Nearly two weeks ago, Russia launched a military strike against Ukraine, referring to it as a “peacekeeping mission.” However, the international community has united around its clear-eyed understanding that Russia’s actions are more than a mere peacekeeping mission: Russia wishes to glorify itself, either by enlarging its borders or by installing a pro-Russian government. Although [ Read More ]
In light of the enormous military repercussions that would ensue if the United States intervened militarily to counter Russia’ unjust war against Ukraine, a number of leaders have argued that the best solution is for somebody to assassinate Putin. On the “Hannity” show, Sen. Lindsey Graham called for Russians to “step up” and kill President Vladimir Putin amid Russia’s [ Read More ]
During the night Wednesday, Russia launched a military strike against Ukraine, referring to it as a “peacekeeping mission” intended to demilitarize Ukraine. However, it is clear to the international community that Russia’s actions are more than a mere peacekeeping mission: instead, Russia’s invasion is an egregious violation of agreed-upon laws of justifiable warfare. President Putin [ Read More ]
Author Robert Tew once wrote, “Don’t let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out.” And he’s right; his modern proverb expresses well the way Jesus and other biblical exemplars such as Nehemiah treated toxic people. Thus, the first installment of this series focused briefly on the [ Read More ]
One of life’s greatest challenges is learning to deal with people who are draining, unsupportive, difficult, and adversarial; with people who are bent on systematically diminishing and finally destroying your inner life. In this series of posts, I will talk about how to identify and respond to the words and actions of such toxic persons. [ Read More ]
Recently, I published a series of three articles on how to spot manipulation and stop it dead in its tracks. I explained how manipulation works, gave advice on how to spot it and stop it dead in its tracks. The first article dealt with interpersonal manipulation, revealing 12 ways manipulators attempt to control their target [ Read More ]
In any sphere of culture, leaders are trying to sell themselves and their views. In fact, the very reason these leaders often rise to the top is their ability to persuade people of the rightness of their views and decisions. Yet, often these leaders are so charismatic and persuasive that we are easily duped by [ Read More ]
There are two sides to every news story. The one that your favorite media outlet prefers, and the other side, which is the one that they will mislead you about. Or, so it often turns out. This is unfortunate. Media institutions play an outsized role in the life and health of communities and nations, and [ Read More ]
Recently, I published a series of articles on the personal, social, and political implications of the Bible’s Ten Commandments. The article on the eighth commandment—the prohibition against theft—included a small section on “manipulation” as a form of heart theft. This portion of the article triggered a number of inquiries, which has prompted me to follow [ Read More ]
During the past few weeks, I published a series of 14 brief articles, applying the Bible’s Ten Commandments to personal, social, and cultural issues in the United States of America. The series is entitled, “Ten Words for a Broken Society.” It begins with three introductory posts, continues with ten articles addressing the Ten Commandments respectively, [ Read More ]