their cost this year was $500 million. When you lose a half billion dollars to theft, you must start making tough decisions. That is why Target (along with many other companies) have started closing stores in high-crime areas.
The Wall Street Journal editors make an important point. Leftists in some of these cities complain about the loss of these stores that create what is called a “commercial desert.” They blame the companies, when they should be complaining about the progressive policies of the politicians in these cities that have allowed crime to skyrocket. The editors remind us that “the first duty of government is to provide for public safety.”
And it is worth mentioning that these losses aren’t just from individual acts of shoplifting. Stores face a growing threat from organized retail crime. “Gangs plan their raids on retail stores, warehouses and trucks or rail hubs.” They aren’t stealing for personal consumption but to sell stolen goods for a profit over the Internet.
In this next election, voters must replace leftist district attorneys with candidates who will enforce the law. This runaway theft affects all of us and creates a culture of disorder and a culture of disdain for the law.

Kerby Anderson
Theft in stores and businesses has increased significantly. This includes everything from shoplifting to smash-and-grab to organized retail crime. The stores may initially pay the price, but they pass on the cost to us as customers in the form of higher prices to cover their losses. The local community also pays a price when stores close because of higher crime rates.
The CEO of Target Corp. has put a number on what is called “inventory shrinkage,” which is mostly theft from stores. Their cost this year was $500 million. When you lose a half billion dollars to theft, you must start making tough decisions. That is why Target (along with many other companies) have started closing stores in high-crime areas.
The Wall Street Journal editors make an important point. Leftists in some of these cities complain about the loss of these stores that create what is called a “commercial desert.” They blame the companies, when they should be complaining about the progressive policies of the politicians in these cities that have allowed crime to skyrocket. The editors remind us that “the first duty of government is to provide for public safety.”
And it is worth mentioning that these losses aren’t just from individual acts of shoplifting. Stores face a growing threat from organized retail crime. “Gangs plan their raids on retail stores, warehouses and trucks or rail hubs.” They aren’t stealing for personal consumption but to sell stolen goods for a profit over the Internet.
In this next election, voters must replace leftist district attorneys with candidates who will enforce the law. This runaway theft affects all of us and creates a culture of disorder and a culture of disdain for the law.

Kerby Anderson
Mark Lewis has a good question for anyone who seems unconcerned about the influx of millions of migrants who have arrived illegally. He asks, “What Are All These Illegals Going to Do?” He is talking about approximately 30 million who are here and will never be sent back to their country of origin.
Now that they are here, what will they do? He cites four possibilities. First, they can pick crops. Many are already doing that and have been doing that for years. They shouldn’t be here, but they are here now even though they may be taking jobs from other Americans.
Second, they could take other menial jobs, but those may not pay very well and so they may end up on welfare or homeless or even involved in crime. Most of the people here illegally don’t have too many skills or much education. Robots and automation are eliminating many of the jobs that used to exist for Americans or foreigners with few job skills.
The last two categories should disturb all of us. He acknowledges that “some illegals will sell drugs.” That shouldn’t be a surprise since some of the migrants crossing our border have connections to the drug cartels. Even if they don’t have those connections, the lure of quick profits from the drug trade will entice many into the drug trade.
Finally, he says the millions here illegally are a revolution waiting to happen. “The illegals are going to discover that Joe Biden’s America is not what it was advertised to be.  Most of them will exist in squalor and deep poverty, with no easy avenue of escape.”
This is an important question you should ask your family, friends, and coworkers. You should especially ask the candidates who will soon be asking for your vote and financial support. What are these illegals going to do? The few possible answers should concern all of us.

Kerby Anderson
Mark Lewis has a good question for anyone who seems unconcerned about the influx of millions of migrants who have arrived illegally. He asks, “What Are All These Illegals Going to Do?” He is talking about approximately 30 million who are here and will never be sent back to their country of origin.
Now that they are here, what will they do? He cites four possibilities. First, they can pick crops. Many are already doing that and have been doing that for years. They shouldn’t be here, but they are here now even though they may be taking jobs from other Americans.
Second, they could take other menial jobs, but those may not pay very well and so they may end up on welfare or homeless or even involved in crime. Most of the people here illegally don’t have too many skills or much education. Robots and automation are eliminating many of the jobs that used to exist for Americans or foreigners with few job skills.
The last two categories should disturb all of us. He acknowledges that “some illegals will sell drugs.” That shouldn’t be a surprise since some of the migrants crossing our border have connections to the drug cartels. Even if they don’t have those connections, the lure of quick profits from the drug trade will entice many into the drug trade.
Finally, he says the millions here illegally are a revolution waiting to happen. “The illegals are going to discover that Joe Biden’s America is not what it was advertised to be.  Most of them will exist in squalor and deep poverty, with no easy avenue of escape.”
This is an important question you should ask your family, friends, and coworkers. You should especially ask the candidates who will soon be asking for your vote and financial support. What are these illegals going to do? The few possible answers should concern all of us.

