Kerby Anderson
President Trump wants manufacturing reinvigorated by bringing many jobs back to the U.S. That is great for America and great for American workers. But who is going to fill those jobs?
The latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show 7.6 million job openings along with 6.8 million unemployed workers. You might ask why those millions of unemployed workers haven’t snapped up those millions of job openings.
Mike Rowe (host of “Dirty Jobs”) says the problem of filling those jobs is two-fold. He says we have a “skills gap,” and we also have a “will gap.”
The skills gap is the disparity between the skills an employer expects their employees to have, and the actual skills employees possess. It is certainly true that jobs in the medical field require a science degree and jobs in big tech require a computer science degree. But most of the blue-collar skills don’t require a degree but require some mechanical ability and training.
Unfortunately, lots of high schools removed shop classes that could be training the next generation of Americans who like to work with their hands. Instead, students have been convinced they should go to college and take out massive student loans to get a degree that may not even prepare them for a future job.
The will gap is best illustrated by what economist Nicholas Eberstadt refers to as the “flight from work.” His Washington Post op-ed three years ago lamented that at that time there were seven million men who were not working and not looking for work. The number of non-working men has only dropped a percentage point in the last few years.
If the president is successful in bringing jobs back to America, pastors, parents, and other leaders must encourage the next generation to go to work.

Kerby Anderson
Dr. Sean McDowell reminds us, “Apologetics in an ever-changing culture must be about taking timeless truths and applying them to timely issues and challenges.” Sixteen years ago, he was the editor of the book, Apologetics for a New Generation, and I have recommended it as a resource. At the time, he and the other authors attempted to answer many of the questions teenagers and college students were asking.
He has updated that information in his new book, Apologetics for an Ever-Changing Culture. He argues that we need apologetics now more than ever because Christian students are bombarded by anti-Christian messages on social media, in the classroom, and among friends.
When he was on my radio program earlier this month, we talked about some of the additions and changes in his new book. For example, he said that if someone suggested he have an author write a chapter on transgenderism, he would wonder why that should be included. The chapter on the transgender debate is a necessary addition.
Even though Sean studied philosophy, it didn’t seem like the earlier book should include a chapter on critical theory. Anyone who has heard anything about critical race theory or critical queer theory, knows why that chapter was included.
His book also highlights the work of men and women making a significant contribution to the discussion. One example is the addition of a chapter on urban apologetics. Another is a chapter by Natasha Crain on “doing apologetics in the home.”
The forward to both books is written by David Kinnamen, CEO of the Barna Group. You will also appreciate some of the interviews Sean does with apologists like Lee Strobel, Jeff Myers, and Hillary Morgan Ferrer.