Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

When President John F. Kennedy appointed newscaster Edward R. Murrow director of the United States Information Agency, a Senate committee asked Murrow how he would combat communist propaganda against the United States. He replied simply that the agency should print all the news, “the warts and blemishes” as well as the “sunshine.” When the Bib...

I once talked with a man who was convinced that Christianity was a failure. His conclusion was based on the fact that while our cities are full of churches and preachers, our world is getting worse and worse. If you think about this criticism, you must agree that there is much religion in America that has little effect on the daily lives of people. While the number o...

"When I found out Jesus was not a Methodist, it was a shock. And then I discovered he was not even an American.” So said Dr. Horace Williams who was a professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina from 1890 to 1940. We’d probably all be surprised to know Jesus as he really was. One thing we’d be surprised about would be his friends, for...

All too often the newspapers tell us of some terrible crime that has been committed. What causes a person to do such a thing? While no man can know the heart of another, part of the answer must lie in the Bible truth: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Any student of psychology knows that habitual thinking along a certain line wil...

A guest star on a TV show once said, “Two things I’ve had in life, and both ample—good advice and bad example.” This has been the experience of most people. Most of us are careless or just too thoughtless about our influence. Every person’s life is a profession of faith. Every person’s conduct is an unspoken sermon that he is forev...

In a few short years, we have gained a material abundance in America that surpasses anyone in history, yet we have become among the most lawless and violent nations among free people. Our cities are torn by riots and violence. Thousands are killed, thousands more injured, and property losses approach billions of dollars. Leaders around the world have long been calling...

Traditionally in the United States a quarter of all personal spending takes place during the Christmas shopping season. While many look with delight on this as an indication of a booming economy, there is another Christmas "tradition" that reflects our sagging morality: shoplifting generally rises about 5 to 10 percent during the holiday season. Retail authoritie...

Peace is not the natural state of humanity. War is as old as civilization. This is a characteristic peculiar to human beings. Murder within the species on an individual or collective level is a phenomenon known only to us. The reason for this is the fact that people are sinners. The human heart is filled with greed, hate, jealousy, and self-interest. I believe that m...

John Newton, who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace,” was once the captain of a slave trading ship. In 1748, caught in a great storm at sea, he turned to God and became a Christian. In time he became a wonderful parish priest and built a great church. As an old man and blind, he began dictating his memoirs. One day he said, speaking of the thousands of slaves...