In Western Europe euthanasia is increasingly easy and ethically acceptable. Naftali Bendavid recently reported on the case of Belgium twins, Marc and Eddy Verbessem, who were identical deaf twins who had a genetic disorder that was also making them blind. After a wrenching ordeal that involved legal and medical difficulties, Marc and Eddy, on 14 December 2012, went to a Brussels hospital, said goodbye to their family, lay down in adjoining beds, received lethal injections and were gone…

Near the end of May, President Obama delivered an important address at the National Defense University in which he declared that the war on terror is nearly over and it is time to shift our national thinking about terror. Among other things, he described al Qaeda as ?a shell of its former self.? . . . Many have compared the US War on Terror with the Cold War, which lasted more than 40 years. The US War on Terror officially began in 2001, so it is now about 12 years old. Thus, is it premature to diminish the terrorist threat and, in effect, declare that the War on Terror is nearly over or at least that terror is a much less significant threat to the US?

The brutal civil war currently raging in Syria is a complex conflict that has significant implications for both the United States and for Israel. Israel has vowed to stay out of this civil war but is worried that Hezbollah will obtain access to more sophisticated rockets and perhaps chemical weapons owned by Syria. Because the US has not taken leadership in aiding the rebel forces, Russia and Iran have filled that vacuum. . . Hezbollah has clearly ratcheted up its commitment to Syria–the military lifeline for this terrorist group. In addition, other Muslim nations, especially those of Sunni Islam, do not wish to see Syria, Iran and Hezbollah triumph in this civil war. The outcome of this horrific war has enormous implications for the Middle East and for the larger world?s balance of power. In this edition of Issues in Perspective, I hope to unravel some of this mess in Syria.

One of the key themes of Issues in Perspective is the articulation and defense of the Christian worldview. That worldview is discerned from a study of the Bible and the application of that worldview to life. Two recent studies validate that worldview.

When God made his unconditional covenant with Abraham (see Genesis 12, 15, 17, etc.), He said that ?in you all the nations will be blessed.? One of the Lord?s expectations was that His people, Israel, would be a channel of blessing for all of humanity. They would represent Him to the world. The Apostle Paul picks up on that theme in the book of Galatians when he argues that one of the key blessings God had in mind was the blessing of justification by faith, which came through Jesus. Wherever Jewish people have gone, they have been a channel of blessing for broader humanity. Consider two recent examples: