Gary Scott Smith
Tue, March 19, 2013
The Hope of Heaven
In response to recently being diagnosed with a rare and terminal type of brain cancer, sitcom star Valerie Harper declared, "we are all terminal." In a cover story for "People" magazine and an ...
Mon, February 18, 2013
Abe Lincoln and Slavery
Stephen Spielberg's masterful movie on Lincoln and the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation have recently brought even greater attention than usual to Abraham Lincoln. Holidays like ...
Mon, February 04, 2013
Finding the City on a Hill
One of the most widely employed metaphors in today's American political discourse is that the United States is a "city on a hill." Especially popularized by Ronald Reagan, this phrase (taken from ...
Thu, January 17, 2013
Second Inaugural of Barack Obama
Attn: Editors – The Center for Vision Values at Grove City College (Grove City, PA) is pleased to provide the following submission to your media outlet as a free service. To publish this ...
Wed, October 24, 2012
Proof of Heaven
"Heaven is Real," a Newsweek cover proclaimed last week. Renowned neurosurgeon Eben Alexander's scientific worldview had previously led him to view near-death experiences as having plausible ...
Wed, September 12, 2012
Religion and the 2012 Election
Religious issues have played a significant role in numerous presidential elections, as they are in 2012. In 1800, his opponents accused Thomas Jefferson of atheism and trying to undermine the ...
Tue, September 04, 2012
Is There an Afterlife?
Throughout human history people have pondered whether death ends their existence or is the gateway to an afterlife. In recent decades millions around the world have reported near-death or out-of-body ...
Tue, May 15, 2012
The Controversial Faith of Barack Obama
President Obama's recent statement on gay marriage has again thrust his religious views onto the front pages. In defending his position, Obama stressed that he and his wife were "practicing ...
Fri, January 20, 2012
Patrick Henry: Patriot
Among America's amazing pantheon of founders, Patrick Henry stands out for his stirring speeches and fervent commitment to liberty, virtue, and small government. The Virginia planter, lawyer, and ...
Tue, September 06, 2011
When Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football
For more than a century baseball has been called America's national pastime, and Major League Baseball is flourishing today. However, in recent decades, football–college and ...
Wed, August 31, 2011
Race, Segregation Heaven
The new movie, "The Help," based on Kathryn Stockett's best-selling book by the same name, continues to lead ticket sales at the box office. Both dramatize the extent and tragedy of segregation and ...
Wed, July 06, 2011
Controversy Over Heaven
The Red Hook section of Brooklyn recently renamed a street "Seven in Heaven Way" to honor seven firefighters who died trying to rescue victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks at the World Trade ...
Thu, May 12, 2011
Heaven and Hell
Heaven and hell are in the news and on Americans' minds a lot lately. "Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" is currently number one on The New ...
Fri, September 24, 2010
Obama and Washington: A double Standard?
Recent reports that nearly 20 percent of Americans believe Barack Obama is a Muslim have been widely discussed and analyzed. Moreover, according to surveys, only a third of Americans believe he is a ...
Fri, September 17, 2010
Could an Atheist Be Elected President?
Last month Julia Gillard was elected prime minister of Australia. Gillard is Australia's first female and first unmarried prime minister. Even more remarkably, she won Australia's highest office ...
Fri, September 03, 2010
50th Anniversary of Historic Speech
This September 12 marks the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's historic speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in which he countered religious objections to his candidacy and ...
Fri, July 02, 2010
John Hancock: A neglected American Hero
As we celebrate the Fourth of July this year, our attention will once again turn to such luminaries as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Samuel Adams. However, ...
Mon, April 05, 2010
How to Help the Poor
Most Christians today acknowledge that caring for the poor is a biblical requisite. The primary debate among them is over how we can best fulfill this mandate, which more than 2,000 verses of ...
Fri, March 26, 2010
How Christian Were the Founders?
The Case of Madison and Jefferson
Editor's note: Dr. Gary Scott Smith will be a participant in an April 15-16 conference hosted by The Center for Vision Values at ...
Mon, March 15, 2010
The Church and the Social Gospel
By Dr. Gary Scott Smith Dr. J.D. Wyneken
Should churches and individual Christians seek to help people with material problems and social needs, remedy social ills, and improve social ...
Mon, February 22, 2010
The Character of George Washington
What made George Washington the most remarkable man of an extraordinary generation? He was not an intellectual giant like Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, or James Madison. Compared ...
Thu, February 18, 2010
The Founders: How Christian Were They?
One of today's most contentious culture wars is over the religious commitments of our nation's founders. Were most of them orthodox Christians, deists, or agnostics?
Wed, September 16, 2009
A plea to the President to Attend Church
Dear Mr. President,
Remember all the analysis immediately after your election this past November regarding where you and your family would attend church?
Thu, September 10, 2009
Coping with Losing:
Confessions of a Frustrated Fan
During the turmoil of the 1970s, Pittsburgh became known as the city of champions. Led by two very charismatic and colorful players–Roberto Clemente in 1971 and Willie Stargell in ...
Mon, May 18, 2009
Barack Obama and Religion
Americans have long been fascinated with and sometimes disturbed by the faith of their presidents, and Barack Obama's faith is no exception. U.S. News and World Report recently claimed that ...
Thu, February 26, 2009
Slumdogs and Slavery
By Jane Marie Smith Dr. Gary Scott Smith
On the Monday morning following the Oscars, U.S. news websites splashed the
announcement that the "little film that could," ...
Tue, February 10, 2009
The Legacy of Abraham Lincoln
On Feb. 12 we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The relatively short history of our nation makes this a particularly momentous milestone. Of all of our leaders after the ...
Tue, December 02, 2008
Barack Obama and the Church
The question of where Barack Obama and his family will go to church after he takes office is attracting a lot of media attention. As the author of "Faith and the Presidency: From George Washington to ...