Kerby Anderson
Depression is the US has reached record levels. According to the latest Gallup poll, “The percentage of US adults who report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime has reached 29%, nearly 10 percentage points higher than in 2015.” This is a troubling statistic, especially at a time when the country is enjoying a level of prosperity.
Treatment for depression has also increased. “The percentage of Americans who currently have or are being treated for depression has also increased, to 17.8%, up about seven points over the same period.”
Those who were polled were asked, “Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have depression?” and “Do you currently have or are you currently being treated for depression?” The answers to both of those questions became part of the ongoing Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index.
It is also disturbing to discover which demographic groups showed the greatest increase in depression. More than one-third of women (36.7%) report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime. Women (23.8%) and adults aged 18 to 29 (24.6%) also have the highest rates of current depression or treatment for depression.
Lifetime depression rates are also climbing among Black and Hispanic adults. In fact, these rates have now surpassed those of White respondents. In the past, White adults usually had marginally higher rates of both lifetime and current depression.
The reasons for rising depression are many: social isolation, loneliness, and substance abuse. Christians might add loss of meaning and rejection of the supernatural as other key factors. That is why I recommend that pastors and Bible teachers address the issue of depression and explain the medical, social, and spiritual factors to their congregation. This is an important issue the church cannot ignore.

Kerby Anderson
Depression is the US has reached record levels. According to the latest Gallup poll, “The percentage of US adults who report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime has reached 29%, nearly 10 percentage points higher than in 2015.” This is a troubling statistic, especially at a time when the country is enjoying a level of prosperity.
Treatment for depression has also increased. “The percentage of Americans who currently have or are being treated for depression has also increased, to 17.8%, up about seven points over the same period.”
Those who were polled were asked, “Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have depression?” and “Do you currently have or are you currently being treated for depression?” The answers to both of those questions became part of the ongoing Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index.
It is also disturbing to discover which demographic groups showed the greatest increase in depression. More than one-third of women (36.7%) report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime. Women (23.8%) and adults aged 18 to 29 (24.6%) also have the highest rates of current depression or treatment for depression.
Lifetime depression rates are also climbing among Black and Hispanic adults. In fact, these rates have now surpassed those of White respondents. In the past, White adults usually had marginally higher rates of both lifetime and current depression.
The reasons for rising depression are many: social isolation, loneliness, and substance abuse. Christians might add loss of meaning and rejection of the supernatural as other key factors. That is why I recommend that pastors and Bible teachers address the issue of depression and explain the medical, social, and spiritual factors to their congregation. This is an important issue the church cannot ignore.

Kerby Anderson
Today is Memorial Day. For many Americans, it is merely a day off. For others, it marks the start of summer. But hopefully for many of you, it is a day to honor those who fought for our freedom and especially for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Sure we can enjoy our picnics and go for a walk or go for a swim. But we should take some time to put up a flag, make a banner, and perhaps participate in a parade honoring our military.
Certainly those in the military feel more loved than the vets who returned from the Vietnam War. But it wouldn’t hurt to thank those who have served our country and to make them feel appreciated. We will never be able to repay them enough for their service.
What else can we do? If you visit a few websites, you will find all sorts of suggestions. Here are a few to consider. Participate in a “National Moment of Remembrance” at 3 PM today. Pause, listen to taps, and reflect. I was in London’s Heathrow airport on Veterans’ Day. When time came to stop and reflect, the airport was absolutely quiet for a minute or so. I was impressed. We can learn something from the British and their reverence for their war dead.
You might encourage your friends, neighbors, and family to visit cemeteries and perhaps even place flags on the graves. I have been to military cemeteries in Hawaii and the Philippines and have seen what is done there. We need to do the same back home.
Those of you who live near the nation’s capital might visit one of the memorials for the Vietnam Veterans, the World War II Veterans, or the Korean War Veterans.
I will let you consider what you might do to make this day special. The point is to make this day special. Too often we come to think about it as nothing more than a Monday holiday or the kick-off for summer. It should mean so much more for us.