Historian Niall Ferguson has written several insightful articles over the past few years helping me to understand the ongoing shift from the West to the East going on in the world. A new order to our world is emerging and, in this Perspective, I seek to make sense of it.

First of all, Ferguson argues that over the last 500 years the West has had six ?killer applications? that explain its dominance of the world in every sense?militarily, financially, socially and in setting the world?s agenda.

At the end of December 2010, a huge natural gas discovery was confirmed in the Eastern Mediterranean inside Israel?s territorial waters. It is called the Leviathan gas deposit in the Levant Basin and marks a major development for Israel, with the potential for making Israel an energy exporter over the next decade. Natural gas was first discovered off Israel?s coast in 1999, but the quantity was so small that until recently, Israel was still planning on importing natural gas from Russia. The Leviathan field, discovered by a consortium led by Houston-based Noble Energy, is the world?s largest offshore gas find in the past decade and makes Israel now among the ranks of the world?s largest gas reserve holders in the world. [Possibly, the Leviathan field may contain a world-scale oil deposit as well.]

Marvin Olasky was at one point a radical leftist history professor and an advocate of the communist worldview. But he trusted Christ a number of years ago and is now the editor of World magazine. Olasky recently appeared on Glenn Beck?s TV program. Beck is one of the media stars on the late afternoon Fox TV lineup. I believe the substance of that interview needs to be summarized. In effect, I will quote verbatim from Olasky?s account of his time with Glenn Beck. Beck introduced Olasky as ?a former Communist. Now he believes man can rule himself.? Olasky comments: ?Not exactly, on the last part: I said, ?We are people created to worship in some way. If we don?t worship God, we?ll worship the human gods created by people . . .??

One of the key themes of biblical Christianity is the importance of sound doctrine. The Apostle Paul uses this phrase especially in the Pastoral Epistles. The term ?sound? actually means healthy and, from Paul, we learn that sound doctrine is the key to godly living and to spiritual health. It is therefore quite significant to focus on the importance of sound doctrine in this postmodern world. And in this global village, building bridges to Islam is necessary. But how do we do that without compromising the sound doctrine of the Bible, particularly as it relates to Jesus Christ? In the Perspective, I seek to probe this very issue.

There is quite a stir going on right now about the anticipated publication of Rob Bell?s new book, Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. It is scheduled for release on Tuesday, 29 March 2011.

Issues in Perspective has lamented family breakdown, social disintegration and the decline of American civilization for several years now. The evidence for all these propositions seems overwhelming. However, a recent study gives a small ray of hope.

Recently, President Obama determined that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)?the 1996 law that bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages?is unconstitutional. He directed the Justice Department to stop defending the law in court.Despite the fact that his administration had defended DOMA during the first two years in office, that department will no longer do so.  The Attorney
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President Obama recently presented his budget to the Congress and, as a part of this budget, he is launching an initiative for a high speed rail network for the United States.  Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Buzz it up Share via MySpace share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Bookmark in Browser
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During World War II, Adolf Hitler showered the grand mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini (the titular leader of the Palestinians) with gifts, wealth and a Berlin villa.  Why?  Because he broadcast Nazi propaganda to the Middle East, recruited European Muslims for the SS, exulted the Holocaust and after the war went on to represent
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As I am writing this, the Middle East is in turmoil. It is simply impossible to have a clear view of all that is occurring and what the short term and long term implications are. Civil war in some of the nations, a disruption in the flow of oil from this region, higher energy costs, the growth or the demise of radical Islam are all potential results, but no one really knows. It is simply too early. There are nonetheless a few items of importance that we can discern.