‘Rethinking the restroom’

Aug. 20 | I was very impressed with your recent article about how public restrooms can be redesigned to protect an individual’s privacy while also protecting a church or ministry from a lawsuit. I have never seen that kind of reporting from any other news organization, and it was eye-opening.

—Will Estrada / Lovettsville, Va.

The commonsense solution would be separate bathrooms for men and women and then a single restroom, but the trans community says that’s discrimination and the president backs them up. This issue is so strange.

—Mary Ann Lamb on wng.org

This is far and away the best article I have seen on the subject. I would add that from a medical standpoint, toilet rooms with no sink are great places to spread disease. I suggest adding no-touch hand sanitizers.

—Ronald F. Godat / Johnson City, Tenn.

Thank you for all the seemingly bright ideas, but single restrooms won’t keep pedophiles from trying to lure a child into a private restroom alone. I know of a church in the Houston area where this occurred. “Gang” restrooms will deter such nonsense.

—Alan Latta / Granbury, Texas

Bathroom designs may be easily adjusted, at some cost, to meet our cultural shift; but I’m director of a Christian camp, and dorm rooms are not that way. We are on a slippery slope, and holding the line on bathrooms will delay a requirement for camps, school locker rooms, and other places of privacy we can’t fix with more walls.

—Todd Donaldson / Buffalo Mills, Pa.

Concept A is a problem because of the threat of lawsuits, and we cannot trust that only women will go into women’s rooms. I would never use the individual restrooms in B or C or allow my daughters to do so because of the communal space. We will not associate with unrelated men where we are most vulnerable. The solution, as someone suggested, is to put individual restrooms along a hallway.

—Tina Hollenbeck / Green Bay, Wis.

‘Safe haven’

Aug. 20 | It is a bad thing to encourage people to pretend to be of the opposite sex. The fact that some are bothered by separate men’s and women’s rooms is a feature, not a bug; it reminds them who they really are.

—Eric Rasmuson on wng.org

It’s one thing to adjust our restroom practices for reasons of convenience or privacy, but we cannot stand for legislation that undermines the God-ordained distinction between male and female. If we allow the battle line to move on restrooms, our children will see the world mirrored in church, and for what? To avoid giving offense?

—Tim Sutphen on wng.org

‘Reckless or ruthless?’

Aug. 20 | Thanks for writing a clear article about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The way you closed the article, noting that “Happily, God’s still in charge,” is so true.

—Markus Beachy / Siaya County, Kenya

As executive director of a pregnancy resource center, I’m very grateful how you consistently remind your readers how important the pro-life issue truly is.

—Mary Bron / Sedro-Woolley, Wash.

Trump didn’t make it to the top by picking losers. He is far from reckless when choosing qualified people. On the other hand, America will not be great with Clinton as president.

—Carolyn Anne Venable / Houston, Texas

The church in North America and Europe is losing its Constantinian-type influence. Rather than pout, throw a tantrum, or (worse) grovel and compromise to worldly political factions, let’s accept Christ’s calling for each of us, recognizing that we will wrestle among ourselves but we are all sinners welcomed into divine forgiveness. Let’s be people of hope!

—Allen Johnson on wng.org

‘Pete’s Dragon’

Aug. 20 | Thank you for an articulate and well-focused explanation of this film’s ideology without revealing everything that happens. Wonderful review!

—Mark Cooney on wng.org

‘Still fighting’

Aug. 20 | The latest Bourne movie was a terrible rehash of the same plot. The action is so shaky that half the time I couldn’t really tell what I was looking at. We used to comment about lazy writers resurrecting movies from our youth; now they are resurrecting their own movies from five years ago.

—Nathan Gesner on Facebook

‘“Love,” not rights’

Aug. 20 | When we allowed romantic love to replace covenantal commitment as the primary ground in our imaginations for heterosexual marriage, we exchanged the biblical soil of marriage for a lie.

—Philip Brown on wng.org

The comment of gay activist Marc Solomon, “We don’t take no for an answer,” in this insightful article reminded me of Noah’s day when “the wickedness of man was great in the earth.” Then I thought of Christ’s words: “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

—Frank Brown / Port Republic, N.J.

‘Talk isn’t cheap’

Aug. 20 | Until now I have enjoyed Joel Belz’s columns, but his dissing of Fox News as “sleazy” would have made MSNBC proud. I am no fan of Fox, but without it we would miss a lot of important news.

—Dan Esau / Roanoke, Va.

Belz’s point about the danger of off-color chatter was well-made, and he effectively described the downward spiral when discourse goes from “smart and winsome” to just plain “raunchy and off-color.” But I did not see any evidence in this column of inappropriate behavior from the very bright and, yes, attractive women anchors.

—Dan Cook / Zephyrhills, Fla.

‘Heart and hustle’

Aug. 20 | NFL player Benjamin Watson is a wonderful role model and an example of the beauty of what sports can provide to culture.

—Jesse Cook on wng.org

Corrections

Gina Mallica graduated from the University of Florida. (“Nowhere to Hyde?,” Sept. 17, 2016).

John R. McPhail, who staged his own kidnapping, is from Camas, Wash. (Quick Takes, Aug. 20, 2016).

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

‘Safe haven’

Aug. 20 | The greatest advantage of private, gender-neutral toilet stalls is that all can use them without having to cast a vote on the issue of sex changes.

—Christina Wilson on wng.org

‘Blood and scars’

Aug. 6 | Thanks for publishing Mike Huckabee's response to Joel Belz. Huckabee is right on. He would have made a good president.

—Carl Pepper / Erie, Pa.

Huckabee shouldn't take the defeat or the criticism personally. It wouldn't have mattered what he said or did for this political election cycle. Huckabee should direct his anger at the voters of this country, who no longer have a moral compass. We will soon have the government we deserve.

—Phillip Woeckener / Tallahassee, Fla.

‘Lonely fight’

Aug. 6 | Thank you for writing about the opioid epidemic. I serve at one of the Christian recovery centers briefly mentioned in the article and am grateful for your coverage of northern New England as a needy place. There are fewer Christians here than in other parts of the country, but many are faithfully serving Jesus.

—Mark Debowski / New Boston, N.H.

‘Prepared for disaster?’

Aug. 6 | No offense to the people who live there, but Galveston is a barrier island and should never have been inhabited. Make it a state park, with minimal, if any, improvements. It’s a nice place to visit, but close the gates when a hurricane is coming.

—Janette M. Hess / Muenster, Texas

‘2016 Hope Award for Effective Compassion’

July 9 | Wow! People following their unique calling and gifting from God are such an encouragement in these days overshadowed by the darkness of this world. I wish I could vote for all of the finalists!

—Paula Garcia / Lincoln, Neb.