by Richard Nelson | May 19, 2023 | Opinion Pieces
“School Choice!” “Fund Students, Not Schools!” These short quips have dominated the conversation about school reforms for quite some time, and they have merit. In just a few words, they convey the belief that public schools are deeply flawed and it is time to break up...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 28, 2023 | Opinion Pieces
Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was attacked by trans-activists after giving a speech on preserving women’s sports at San Francisco State University earlier this month. I learned of Riley’s story through the New York Post, not the...
by Richard Nelson | Mar 3, 2023 | Opinion Pieces
A recently introduced bill that would legalize sports gambling in Kentucky (HB 551), is being pushed by bill sponsor State Rep. Michael Meredith (R-Oakland) and Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown.) Both underscored the popularity of the issue on...
by Richard Nelson | Mar 3, 2023 | Opinion Pieces
The Do No Harm Act (HB 470) passed the Kentucky state House amid raucous opposition on Thursday. Opponents positioned the bill as anti-transgender, hateful in fact, and in some cases verbally accosted legislators for their beliefs. In reality, HB 470 was pro-child...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 27, 2023 | Opinion Pieces
My siblings and I sat down with the hospice care team in my dad’s living room the other day to learn about the next steps after his cancer treatments officially ended. Five months ago, I couldn’t have imagined being in this place as a primary caregiver:...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 16, 2023 | Opinion Pieces
My siblings and I sat down with the hospice care team in my dad’s living room the other day to learn about the next steps after his cancer treatments officially ended. Five months ago, I couldn’t have imagined being in this place as a primary caregiver:...
by Richard Nelson | Dec 22, 2022 | Opinion Pieces
Celebrating the Hope of Christmas Nothing brings into focus the questions of eternity like losing a close family member. I got the bad news of my dad’s cancer diagnosis in August. One day he was on the golf course with his buddies, enjoying a round of 18 holes...
by Richard Nelson | Nov 30, 2022 | Opinion Pieces
Election Post-Mortem History tells us that the political party outside of power of the White House usually does well in a mid-term elections, especially if the president’s approval rating is low and the economy fares poorly. It was supposed to be a Red Wave,...
by Richard Nelson | Nov 30, 2022 | Opinion Pieces
Does Man/woman Marriage Matter anymore? On November 29th, Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) which codifies same-sex marriage into federal law, and nullifies the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Altogether, 12 Republican Senators joined all 50 Democrats...
by Richard Nelson | Oct 14, 2022 | Opinion Pieces
Kentucky is Not Kansas When it Comes to Protecting Unborn Life Earlier this year Kansas voters shocked the nation by voting down an amendment to their Constitution that simply says that abortion is not a protected right. The 60 to 40 percent margin of defeat was a...
by Richard Nelson | Oct 3, 2022 | Opinion Pieces
Is Jesus Against Abortion? Is Jesus against abortion? According to talk show host Joe Scarborough the answer is no. Scarborough said on his Morning Joe program that “Jesus never once talked about abortion. Never once. And it was happening back in ancient times, it was...
by Richard Nelson | Jun 28, 2022 | Opinion Pieces
Restoring a Culture of Life Abortion is no longer a protected federal right. That is the essence of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v Jackson’s Women’s Health that overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday. For 49 years, Roe was the law of the land...
by Richard Nelson | May 27, 2022 | Opinion Pieces
There were several take-aways from Kentucky’s May 17 primary election results. Several primary challenges were waged against incumbents. And for primaries in open seats, the more principled and conservative candidate often prevailed. This means the Republican...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 15, 2022 | Opinion Pieces
I recently spoke to a group of Christians and was a little more transparent than I intended to be. I shared an observation that many evangelical Christians appear excessively fearful and anxious, largely over the culture wars and what’s happening in Washington...
by Richard Nelson | Mar 21, 2022 | Opinion Pieces
March Madness is once again upon us, and a cloud hangs over the Big Blue Nation as the beloved Wildcats were knocked out in the first round by a school most of us never knew existed. There’s also a little March Madness going on in Kentucky’s legislature,...
by Richard Nelson | Mar 14, 2022 | Opinion Pieces
There’s a summer camp in Eastern Kentucky that’s getting the nation’s attention. Usually, summer camps feature swimming, hiking, canoeing, and other outdoor activities for kids. But this one is making waves because the theme is sex education....
by Richard Nelson | Dec 13, 2021 | Opinion Pieces
The pictures of the devastation in the wake of the tornado that hit Mayfield and several West Kentucky communities are hard to fathom. Some have described it as a war zone, “like a nuclear bomb went off.” Hundreds are now homeless in Mayfield. According to one...
by Richard Nelson | Nov 22, 2021 | Opinion Pieces
I’m building a house. I was told by several friends that building a home would be one of the most frustrating things I’d ever do. But I relished the challenge: designing and carving out a livable space on my 39 rugged acres in the Bald Knob area of North...
by Richard Nelson | Sep 20, 2021 | Opinion Pieces
I was reminded of an important truth the other day at a conference comprised of pastors, political leaders, and Christians in south-central Kentucky: Jesus radically transform lives. At Commonwealth Policy Center’s (CPC) Christianity and Culture conference, one...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 6, 2021 | Opinion Pieces
Have you ever visited the National Archives and seen the Declaration of Independence? It is featured alongside the U.S. Constitution and other historical documents in the dimly lit rotunda of the National Archives building. Those timeless words on the yellowing...
