If you don't know him, Jonathan Merritt is a nationally respected writer and news personality. He's written two books, Green Like God and A Faith of Our Own, and has written for USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, BeliefNet, Christianity Today, The Huffington Post, and CNN.com. As Ed Stetzer reported: Recently, after Jonathan, in a piece written for The Atlantic, defended Chick-fil-A against a potential boycott by gay activists, a "gay evangelical" blogger claimed he had evidence Jonathan himself was gay. In the parlance the effort was to "out him." … [Read more...] about Jonathan Merritt, Integrity, and Sexual Purity
Chick-fil-A, Free Speech, and Public Office
There's an angle to this beyond whether or not to eat at Chick-fil-A. The mayor of Boston, Thomas M. Menino, has vowed to block Chick-fil-A's effort to open an outlet in his city because the restaurant chain supposedly "discriminates against a population." Likewise in Chicago, Alderman Proco "Joe" Moreno told the Chicago Tribune, "If you are discriminating against a segment of the community, I don't want you in the 1st Ward." Chick-fil-A wants to open a new restaurant in the 2500 block of North Elston Avenue. Moreno has the support of Chicago's Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, who told the Tribune in a … [Read more...] about Chick-fil-A, Free Speech, and Public Office
In Defense of Eating at Chick-fil-A
Jonathan Merritt, author of A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars, a book (for the record) that I have not examined, and which received significant push-back, has written an article for The Atlantic with which I fully resonate. He asks the question: Do we really want a country where people won't do commerce with those who have beliefs different than their own? I think most of us would say no, we don't. We're happy to buy things from people who disagree with us on any number of issues, provided their products and services are good and/or reasonably priced. Merritt … [Read more...] about In Defense of Eating at Chick-fil-A
Are we sending too many to college, or too few?
Continuing our discussion from yesterday with Dr. Archibald, a few follow-up questions: There's been discussion in the media recently (from Robert Samuelson and Richard Vedder, among others) that a "college for all" agenda is being pushed, and that such an agenda is unwarranted. They observe that thousands of janitors and parking lot attendants hold college degrees, and that such training is both expensive and unnecessary for these professions. What do you think? Are we sending too many to college, or too few? This is a difficult question. I do not believe in “college for all.” There are … [Read more...] about Are we sending too many to college, or too few?
Why does College Cost So Much?
While acknowledging that tuition and fees at colleges and universities have been rising faster than the rate of inflation, authors Robert Archibald and David Feldman (Professors of Economics at William and Mary College) oppose the view, increasingly espoused by economists such as Richard Vedder, that higher education is increasingly dysfunctional. Instead, their argument is that costs for colleges have risen as a natural byproduct of a growing economy. I recently read their interesting book Why Does College Cost So Much? and was grateful that Dr. Archibald was willing to answer a few … [Read more...] about Why does College Cost So Much?
Marriage and Income Inequality
Glenn Stanton makes some interesting observations about marriage and income inequality: Charles Murray of the American Enterprise Institute makes important observations of how marital status is related to poverty in his important new book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010, 1960–2010. In 1960, the poorly and moderately educated were only 10 percent less likely to be married than the 94 percent of college-educated Americans who were married. The comparison between the two groups largely held until 1978. Today, these two groups are separated by a 35 percent margin. According … [Read more...] about Marriage and Income Inequality