Sports’ betting, illegal outside Nevada for decades, is all the rage now. The sports gambling industry’s explosion is the outcome of a Supreme Court decision in 2018, Murphy v. NCAA. In that decision a 7-to-2 majority ruled that a law passed by Congress and signed by George H.W. Bush in 1992, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, violated the 10th Amendment’s anti-commandeering principle. The law barred sports gambling in states that did not already allow it.

For most of human history, the universe was considered timeless and unchanging; no longer. At the Space Telescope Science Institute, on the Johns Hopkins University campus, a constant torrent of data pours in from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Launched 13 months ago, Webb is orbiting 940,000 miles above the earth.

The Social Media phenomenon is staggering in its cultural impact. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other media forums dominate the time, the energy and the psychology of so many! For many teens, life without social media is unimaginable. When this phenomenon began, only a few years ago, no one envisioned how powerful it would become. Social media is not evil, per se, but it can be both enslaving and harmful. I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6:12: “’All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful’ for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.” [ESV]

The 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, was a watershed in judicial history. The 7-2 decision established the right of a woman to abort her baby up to the point of viability, usually understood to be during the first trimester of the pregnancy. The Court also permitted other situations where an abortion could occur within the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. The result was that America had one of the most liberal abortion standards in the world. Abortion therefore has been at the center of the culture war battles since 1973.

In last week’s Issues in Perspective, I quoted conservative author Rod Dreher: “. . . The conservative believes that there exists an enduring moral order. That order is made for man, and man is made for it: human nature is a constant, and moral truths are permanent. This word order signifies harmony. There are two aspects or types of order: the inner order of the soul, and the outer order of the commonwealth. . . . The problem of order has been a principal concern of conservatives ever since conservative became a term of politics.” Our 21st century world has experienced the hideous consequences of the collapse of belief in a moral order.

Years ago my son gave me an article from the journal Wired that envisioned the future of human technology, which will be organized around genetics, robotics and nanotechnology. The article was indeed prophetic for the 21st century. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a synthesis of both robotics and nanotechnology. It is a remarkable advance in human understanding and mastery of the world of technology. As a Christian, I can also view this advance as an example of God’s common grace, enabling humanity to exercise dominion over His world.

One element of the mission of Issues in Perspective is to provide biblically-centered perspectives on cultural issues. Therefore, periodically I give emphasis to developments within Christianity. Recent census data demonstrate the significant changes occurring within Protestant Christianity. Daniel Sillman of Christianity Today provides a helpful summary of this data.

George Bailey is the hero of that sentimental movie classic associated with Christmas—Frank Capra’s 1946 “It’s A Wonderful Life.” George Bailey’s life was rather ordinary, but it was a life that fell frustratingly short of his ambitious dreams. Fateful decisions, piercing disappointments and the relentless threat of his nemesis, Mr. Potter, lead George to a moment of great despair: He is ready to jump off a bridge. But, through the intervention of an implausible angel named Clarence, George gets to see what his world would be like if he had never been born.

James, the brother of Jesus, explains that “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” Later in the same chapter he declares that “if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.” [ESV]

When did the national day of Thanksgiving begin in the United States? After the United States had completed its Constitution in 1787 and the new Congress was in session, the Congress proposed that the Bill of Rights be added to the Constitution as the first 10 amendments. (The Bill of Rights was one of the conditions for ratification of the Constitution). Representative Elias Boudinot of New Jersey and Connecticut Congressman Roger Sherman proposed that President Washington declare a national day of Thanksgiving, with “one voice, in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings He had poured down upon them.”