The crime rate is up in many cities, so maybe its time to consider a solution rarely suggested. Let’s see what faith-based organizations and people of faith can do. The evidence is that they can reduce the crime rate and the recidivism rate in our prisons. This is the argument Baylor University criminologist Byron Johnson makes in his book, More God, Less Crime.

Sadly most social scientists and even criminologists seem reluctant to make the connection between faith and the impact religious perspectives could have on America’s crime problem. Dr. Johnson believes that a faith-based ministry or message doesn’t resonate with most social scientists. Many are even hostile to religion as demonstrated by the opening chapter in his book entitled, “The Last Acceptable Prejudice.”

Dr. Johnson also says that faith-based organizations are merely tolerated within the criminal justice system. In some places, they are seen as valuable and even helpful. In other jurisdictions, they are viewed with suspicion. This is unfortunate since the criminal justice system is facing cutbacks and shrinking budgets. Prison ministries like Bill Glass, Prison Fellowship, and Kairos Prison Ministry can provide people and programs that can make a difference. Faith-based organizations of all kinds can provide volunteers and educators to help with programs in life skills and adult education.

The book is full of positive examples of what can happen when Christians get involved in their local community. He tells the story of “The Boston Miracle” where police and pastors worked together to break the stranglehold gangs had in the community.
He also talks about the mission of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise and violence-free zones. And he even gives practical advice on the important issue of prisoner reentry and aftercare.
Most importantly, he provides a review of the literature so that churches and faith-based organizations can show skeptics that the title of the book is true: More God, Less Crime.

Economist Thomas Sowell filed his last column awhile back. At the age of 86, he certainly has earned his retirement. We will miss his insight, but benefit from the books and columns he has written over the years.

One of his last few columns had the engaging title “Football and Fallacies.” As is so often the case, he takes on one of the fallacies of the liberal left. He talks about the reaction from the players in the NFL when a black punter took the field. One of the defenders cried out, “Fake!” His reaction was understandable since you never see a black kicker in the NFL.

Thomas Sowell put it this way: “I have seen hundreds of black players score touchdowns, but not one kick the point afterwards. I have seen a black President of the United States before I have seen a black kicker in the NFL.”

The point he is making is that politicians and judges have always assumed that statistical differences between racial groups indicate discrimination. If so, does that mean there is discrimination among kickers in professional football? Of course, we all know that answer to that question. Owners and coaches will pick the best player regardless of their ethnic background. In fact, they will even take foreign players who cannot even speak English if they can kick a football.

The lesson here is that we have been told for decades that statistical differences are automatically a reason to suspect discrimination, whether between races or sexes. He goes on to remind us that some of the differences in wages between men and women have more to do with different career choices.

Let’s be honest. Some statistical differences do point to discrimination (either overt or subtle), but in most case the differences are due to other factors that have nothing to do with discrimination. This is a lesson I hope politicians and judges can learn from this football story.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) finds that teenage virgins are healthier than other students who are sexually active. At first, you might think that is merely an obvious conclusion since virgins are not likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

But the conclusions are based on many other factors as well. Students who are virgins actually rate significantly and consistently better in nearly all health-related behaviors and measures than their sexually active peers. Let’s look at a few examples.

Sexually active teens are 3,300 percent more likely to smoke daily than their virginal peers. And same-sex and bisexual sexually active teens are 9,500 percent more likely than virginal teens.

The same dichotomy exists with dating violence. Sexually active teens are 260 percent more likely to experience some form of physical violence in dating relationships. Same-sex and bisexual sexually active teens are 683 percent more likely than their virginal peers.

As you might expect there is a real difference in terms of alcohol and drug use. Sexually active teens are 337 percent more likely to binge drink than teen virgins. They are also 336 percent more likely to use marijuana and 500 percent more likely to have injected a drug than teen virgins.

All statistics reinforce the idea that sexual chastity and involved parenting make a difference in the lives of teenagers. Some of these activities may not be directly related to being a virgin or being sexually active, but they do so a strong correlation between two different mindsets. Teens that control their sexual urges are usually making other wise decisions about other aspects of their lives.

