Commentary

Perry/Jeanne Britt The Importance of the Resurrection

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the proof of Christianity. Everything else said and done by Christ and the Apostles, no matter how great or marvelous, is secondary to the death and resurrection in importance. If the resurrection had not taken place, then Christianity is a false religion. Because it truly did take place, then Christ is God, and the Christian faith is absolutely true.

BIG GAS PRODUCERS MERGER

It was reported in the Wall Street Journal that Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy have agreed to merger. Such a merger would create the largest natural-gas producer in the U.S. This proposed merger is partially based on the anticipation that booming liquefied-natural-gas importa from Texas and Louisiana will allow drillers to sell more of their product to Europe, Asia and other global markets. The CEO of Chesapeake stated: “This powerful combination redefines the natural gas producer, forming the first U.S. based independent that can truly compete on an international scale.”

ATTACKS ON DONALD TRUMP

Ask Rusty – Can Someone Work While Collecting Social Security Disability?

by Perry/Jeanne Britt Do you agree that we live in a world with secret meetings, back door operations, and under-the-table deals? These are most often performed out of the public eye with hopes of never being discovered. If it’s in the dark no one sees and you can get away with it, or at least you think you can. But then things done in the dark are not always bad things. Some people choose to do good things for people with no desire for recognition or notoriety. Whatever the action whether good or bad, it recalls the question does God really see and hear what’s done in the dark? Will the answer to this question reveal God’s love, justice, God’s recognition.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY Would you have ever thought I’d be concerned about Harvard University? But now I am concerned since we have so heavily funded our so-called prestigious universities around the country, who depend so much on gifts and donations and are supposed to be the example of a quality education. What happens is we get people in places of authority who hate Semitics and do not express sympathy for American values. Such is the case of Harvard University as they were being led by Claudine Gay. She was paid her tremendous salary of approximately $860,000+ per year but she would not condemn violent anti-Semitic speeches. In addition, she copied (plagiarism) her thesis from someone else. Fortunately, she resigned this week and that’s good news. The bad news is that she continues to draw her a salary and keeps working there. Mucho f their donations came from the Jewish people, yet the university was anti-Semitic and she defended them.

Ask Rusty – Will My Friend’s Fiancée be Entitled to a Survivor Benefit?

Dear Rusty: I have a very good friend who has cancer and will begin chemotherapy this week. He is 71 years old and is currently receiving Social Security benefits. He has been living with his fiancée for a little more than 2 years, but they have been a couple for about 15 years and will be married in the next few weeks. She is 60 years old.

I am naturally concerned about his, and her, future so my questions are: What, if anything, should he and his wife do to ensure that she gets his Social Security benefits?

What benefits will she be entitled to, and how soon will she be able to begin receiving them after his death?

Signed: A Friend with Questions

A Paralegal Studies Program will be offered on Northwestern State University’s Cenla Campus starting Thursday, Jan. 18. The class is offered through NSU’s Office of Electronic and Continuing Education and will be held on Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. through May 30. The deadline to register is Monday, Jan. 15. The Cenla Campus is at 1410 Neel Kearby Boulevard.

SADNESS FROM THE BORDER

Last year, eighth grade test scores in civics and U.S. history hit record lows. The decline didn’t start with pandemic school closings. But they made it worse and revealed its extent.

Less than half of adults can name the three branches of the U.S. government. Another 25% can’t name even one. And just over one-third of Americans can pass the U.S. citizenship test.

These sad facts are a reminder that the future success of our nation is far from guaranteed. We must acknowledge the imperfections of our current system and work to reform them -- a challenging but hardly impossible task.

For starters, history curricula should be based on the United States’ founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Federalist Papers.

Remember the story about the Mayan calendar? How the world according to them, would end December 21, 2012. All the hoopla that surrounded this gloomy prediction, what a scene people rushing out to buy products to store in closets at home, some running around not knowing what to do, some worried about if they were destined to die, panic. Another failed non-Biblical prophetic expectation. After that date failed and the Rapture didn’t take place, Christians were able to take advantage by pointing out that, when it comes to the Second Coming of Christ, the Bible says that “Of that day and hour knoweth no man” (Matthew 24:36) Those that knew the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming were able to point out that the date of the former is just as unsearchable in Scripture as that of the latter.