William Bowmer

From December 26–January 1, several million Americans will be celebrating Kwanzaa, a "harvest festival" first proclaimed in 1966 to celebrate blessings of African heritage. How should we view this recently-devised holiday?

Little Angela Kasner, daughter of a Lutheran pastor in Russian-dominated East Germany, was barely two years old when an American radio preacher published in his magazine an astonishing statement: "The way is being prepared for a colossal third force in world politics—a European Federation of Nations more powerful than either Russia or the United States!… We have shown years in advance what would happen to Russia's ill-fated Empire in Eastern Europe" (Plain Truth, December 1956, p. 3).

Deeply loved by his fans, Michael Jackson was nevertheless a polarizing figure. Will he be remembered for the wide-eyed exuberance he showed as a pre-teen sensation in The Jackson 5? Will he be lauded for "We Are the World" and its charitable outreach to starving Africa? Or will he simply be "Wacko Jacko"—a confused narcissist and alleged pedophile who literally seemed uncomfortable in his own skin, who by the end of his life had become a walking advertisement for the dangers of too much plastic surgery?

Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama gave a key policy address in Cairo, Egypt, addressing many concerns of the world's Muslims. Some of what he said shocked observers. With Islam on the rise around the world, how do the President's comments relate to prophesied end-time events?

Twenty years ago, on June 5, 1989, the world's imagination was captured by a shocking image. A young Chinese man, standing alone in a Beijing street near Tiananmen Square, bravely faced a column of People's Army tanks, demanding that they leave his city. What—if any—lasting effect did his actions have on Chinese society, and on our world? What lessons can we learn as a result?