Scheming for God

[ Aug. 3 ] I got to the description of 20schemes’ “Ragged School of Theology” and tears started flowing. I love the Hope Awards and am so glad 20schemes won the International category. —Rebecca Pearce on Facebook

Thank you for reporting on events around the world from a Christian worldview, especially Marvin Olasky’s recent reports on Scotland. Your in-depth and analytical stories are a breath of fresh air. We in the U.K. don’t have any news sources that challenge us to consider the impact of our behavior, and we are worse off as a result. —Chris Johnson / Huddersfield, England

Forge fires and watered gardens

[ Aug. 3 ] The Forge Center for Virtue and Work is in my backyard, and I hear about it often. The process is slow and the numbers are low, but real change is happening. I like to support ministries that try to move people into a better life rather than just subsidize the destructive life they have. —Tony McCord on wng.org

I am touched by WORLD’s annual Hope Awards. I often find myself wondering, “Why aren’t ministries like these central to our churches?” —Stephen Kemp / Ames, Iowa

Stranger danger

[ Aug. 3 ] To be fair, Trump’s tweets telling those four Democratic representatives to “go back” to their countries of origin have a very tongue-in-cheek tone, and they were often reported out of context. —Ken Isgrigg on wng.org

On ending well

[ Aug. 3 ] I first read Bill Davis’ book, Departing in Peace, when my husband was suffering from a very rare form of Parkinson’s disease. God’s presence was evident, but it was not easy watching him die slowly. The Lord mercifully drew my husband into His arms on Christmas Eve 2018. Christmas Day in Paradise—who could ask for a better gift? —Delores Tulfo / Tacoma, Wash.

A hearty amen to this column. We need to have honest conversations about end-of-life issues, for they are becoming more complex every day. —B. Thomas Haygood / Lindale, Texas

Oberlin’s fervor

[ Aug. 3 ] The specifics of the college’s actions seemed at first so outlandish that I did some online research. It confirmed the worst and more. The moral fallout and Oberlin’s complicity should shock us all—or not, given that higher education no longer seeks to discover truth regardless of political implications. —Cecilia Merz / Boise, Idaho

Seeing eye to eye

[ Aug. 3 ] I am thankful for articles like this that give hope and doable examples of how to be united as Americans and human beings. Simon Tam has great wisdom for such a young man. —Holly McMillan on wng.org

A religious place

[ Aug. 3 ] Mindy Belz’s short column about coverage of religious persecution is quite the exposé. —John Moerman on Facebook

The pull-out quotation caught my attention. I am not willing to die for any “belief.” Jesus died to purchase our lives with His life. He died for people. I would die for Him, but not for a mere belief. —Frances Bennett / Quarryville, Pa.

Play like a genius

[ Aug. 3 ] I loved this review of Yesterday, about the only man who remembers the Beatles. It captures this delightful film so well! —Virginia Crook Schofield on Facebook

A man over the moon

[ July 20 ] Your article about the faith journey of Apollo astronaut and moon walker Charlie Duke was wonderful. —Ed Labelle on Facebook

This was a great but somewhat sad time in American history. In 1969 I joined the Air Force. I wasn’t a Christian then, and my life drifted down wrong paths; but, somewhat like Duke, Jesus found me in the quagmire and pulled me out. —Mark J. Anthony / Monument, Colo.

Almighty science?

[ July 20 ] Claims that science provides all knowledge, wisdom, and understanding reflect scientism, not science, and should be rejected. Christian faith does not conflict with science, but science and faith enhance our understanding of the world in complimentary ways. May we approach both with humility. —Michelle Ols / Northborough, Mass.

God has spread all of creation before us to inspire us to study it, and given us enormous curiosity about it. We must continue to study and explore the universe through science. —Martha Ball / Pittsburgh, Pa.

Glorious by design

[ July 20 ] Wonderful column about some of the most glorious of God’s little creatures. The flagrant beauty of hummingbirds, sunsets over the ocean, and wildflowers in the desert have always seemed to me a conclusive argument against a mindless, accidental nature. —Jim Stewart / Camptonville, Calif.

Career and calling

[ July 20 ] There are so many stories of how people loved in places like Kingdom Home in Uganda grew up and became leaders in their own cities and countries for generations afterward. Thank the Lord for those willing to invest in those who otherwise would be trapped in a hellish evil. —Joseph Badger on wng.org

Reading for refreshment

[ June 29 ] I am always so grateful for your book reviews. I picked up Herman Wouk’s Winds of War, thinking I might be bored, but I was so wrong! I laughed, I cried, and now I’m enjoying the miniseries. And your interview with Rosaria Butterfield prompted me to pick up The Gospel Comes With a House Key. I am enjoying it immensely. —Laurryn McDaniel / Sellersburg, Ind.

A ‘positive good’?

[ June 29 ] Perhaps the woman holding the sign, “I don’t regret my abortion,” wouldn’t be so proud had her placard said, “I don’t regret killing my baby.” —Sandra Blanchard / Zeeland, Mich.

I was going through boxes and came across “must save” back issues. It reminded me how much I love WORLD! I’d like to read the articles online, but instead I just read the headlines online and wait patiently for my beloved magazine to arrive in the mail. —Janet Piccione Klepper on Facebook

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

On ending well

[ Aug. 3 ] Having just walked my mom through the last three years of her life with dementia, I am definitely going to get Departing in Peace. —Pat Wolff on Facebook

I wish that Departing in Peace: Biblical Decision-Making at the End of Life had been subtitled “Biblical Decision-Making at the End of Earthly Life.” Life goes on beyond the few decades of earthly life. —Timothy Krieger / Orlando, Fla.

A mess on the shelves

[ June 29 ] I agree with Andrée Seu Peterson. Out of six books I chose for my young children recently at our rural library, one had a penguin with two daddies and another said boys can be princesses too. Enough is enough! —Melissa Sabella / Grand Valley, Pa.

By my request my super-liberal library system has purchased 13 books by Christian authors in the last two years. I encourage parents and teens to request God-honoring young adult fiction; after all, libraries are funded by our taxes and are supposed to serve the communities, not a radical political agenda. —Christina Chronister / Newcastle, Wash.