By Ken Walker- I heard a story recently about a mother who was distraught over her inability to spend close to a thousand dollars on Christmas presents for her children. No matter where you live in America, you are likely to have heard some variation of such a tale. At the same time, this mother…
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By Ken Walker- Five years have passed since the death of Jdimytai Damour, but Black Friday continues to include reports of violent behavior across the nation. For those who don’t recognize the name, Damour was the 6-foot-5, 270-pound private security guard who was trampled to death by a frenzied mob of shoppers at a Long…
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Second of two parts By Ken Walker- When President Obama offered his “mea culpa” for people losing insurance coverage amid health care reform, it didn’t necessarily make the situation any better. Indeed, as I predicted, his comments were immediately interpreted, parsed, and picked apart for their supposed insincerity. Still, none of this changes the fact…
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First of two parts By Ken Walker- I saw President Obama’s apology about Americans losing health insurance on the NBC Evening News before reading about it. Immediately, I envisioned a cacophony of criticism in coming days and weeks. Granted, a litany of problems that have greeted the federal government’s dysfunctional healthcare.gov web site. Even if…
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By Ken Walker- I used to hate the cliché, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” However, after watching Huntington making lemonade in recent years, I am a bit fonder of this saying. The lemon came in the form of national headlines labeling us the “nation’s fattest city,” based on a Centers for Disease Control…
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By Ken Walker- Malcolm Gladwell’s newest book, David and Goliath, is out. While it may take me awhile to find the time to read it, I am looking forward to the experience. Gladwell writes the kind of material that stuck with me long after I read three of his previous books, starting with Blink. In…
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By Ken Walker- I recently interviewed a University of Illinois law professor about her study of Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings by churches in recent years, a story that will appear online soon at Christianity Today. The morning we talked, she was preparing to do a guest lecture at the University of Minnesota. Discussing the proclivities…
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By Ken Walker- Last May I wrote about the burgeoning production of biblically-themed movies and television shows that were springing up in Hollywood after the success of the History Channel’s The Bible mini-series. As if to demonstrate the validity of this trend, I recently saw a story about producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett signing…
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By Ken Walker- To say that Heaven is for Real is a bestseller is like saying Duck Dynasty is a popular TV show. The book (and cable TV’s biggest hit) moved way beyond that long ago. One reason I admired Todd Burpo’s book is the skillful hand of co-author Lynn Vincent. When a book sells…
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By Ken Walker- The economic downturn has had a serious impact on my writing, which is largely related to the Christian world. So, I’m not immune to the financial pressures that have affected churches, ministries and religious publications the past five years. Still, until working recently on an assignment for an upcoming issue of Christianity…
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