When we make a purchase, we’ve been conditioned to think about one thing: What’s the best deal for me? This is a selfish approach to purchasing habits. But it’s not necessarily our fault that we think that way. We’ve been…
GDP never was intended to show economic health, so why do Americans obsess over it?
Just before Christmas, Visual Capitalist released one of its signature infographics capturing the $94 trillion world economy in a single frame. It’s a stunning image, insofar as Voronoi diagrams can be stunning, in no small part because the numbers are…
America’s economy urgently needs more immigrant labor, experts explain
Supply chain delays, labor shortages, rising inflation and other economic crises facing the United States could be significantly reduced by increasing the number of immigrant workers allowed into the country. That’s the expert opinion of a panel of legal, business…
Everything that’s wrong with the world explained in one brief column
We do love simplicity. We love the idea that complex issues can be distilled into easy sound bites, that nuanced conversations can be summarized as “he said/she said” and that internet memes and bumper stickers offer plenty of space to…
Beauty out of ashes: Something’s stirring in the rubble of Lebanon
You think America has problems? Spend a week or two in Lebanon, and you’ll get a taste of what real — as in existential — problems are. Even Scrooge would sympathize. Imagine scrounging barely enough food to eat once, maybe…
If we are to accept Advent’s invitation, we must talk about money
There’s a joke we tell in my line of work: “Why does the church spend so much time talking about what goes on in the bedroom? Because we’re too scared to talk about what goes on in the boardroom.” Perhaps…
In addition to the ethical mandate, immigration is ‘a short-term way to boost economic growth’
Legal immigration can help offset projected declines in the American workforce due to ongoing Baby Boomer retirements, aging workers and diminishing birthrates, a U.S. economist said in a recent episode of the “Good God Project” podcast with George Mason. “We’re…
Why I’m among the unchurched today
In his Nov. 9 analysis, “The Church Is Losing Its Way,” Rob Sellers outlines the numerous ways in which the church is failing. In addition to Sellers’ list (irrelevance, unchallenging, unaccepting, and, most interestingly, unChristlike), I would like to add…
Climate change is heating up the terrorist conflict in Africa’s Sahel region
In Africa’s Sahel region — the current hotbed of terrorist violence — climate change has become a leading cause of worsening conditions. Although Nigeria is not new to security challenges, some commentators in the country recently have linked the worrying…