Dr. Anthony Fauci made a public appearance recently and Americans are trying to discern whether he is a hero or a villain. Meanwhile, RFK, Jr. is doing his thing to resuscitate American’s health.
Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #273 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.
I confess that I’ve never been a fan of Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s pandemic czar during the first Trump and then Biden Administrations. He was Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), later Biden’s Chief Medical Advisor, and for a time something of a media darling.
Now he’s facing serious questions regarding whether his pandemic recommendations, like masking, vaccines, and longtime school closings were wise and necessary, or ill-advised, scientifically questionable, or at a minimum another example of government overreach. Worse, some allege Fauci lied about the source of the virus, his involvement with gain of function research, whether he believed his own recommendations, and whether he profited illicitly from this awful time in the nation’s history. With the recent release of his private diaries, he’s come off as a narcissistic prima donna.
Meanwhile, at the start of President Trump’s second term, he appointed RFK, Jr. Secretary of Health and Human Services and RFK has become known for his “Make America Healthy Again” or MAHA mantra wherein he purports to be doing all he can to rationalize medical research science, hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their claims, and in general raise the quality of the American food experience.
Among other things, RFK, Jr’s goals involve:
1. Improve the American food supply
o Reduce consumption of ultra-processed foods.
o Reevaluate artificial food dyes and certain additives.
o Increase ingredient transparency.
o Promote healthier school meals.
2. Combat chronic disease
o Reduce rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses.
o Emphasize prevention through nutrition, exercise, sleep, and healthy lifestyles.
o Focus particularly on children's health.
3. Increase government transparency and scientific integrity
4. Review environmental contributors to disease (like pesticides and microplastics)
5. Reevaluate vaccine policy
o This has been one of his most controversial priorities, with many public health organizations disagreeing with aspects of his approach while supporting rigorous safety monitoring as an ongoing responsibility.
6. Promote "precision" or personalized health
7. Improve maternal and child health
o Address rising rates of childhood chronic illness.
o Promote breastfeeding, healthy nutrition, and prenatal health.
o Examine environmental and nutritional factors affecting child development.
8. Address mental health and substance abuse
o Continue efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.
9. Encourage healthier lifestyles
It’s an extensive list.
As I admitted earlier, I was never a fan of Dr. Anthony Fauci and am even less so now. Frankly, I think the guy lied repeatedly to the American people and should somehow be held accountable – even though President Joe Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci from any crimes related to his work and service.
As to RFK, Jr., it’s another story. I used to regard him as, so to speak, “just another Kennedy” who moved through life living large off his family name and wealth but didn’t do a whole lot. But RFK, to his credit, has admitted and owned many of his “youthful indiscretions,” as candidate Barack Obama once called his dalliances with marijuana. RFK, Jr. is a different man, it seems, than he was back when. He’s matured. Hopefully, we all have. So, I’ve learned to appreciate RFK’s vision, steady commitment, and vigorous communication of his desire to improve America’s health. I’ve listened to him a lot, and I believe him.
I especially like RFK, Jr’s initiatives to restrict food dyes and ultra-processed foods in schools and addressing chemical additives.
Now, some 40% of the U.S. food and beverage industry has committed to removing artificial dyes from their food. While HHS has redirected $1.8 billion per year to combat the childhood chronic disease epidemic.
I don’t look at all this as partisan. In fact, I specifically try to side-step across-the-aisle rancor and look at what, maybe, could be done to address what is large-scale health imbalances in the U.S.
HHS agencies are bringing together their collective expertise to evaluate prescription patterns for psychiatric medications, their benefits and potential harms, and elevate the role of nonmedication treatments and scalable, evidence-based solutions to improve mental health. HHS is working to prevent the unnecessary initiation of psychiatric medications and support the tapering and discontinuation for patients not experiencing clinical benefit. HHS highlights non-medication approaches, such as family support, psychotherapy, nutrition, and physical activity when clinically appropriate.
Secretary Kennedy has said, “For too long, Americans have been forced to pay exorbitant prices for the same drugs that are sold overseas for far less. That ends today. We expect pharmaceutical manufacturers to fulfill their commitment to lower prices for American patients, or we will take action to ensure they do.”
HHS expects each manufacturer to commit to aligning US pricing for all brand products across all markets that do not currently have generic or bio-similar competition with the lowest price of a set of economic peer countries…These targets will, we trust, drastically bring down U.S. drug prices, which are often three to five times higher than prices abroad, while preserving innovation by simply ensuring that Americans bear no greater burden than patients receiving the same drugs in other countries.
I hope so.
For too long, in my view, American’s have been taught to “medicalize” every personal, emotional challenge, or to call something “mental health” as the quick off diagnosis. Soon as the person gets in trouble, they have mental health problems. Happens to athletes all the time.
Of course, it could be. Genuine psychiatric and mental health issues exist. I am not discounting this. I’m simply saying there’s sometimes more to the story, which is to say, there are spiritual roots to our emotional and mental health issues.
I believe it is possible for human beings to get themselves so deep into problematic attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that they cannot extricate themselves. They’ve perhaps gone years in a downward spiral, which yields other problems too. They no longer have the capacity to make the decisions they should make to get help.
Perhaps they need an intervention?
That said, I also do not think there is anything—catch that—anything we can get ourselves into where we are beyond the reach of the Holy Spirit of God. Submitting to his will and seeking his forgiveness can enable individuals literally with God’s help to change their destructive behaviors, to begin to change their lives.
This is not just tough love or self-help. It is biblically Christian theology.
So, I am in favor of HHS reviewing the quick trigger diagnosis that everything is a psychological, emotional, mental health issue that just requires some medication to “fix.”
Food is a tremendously important matter too. The Bible has a lot to say about food—not just what people eat, but what food symbolizes, how it should be received, and how it relates to God and other people.
• Food is a good gift from God.
• It should be received with gratitude.
• Self-control is important; gluttony is discouraged.
• Under the New Testament, no food is inherently spiritually unclean.
• Believers should avoid judging others over food and should act in love and consideration.
• Food also serves as a powerful symbol of God's provision and our relationship with Him.
God created us, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. He is engaged in our lives and this world, and he’s given us the reasoning capacity and responsibility to care for ourselves and the world. That includes food, medicine, and certainly our own and our loved one’s well-being.
I think government—also created by God—has a place helping us assure our food, health, safety, security, and ability to flourish are protected, preserved, and promoted. For me, that means holding someone accountable who, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, misdirected us, and it means empowering someone like RFK, Jr. who is working to improve our lot.
Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best.
If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.
And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2026
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