Category: Opinion

David and Joseph are two of my favorite biblical figures. Both men chased after God’s heart despite falling into seasons of sin and sadness. Christians can greatly benefit from combining the integrity of Joseph with the repentance of David in their own lives.  The story of David’s sin with Bathsheba is well known. But to understand the magnitude of God’s […]

When the First Step Act became law in December 2018, the federal prison system completely changed. Through use of incentives, creation and expansion of classes, priority checks, easier reentry periods and newfound respect for prisoners, the act has influenced the lives of over 3,000 prisoners as of July 2019. While the First Step Act (FSA) has fundamentally changed huge aspects […]

Editor’s note: Troutman writes this with total respect for Taylor Swift. Troutman wanted to take the time to call into question some of the artist’s misguiding behaviors.  If you were born in the late 90s and early 2000s, there is a large chance that you were or are a Taylor Swift fan. Swift rose to stardom during the early 2000s, […]

When Bernie Sanders proposed the College For All Act on the floor of the United States Senate in 2017, he highlighted a core principle of his democratic-socialist agenda: universal free college and student debt cancellation for Americans. Back then, Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, was expressing an unpopular socialistic policy that even the mainstream Democratic Party was timid to […]

After the gavel slams, the clinking of the handcuffs closing around a new prisoner’s wrists somehow sounds very final.  These sounds mark the last few moments of a person’s life outside of a prison until their time is served. The U.S. penal system sees prison as a punishment, but that punishment’s effectiveness is becoming null. The hope of the penal […]

In the hustle and bustle of college, voting generally isn’t the first thing on any of our minds.  With mountains to be hiked, homework to finish, tests to study for and football games to cheer, it is easy to forget to vote in something like a congressional election, which doesn’t garner as much attention. No matter how easy it is […]

 My Dad used to tell me that “context is king” when reading the Bible.  What he meant was that it is critical to understand the context that Scripture was written in before reading a passage and beginning to draw conclusions. Doing so will help avoid misinterpretation. In the Old Testament, it is understandable that certain people groups were enslaved due […]

Wars have been fought for nations’ individual freedoms. Now, Brexit is Britain’s fight for its individual rights, similar to America’s fight for independence with muskets and thick parchment paper hundreds of years ago. Liberty students listened intently as the Honorable George Farmer introduced a new idea and concept to their morning Convocation. As Farmer talked about the issue of Brexit, […]

Seven years of pain. Seven years of weakness. Seven years of donning a brave face. Seven years of dialysis.  Seven years of waiting for a life-saving kidney. For seven years, Liberty freshman Halle Gopee’s grandfather was the victim of pain and suffering as he awaited a new kidney. By the time a family member offered her own, it had been […]

“God has a plan.”  “You’ll see your saved loved ones again in Heaven.” These are the phrases tossed to people whose parents have died. Although they are all true, they do little to help an aching heart.   A little less than a month ago, Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper’s conversation on Cooper’s 360 show made headlines for their insightful […]

I would like to preface this column by saying that I am not an expert on dating. In light of the university’s recent Campus Community series centered around various types of relationships, though, I believe this column about a healthy Christian dating perspective is appropriate.  A healthy Christian dating perspective desires to find someone who elevates Christ over their boyfriend […]

Double click the picture and a heart appears, letting both the poster and everyone else know that you like what they shared. That’s what makes Instagram work—at least for now. Instagram has announced its interest in hiding the number of “likes” on posts from public view. Instagram revealed that they “want your followers to focus on what you share, not […]

If anything, studying in the U.S. as a Hispanic has taught me tolerance, which is why I take pride in my broken English, my loud and sometimes obnoxious laugh and my constant need for help when I don’t understand a cultural or language difference.  This is why Hispanic Heritage Month is so important, not because Hispanic culture is in any […]

While chants are normally used at sporting events to ridicule opponents and propel a favorite team to victory, some chants transcend what occurs on the field. As the final whistle blew in America’s 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the World Cup Final, a chant began to resound throughout the stadium that truly embodied the political, cultural and athletic impact […]

In some congregations, the pastor preaches with a gun on his hip. Safety has become a prime concern for churchgoers and worshippers alike as they see their weekly religious practices become a prime target as mass shootings increasingly plague the nation. The Associated Press reported that churches are choosing to arm themselves through extensive training. While some attendees feel comfortable […]