A question Joni Eareckson Tada has been asking over the years is: When Is It Right to Die? That is the title of her book that has recently been updated. She understands this issue for many reasons. One of the most significant is the fact that she has spent more than 50 years in her wheelchair.

She was on my radio program to talk about the latest edition of her book. She is concerned that society is more and more willing to accept the idea that a person has a “right to die.” I even talked about the pressure many with disabilities face where there are subtle (and sometime not so subtle) comments that imply they have a “duty to die.”

I also asked Joni to remind our audience that after her accident 50 years ago, she wanted to die. A diving accident as a teenager, she said, left her permanently paralyzed and in deadly despair. She even tried (with no success) to try to break her neck higher so she would die. She understands why many would want to end their lives but also believes we can provide hope and comfort to those who are convinced suicide is the only answer.

In a related article she wrote for Christianity Today she talked about speaking to a high-school class about euthanasia and suicide. One young man described how demoralized his mom was in caring for his sister who was developmentally delayed. He said society “should do something.” Joni asked him, “How have you helped alleviate the burden?” She went on to explain his mom wouldn’t be so demoralized if he helped. The student immediately realized his might be part of the answer.

The point she was making is that suicide and euthanasia are everyone’s responsibility. This is especially true in a world where more and more states are willing to legalize euthanasia and put to death people who are discouraged and depressed and ready to die.

Dr. Anne Bradley has been on my radio program and in one article talks about her first trip to the Soviet Union. Even as a teenager she could see through the attempt to make Russia look more prosperous than it was. In fact, her visit was one of the reasons she became an economist. She ends her article by telling the true story of what happened when Boris Yeltsin visited the United States.

He was newly elected to the Soviet Parliament and the Supreme Soviet. After he visited the Johnson Space Center, he made an unscheduled stop at Randall’s Grocery Store in Houston. This trip to a simple grocery store changed him forever.

Yeltsin roamed the aisles to see the number of products available to every customer. They were offering free cheese samples. He was overwhelmed. He could not believe the bounty before him. Even members of the elite Politburo did not have the choices available to every person who walked into the store.

A reporter captured his comments in an article in the Houston Chronicle. “When I saw those shelves crammed with hundreds, thousands of cans, cartons and goods of very possible sort, for the first time I felt quite frankly sick with despair for the Soviet people.” He went on to say, “That such a potentially, super-rich country as ours had been brought to a state of such poverty! It is terrible to think of it.”

What a statement from a man who was powerful and well connected politically. He may have had great political power in Russia, but he was powerless to provide to the Russian people what was typical for all Americans. The communist government failed to provide the basic necessities for their people. This is what happens in a centrally controlled economy.

This is a lesson we need to pass on to our children and grandchildren. The abundance of goods on the shelves of that Houston grocery store weren’t provided by the government; they were provided by a free market.

Americans in general, and even evangelicals in particular, seem confused about important details of their faith. A study done by Lifeway Research found that Americans don’t know much about theology, and many evangelicals seem confused as well. Tyler O’Neil wrote about the “12 Lies American Evangelicals Believe.” Here are a few of them.

Americans generally believe that their personal salvation depends on good works. The survey found that three-fourths (77%) agreed with the statement that people must contribute to their own effort for personal salvation. More than half (52%) said good deeds help them earn a spot in heaven. On the other hand, 60 percent said Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of sin. This statement is closer to what the Bible teaches in Ephesian 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not the results of works, so that no one may boast.”

Americans seem to believe that everyone goes to heaven. The study even found that almost two-thirds (64%) of evangelicals described heaven as a place where “all people will ultimately be reunited with their loved ones.” Just over half of Americans (54%) agreed with the biblical view that only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone receive eternal salvation.

Americans also believe that salvation can come through many means.Nearly two thirds (64%) said that God accepts worship of all religions. Nearly half (48%) of evangelicals agreed that God accepts all kinds of worship. This survey correlates with the survey Probe Ministries did with Barna Research of born-again Millennials. Americans in general, and evangelicals in particular, accept a pluralistic view of salvation.

