‘War in the park’

Sept. 16 | The hate in Berkeley is not what I see in my own backyard following Hurricane Harvey. The efforts of local churches and other organizations to help those in need is humbling and remarkable. No one seems too concerned about skin color, sexual orientation, or political affiliations—it’s just people helping people in need. —Beverly Parrish / League City, Texas

There is so much hate. Whether it’s white supremacists, antifa, or far-left radicals, what we see is self-willed people, who don’t know God, acting out in hate. —Shelly Grim on Facebook

In his novel 1984 George Orwell anticipated this with “Two Minutes Hate”: “A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledge hammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one’s will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic.” —Rick Flanders on wng.org

This Sept. 16 issue is one of your most informative issues. The feature articles are so varied and so timely. WORLD sure doesn’t hold back addressing current events. —Paul Matlock / Peveagosa Springs, Colo.

‘Oversexed ed’

Sept. 16 | Thanks for pointing out the obvious. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that more perverted sex education in schools has led to an increase in sexual activity, exploration of alternative gender identities, and sexual awareness at younger and younger ages. The raping of the hearts and minds of our children needs to stop. —Rebecca Rabon on Facebook

In our increasingly hypersexualized world, children are taught to elevate their sexual identity above all else. This is Western culture giving itself over to the depravity of the flesh. The church would do a better job in this area if it understood what “life in the Spirit” means. —Sven Trenholm on wng.org

‘So, what do you do?’

Sept. 16 | The looks on people’s faces when I tell them I’m a pastor are fascinating. They start to fumble for words, and it gets worse when I tell them I serve at a nondenominational evangelical church. Most don’t know what that is. —Gary S. Karwoski / Brookfield, Ill.

The Knoxville Internationals Network encourages Christians to befriend people who live here from other nations but advises us not to ask, “What do you do?” Many are professionals in their home countries but are working as house cleaners or in fast food here because they lack the language skills or credentials. They find the question embarrassing or shameful. —Kathryn Hendrix / Knoxville, Tenn.

When people at parties ask me what I do, to see if I am important enough to talk to, I say that I work at a body shop in Baltimore. Soarme walk on; but if we continue talking, I tell them I’m an operating room nurse and I do put bodies back together. It usually gets a laugh. —Louise Horner / Selbyville, Del.

‘Evil times again’

Sept. 16 | Thank you! People need to hear the situation with North Korea spelled out so clearly. Let us all pray for wisdom for our president and leaders. —R.D. Thomason on wng.org

One complication in attacking North Korea is that hundreds of thousands of Christians are there, many in prison camps. The United States has been caught in a Chinese finger trap. —Dave Troup on wng.org

‘Careful with quotes’

Sept. 16 | Before becoming a pastor, I worked 11 years as a newspaper reporter. Once an editor changed my direct quotes, producing a profanity-laced call from the city attorney. When confronted, my editor said, “That’s what he meant to say.” I advised him to tell that to the city attorney. —Richard Kauffman / Canonsburg, Pa.

My problem is that too often I think I hear my wife say something that she did not say. I mentally add quotes to what my brain thought she said and, voilà, we have an argument. —Brendan Bossard on wng.org

‘Canyons of steel’

Sept. 16 | Cities stand as monuments to man’s creative genius and hubris. Being in New York doesn’t compare to watching the surf on a New England coast or sitting on Bear Mountain and soaking in God’s creative genius. And I’m not convinced that the whole “new Earth will be a city.” Revelation 21 is just describing the New Jerusalem. —Steve Shive on wng.org

I worked in New York and grew up in a city, but now live in an old house on 22 acres. I am truly thankful for the peace and quiet. Although I cannot see my neighbors, they are always there when I need them. —Joan Slinger / Flemington, N.J.

‘Not so fast’

Sept. 16 | In 2016 my moderate-sized suburban town put Main Street on a “road diet” with no notice. The backlash was swift and strong; after two months the signage and road markings were removed. —Keith Wissman on Facebook

‘Urban visionary’

Sept. 16 | I appreciate Star Parker’s honesty about the abortion industry and how welfare funds are used to pay for abortions. —Mary Matvick Stroot on Facebook

‘One for all’

Sept. 16 | All Saints was a clean, well-done film, but I found it striking that the pastor is never shown asking the Lord for help, and when in a dire situation, he bemoans how he can’t do it. —Tessa Blackstad on wng.org

“‘The Defenders’”

Sept. 16 | This Netflix series is a big nothing-burger. It swings from very dark and unclear scenes of plotting vengeance to a lot of hitting, kicking, impaling, and killing. Even Sigourney Weaver is boring. —David Dileas on wng.org

‘Drowning in bureaucracy’

Sept. 16 | One solution to high medical costs is “direct primary healthcare.” My doctor accepts no insurance and avoids burdensome regulations. For a monthly fee patients can call, email, or visit as much as necessary. He and one assistant offer lab work, generic medicines, and simple procedures at cost. Healthcare isn’t broken: The current system for paying doctors is. —Steve Waterfield / Hamersville, Ohio

‘Civil war at a Christian college’

Sept. 2 | When trying to sort out who is right and wrong in a thorny dispute, I suggest inserting Galatians chapter 5’s fruit of the Spirit into the equation. Which person is more self-controlled and peaceful? Who tries harder to keep the dispute out of the public eye? In other words, which side displays the fruit of the Spirit? I have usually found that the side that acts the angriest and trots out the dispute in public ultimately proves to be in the wrong. —Mark Looy / Hebron, Ky.

‘The World and Everything in It’

Thanks for WORLD Radio’s in-depth report on free-speech rights in the workplace. Mary Reichard always does such an outstanding job of identifying and clarifying legal issues. —Russell Board / Saitama, Japan

Corrections

The U.S. senator from Oklahoma who commented on potential DACA legislation is James Lankford (“Here to stay?” Oct. 14, p. 9).

The title of Manifesto Records’ 2017 two-disc Allan Holdsworth compilation is Eidolon (“The sounds of musique,” Sept. 30, p. 26).

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

‘War in the park’

Sept. 16 | Whether it’s the Ku Klux Klan or the antifa, the root problem is sin—not skin. —Porter E. Taggart / Charlotte, N.C.

‘Monuments men’

Sept. 16 | This is a wonderful piece. I grew up in Washington state and had only heard of the KKK. We didn’t know much about racism then. —Margaret Balcos on Facebook

‘Canyons of steel’

Sept. 16 | I love Andrée Seu Peterson’s writing and I share her tendency to sentimentalize. But where she sees cities as “canyons of steel,” I see entropy, decay, and the illusions of days gone by. —Jeff Myers / Wolverine, Mich.