Those who bother to look at a map of the Middle East can’t help but notice that Syria is surrounded by a plethora of Islamic or Islam-friendly nations. Why are the Muslim refugees not seeking asylum in those countries? What about the danger of terrorist among Muslim refugees?

A long-time Christian friend sent out a concerned e-mail regarding the deadly geo-political situation in the Middle East, America’s complicit role in spreading moral depravity around the world, cycles of war, looming climate change and coming drastic food shortages. He asked, “What is YOUR PLAN B?”

I hear the word arrogant being used to describe Donald Trump. Theoretically, we as responsible voters should be asking ourselves, “Do I want someone who is arrogant to be the President of the United States of America?” But such commentary isn’t so much substantive as it is simple political gamesmanship. It focuses on appearance and style, while in terms of meaningful commentary, is strained, mis-focused and irrelevant.

I am troubled by a recent statement about the Bible and the Koran attributed to the Pope, saying that the Koran and the Bible are the same. I am troubled for two reasons.

Invictus places Self upon a pedestal. It is a godless credo that speaks of a type of human inspiration that rebels against the authority and standard of the Creator. In a word, it is pride — the very thing that leads to sin and separation from God.

Doubters have posed this question forever: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But if this is a genuine question, then why do they reject the answer? The truth is that the answer can be found in the Bible, and scholars over the centuries have written volumes about it. It’s a question that has been answered, and answered well.

From the outset of the founding of the United States of America – from the first pilgrims, to the colonies, to the adoption of our constitution – this nation began as a haven for Christians, with governments and institutions designed to foster, teach and spread the Christian religion in a free, predominantly Christian society. This fact has been clearly documented in many sources.

Got your attention? Death to America isn’t something I wish. It’s something I have heard others say and it’s something we see happening before our very eyes. Just as when any organism dies, we are witnessing the breakdown and failure of life-giving systems and life-sustaining functions.

Popular understanding of the Constitution has degraded into a twisted mutant of what it was designed to be. Our elected officials take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, but time has proven that to be meaningless lip service. They really don’t represent us at all. They do whatever they want.

Greatness in statesmanship is a rare commodity. Not every generation is blessed to know a truly great statesman. Those who have never seen greatness in a leader have no idea of how to identify or measure greatness in their own generation without having learned history sufficiently well to see their present leaders in the context of world events.