Opinion

GUEST COLUMN, Josh Hammer, Townhall.com

If one were dead set on dividing President Donald Trump's MAGA coalition at the seams, how would one proceed? Trying to drive a wedge through the immigration issue doesn't necessarily make sense: Tightening and securing America's borders is so core to the nationalist-populist MAGA project that there can be little room in the coalition for much dissent. Trying to divide MAGA along economic laissez-faire or populism lines is also doomed to fail: As important as pocketbook issues are to everyday Americans, the wonky details of fiscal policy generally don't stoke fiery passion.

One could do a lot worse, however, than focusing on Jews -- and specifically, on the respective relationships between American Jews and American Christians and between the United States and Israel. I experienced this firsthand, yet again, this week.

GUEST COLUMN, Lanell Griffith, Topeka

Across Kansas, churches and community groups are doing work the government can’t. None of that should be seen as a threat.

Yet some in Congress are pushing laws that would let federal agencies punish or silence groups simply because their beliefs don’t match the prevailing politics of the day. That’s wrong.

Our nation’s founders knew that true freedom includes the right to live by conviction—even when it’s unpopular. When Washington tries to muzzle faith, it is not protecting democracy; it is undermining it.

Kansas communities are stronger because faith is free. Let’s keep it that way.

GUEST COLUMN, Dave Trabert, Kansas Policy Institute

Time after time, the Kansas Department of Education and the State Board of Education allow school districts to violate state laws designed to improve student outcomes, and now they’ve shamelessly done it again.

The Legislature passed the Every Child Can Read Act in 2022, requiring literacy to be attained through the Science of Reading, evidence-based reading instruction, and necessary competencies to attain proficiency. KSA 72-3622 requires school districts to report very specific information on or before June 30 of each year:

•  The number of third-grade students in the school district,

• The screening and assessment data from at least the preceding two school years that the school district is using as a baseline to evaluate student progress in literacy; and

• The percentage of students who are proficient, moving toward proficiency, or deficient, with percentages provided for all students and student subgroups.

MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

Each Gospel writer presents Jesus in a unique way. Last week, we saw Him introduced by John as the eternal Word, light and life. Today we turn to Matthew’s Gospel, which begins not with a birth account, but with a list of names: Jesus’ genealogy through his earthly father, Joseph (Matthew1:1-17).

To modern readers, this might seem like a dull start, filled with seemingly irrelevant details. But throughout the Old Testament, especially 1 Chronicles, there’s an emphasis on genealogical detail. In a Jewish context, Matthew’s ancestry of Jesus serves vital purposes. It links Him to Israel’s history, affirms His identity as Messiah, and teaches lessons about God’s character.