These surveys remind us that churches need to focus even more attention on teaching sound doctrine. And when we are witnessing to nonbelievers, we need to define our terms and clearly explain the message of salvation.

If you think about it, your life is the culmination of lots and lots of decisions. Jim Clifton, CEO of Gallup, argues that people make 10,000 to 20,000 small decisions every day. If you multiply this by the U.S. population you end up with one quadrillion decisions. This is one of the points Jeff Myers makes in his book, Understanding the Culture.

The legacy your leave is the sum of all of these decisions. Many are inconsequential. Others determine the future direction of your life. Some don’t seem important at the time, but they turn out to be some of the most significant decisions you ever made.

How should we make decisions? First, we should consult the Bible. We can know God’s will in our lives through the Bible since it is full of specific commands and principles. Second, we should pray. We can discern God’s will through prayer. Philippians 4:6 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Third, consult your conscience. If your conscience troubles you (Romans 14), then that is reason enough to stop and not proceed. Acts 24:16 says: “Christians should strive to have a good conscience before God and man.” By the way, a clear conscience isn’t always a justification for proceeding. The Bible teaches that, “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). We can easily deceive ourselves into sin.

Finally, seek counsel. Proverbs 15:22 says: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Wisdom comes from many counselors. Share your decision with other godly men and women. Their collective response will often provide God’s direction in a matter.

As Christians we should strive to make wise and godly decisions about our life. How we make decisions will affect the rest of our life and leave a legacy of faith for others to follow.

No doubt you have heard the phrase, “politics is downstream from culture.” It is a way of explaining that what is at stake in our world often begins upstream in the culture.

Popular culture is all around us and delivered to us through broadcast media and social media. We perceive the world through news reports, through movies, through entertainment programs, and through music. Every form of communication has a message. Sometimes it is blatant and intentional. Often it is subtle and not even perceived by the artist, actor, musician, or broadcaster. He or she may simply be telling a story but that story comes from a worldview perspective.

A wise and discerning Christian should frequently ask: What message is being delivered? Is the viewpoint true or false? How does it line up with biblical principles? But let’s face it many of us merely accept what we read, see, and hear uncritically.

And that brings us to politics. We are bombarded by messages every day. Most Americans watch lots of television, listen to a fair amount of music, and visit various websites. Unless they are approaching all of this entertainment with lots of discernment, they will begin to accept the worldview perspective of the writer, the actor, the director, the musician control the story and the perspective.

Most of these stories come from a liberal, secular viewpoint that becomes easier to embrace. If someone stood before you and lectured about abortion, homosexuality, or gender identity, your guard would be up. But if these stories portray liberals, feminists, and gays in a positive light, they get into our head and emotions. And if they portray conservatives and Christians in a negative light, the same thing happens.

All of this to say, that we need to pay attention to popular culture, because politics is downstream from culture.

I often say on my radio program that we spend millions of dollars each year in research studies to validate what most mothers already know. That is certainly the case with the studies attempting to explain why certain people procrastinate.

Andrew Santella writes about this in his book, Soon: An Overdue History of Procrastination, From Leonardo and Darwin to You and Me. He explains “The Real Reason You Procrastinate” in a recent article in Time magazine.

People who procrastinate often postpone projects in order to have a self-serving excuse. If they wait until the last minute, and do a poor job, they can always say they could have done better if they didn’t run out of time.

Psychologists have a term for this practice. They call it “self-handicapping.” It is a strategy where people are actually sabotaging their own efforts. It is protection against the ego-crushing consequences of failure. It is worth mentioning that self-handicapping can take many other forms like substance abuse or lousy sleep habits. But it shows up most prominently when people postpone work on a project.

Psychologists have found that self-handicapping shows up in other ways. For example, students are more likely to postpone studying for a test when they are told that it was a meaningful evaluation of their abilities. They did not exhibit the same behavior if they were told the test was meaningless and was being taken only for fun. Consider this contrast. When the test counted, students procrastinated. When it didn’t count, they diligently prepared.

Procrastination appeals to some because it provides a way of controlling life that seems too chaotic and unmanageable. But it is helpful to note, that often procrastination adds to the chaos. It is better to buckle down and get started on the project.