Midnight trains to Georgia

Dec. 5—Faith Marshall/Dacula, Ga.

Despite being from Georgia, I barely paid attention to the “great Georgia divide” and how big of a problem it is. Now that I am better informed, it is in my prayers.

2020 Books of the Year

Dec. 5—Bruce Ippel/Yorktown, Ind.

Your Book of the Year in the Accessible Science category, The Mystery of Life’s Origin, champions the case for intelligent design, given that the origin and marvelous complexity of life was, is, and always will be shrouded in mystery—or not. Believers can do the math and infer it must be something godlike (think: God) that makes you alive.

Bill Fischer/Nampa, Idaho

Thank you for the books you highlighted in the Accessible Science section. The selections reflect a faithfulness to the Lord and His Scriptures.

Dec. 5—Monica Kroft/Rochester, Ill.

Thank you for pointing to such great reads. I have come to rely on WORLD for more than half of my reading choices—most recently your choice for Book of the Year in the Understanding the World category: After the Last Border.

COVID-19 behind bars

Dec. 5—Dorothy Gable/Dubuque, Iowa

Our prayers go out to those living through the COVID-19 lockdown in prison, that they find God or their faith is deepened with the comfort only the Spirit can bring.

Clifton Moffat/Carson City, Mich.

I am a prisoner currently housed at the Carson City Correctional Facility. Emily Belz was on point, and I thank her for shedding some light on our corrections systems.

Tom Litteer/Broken Arrow, Okla.

Thank you for remembering those whom many have forgotten.

Parsing the politics of tyranny

Dec. 5—Cody U. Watson Jr./Birmingham, Ala.

Marvin Olasky’s interview with Daniel Chirot is pertinent to our current division of left and right. Without a Judeo-Christian worldview, socialism (communism) or capitalism (fascism) can end up the same: totalitarianism. It makes me thankful for the U.S. Constitution’s checks and balances.

Space Age traditions

Dec. 5—Molly Crocker/Everson, Wash.

The Mandalorian’s fan base may show that folks are hungry for good entertainment, but what saddens me is the lack of good storytellers in videography, especially those using Christian themes.

A tangled web

Dec. 5—Bassam Nader/Fishers, Ind.

I appreciated Janie B. Cheaney’s column on “sudden onset gender dysphoria,” but I believe its main cause is the systematic indoctrination of our youth and young adults in the public school and public college systems according to the LGBTQ agenda, planting these bizarre ideas into their young minds.

Win one for Joel

Dec. 5—Peter Kushkowski/Portland, Conn.

WORLD Magazine was just a few years old when my wife and I arranged for a visit with Joel Belz at your old headquarters in Asheville, N.C. After greeting us, his first words were, “Tell me, how did you come to the Lord?” That spoke volumes about Joel and erased any concerns we might have had about his fledgling magazine.

Correction

The war between Gilead and Ephraim described in Judges 12 occurred more than three millennia ago (“The great division,” Dec. 26, p. 110).

More letters, emails, and comments we didn’t have space for in the print edition:

2020 News of the Year

Dec. 26—Susan Scott/Northfield, Mass.

WORLD’s “News of the Year 2020” issue was the most depressing magazine I have ever read. The number of wonderful, uplifting, life-affirming, God-honoring events that happened in 2020 would fill tens of thousands of pages, yet WORLD chose to focus on the worst of the worst.

Matters of mystery

Dec. 5—Linda Jinkens/Arlington, Wash.

I am deeply disappointed in Marvin Olasky’s review of The Mystery of Life’s Origin. Intelligent design scientists write terrific books about the complexity of life but stop short of identifying the “designer.”

COVID-19 behind bars

Dec. 5—Mary Bein/Davenport, Iowa

Emily Belz’s article was spot-on but could also be applied directly to any nursing facility under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. I am a nurse in the skilled rehab unit at a nursing home, and every complaint the prisoners gave is the same as those affecting nursing home residents.

Brian Van Court/Coleman, Fla.

As an inmate, I have firsthand experience that confirms everything said by the inmates in this article. But God has used this time in my life to bring me back to Him, causing Him to draw near to me (James 4:8). I hope that, through this article, many will begin to see a truly forgotten segment of America.

Return to say thank you

Dec. 5—Pat Jacobs/Redmond, Wash.

When I was young, I wondered how one could “be constant in prayer.” I concluded it meant being ready to pray always, and lots of times that was to say “thank you” to our awesome God. We need to thank Him more and more, even for things we don’t understand but knowing He provided just what we needed!

Steve McCully/Auburn, Wash.

Life can be hard, but looking for things to say “thank you” for makes it better. Thank you, Andrée Seu Peterson, for that reminder.

After an election, reconciliation?

Nov. 21—Tom Maxwell/Boonville, Mo.

I do not believe I have known an individual so completely worthy of selection as WORLD’s Daniel of the Year as John Perkins. If Americans could emulate the love of Christ found in him, we could truly heal our nation and be an example for the world.

Meredith Berg/Hudson, Wis.

I’ve been a WORLD subscriber for about two decades, and I can honestly say I have never been touched by one of your photos as I was by the cover shot of your Daniel of the Year, John Perkins. I wanted to put my arms around him and give him a huge hug. This man’s inner warmth just melted my heart. Reading his incredible life story brought tears to my eyes.

On dog teeth, an earthquake, and presidential bites

Nov. 21—Genevieve Nunn/Madera, Calif.

The message preached to John Hancock and Samuel Adams by Pastor Daniel Foster in 1790 is still so appropriate today. May these words be engraved on the hearts of every elected leader.

Credo to credo

Nov. 7—Rick Day/Whitney Point, N.Y.

Janie B. Cheaney’s column on the “We believe” signs was spot on. I have had second thoughts every time I see one. Thank you for suggesting a gracious response to open conversation.

The case for Donald Trump/The case against Donald Trump

Oct. 10—Jonathan Prentice/Durham, N.C.

Thank you for your interviews with Wayne Grudem and David French on President Trump and for presenting two sides of a case fairly. That kind of journalism should get more attention and lead to more subscriptions. I’m not sure if it will in the times we live in, but it earned my respect and will continue to keep me as a part of your audience.

United we spend

Oct. 10—Ron Kipfer/Bluffton, Ind.

Joel Belz’s column on debt was very timely. I fear for the time when debts come due personally, churchwise, and nationally. Joel was correct to underscore that we have harmed our witness by allowing debt to be such a part of us. I wish I knew how to get that attitude adjusted.

The path to civil war

Sept. 26—Ron Whitney/Santa Rosa, Calif.

Thank you, Marvin Olasky, for recommending The Cypresses Believe in God. It was a difficult read but worth it. I’m glad I was able to borrow a copy from our local library. The parallels to our current situation in the United States were painfully apparent. My prayer is that the church will respond in a way that brings with it a different outcome.