Mailbag

'Our parched land'

Aug. 11 We should pray about the drought but our prayers shouldn't just consist of asking for rain. I believe that the drought is a judgment for sin and that the only solution is to turn from our sins. Each of us should begin by examining his own life. —Clyde Herrin, Bonner Springs, Kan.

'Cashed out'

Aug. 11 Thanks to Marvin Olasky for his investigative journalism regarding the NAE money trail. The distressing news was still weighing heavily on my mind when my husband read the follow-up report in the Aug. 11 issue. It was refreshing rain in this time of drought. Still, I wonder why a conservative denomination should keep ties with the NAE when it seems to be functioning like the UN. —Stacy Burger, Indianapolis, Ind.

Sandwiched in the middle of an article about the NAE were five beautiful, salient points about marriage. At age 20 and 22, amidst difficult circumstances my husband and I trusted God and plunged naïvely into our covenant relationship. It was a bit crazy, but we now see so clearly how the Lord's hand guided and held us then as He does today. —Heidi Parisi, Boxford, Mass.

Most of us can easily guess that premarital sex is the biggest fallout of the tendency to marry later. Although some are too young to get married, telling your children to wait when they have found the love of their life, and perhaps lose that person, is doing them a colossal disservice. As Paul said, very likely they will "burn with passion" in this sex-saturated society as they wait for another. —Elaine Neumeyer, Big Canoe, Ga.

'Of things and men'

Aug. 11 This was an excellent and insightful column. The process of turning over the nuts and bolts of lawmaking to the executive branch is a legacy of Progressivism and especially the New Deal. This mindless process is not limited to Obamacare. The huge national security state that began to metastasize after 9/11 is no different. Unfortunately conservative evangelicals did not oppose this and don't like to take a hard look at those aspects of growth of government, nor do we like to take a hard look at the growing militarization of the police. —Bill Anderson, Frostburg, Md.

This was a great lesson on the streams of history and philosophy that have led to the malignant growth of impersonal bureaucracy in our government. —Lisa Meek, Bothell, Wash.

'Alan astray'

Aug. 11 I was disappointed to read about the criticism Alan Chambers is facing from Christian organizations regarding his doubts about the effectiveness of homosexual "reparative therapy." Addiction support groups for everything from alcohol to pornography warn their members about the deception of believing you are ever fully healed. Why would homosexuality be any different? —Jake Senkow, Sellersville, Pa.

'Going there'

Aug. 11 The Dark Knight Rises is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Your review didn't even mention the parallels to the French Revolution. The freeing of the prisoners, the Reign of Terror-like court scenes, and the quote from A Tale of Two Cities all made a deep impression on me. It's chilling how similar the political rhetoric of today is to that dark period of history. —Rich Asper, Marshfield, Wis.

Megan Basham's review highlighted director Christopher Nolan's many strengths as a filmmaker, particularly his commitment to virtue and objective reality. Christians should be encouraged to attend and understand films that communicate such truths. —Michael Scichowski II, Baton Rouge, La.

The film had its moments, but I left the theater disappointed with how weak and fragile Batman was in Nolan's portrayal. He was galvanized to fight injustice when his parents were murdered in front of him, yet he locked himself in his room to cry for eight years when his girlfriend died. In Nolan's quest to make Batman more relatable, he made him too much like us. —Stephen Pimpo, Annapolis, Md.

'DOMA's day of reckoning'

Aug. 11 So President Obama (and now the Democratic Party Platform Committee) have decided that same-sex marriage is right and that DOMA and all who support it are wrong. Apparently political office has given them some incredible wisdom and power to determine that the definition of marriage, which has been true all of human history, is suddenly no longer true. —Russell Guetschow, Vicksburg, Mich.

'Selective diversity'

Aug. 11 It seems that Google has joined those companies pandering to the gay agenda by accusing those who oppose gay marriage of being "homophobes." Perhaps instead homosexual activists are "heterophobic," or afraid that conservative Jews, Christians, and Muslims are all correct that homosexuality is not consistent with God's intended order in creation. —Richard G. Rogers, El Dorado Hills, Calif.

'Stay-at-home blues?'

Aug. 11 As a stay-at-home mom of two children under 5, I was surprised that your article seemed to question the results of the Gallup poll, which showed SAHMs are more likely to be depressed than working mothers. I don't question the results; we should instead question the self-focused mindset of women in our culture and even in the church. Motherhood for a believer is a process of dying to self through putting another being's needs before your own, delaying gratification even for years, and ultimately trusting God. Is it any wonder that SAHMs can easily struggle with depression, especially those who genuinely wish to parent well? —Larissa Green, Plevna, Kan.

'Sell it in a bottle'

Aug. 11 I believe that changing our culture cannot start successfully with better education of our high-school and college young people. It has to start back in the home and family in the first year of the child. For the most part our children are growing up without the spiritual foundation and convictions that they need to cope with their peers and the pressures of the world. —Willis Ragland, Tucson, Ariz.

'The sweetness of God's goodness'

Aug. 11 Thank you for a very well-written column on the delights of biblical marriage and ultimately the divine wedding to come. I thank God that my wife and I have been married for 23 years and we are in constant need of truth that overcomes tough times and deceptive hearts. This column is a great reminder that nothing compares to the heavenly gift of a godly wife. May we love with the fire of Baxter and Edwards. —Mark Shaeffer, Bangor, Pa.

'Outside the camp'

July 28 Following the revolution, Egypt's roughly 8 million Coptic Christians are arguably as vulnerable as they've ever been. I have been to garbage cities described in the article and talked with the people living on mere scraps just miles outside of Cairo. Many of Egypt's Copts were already on the fringes of society, and now with the recent political ascendancy of the Muslim Brotherhood and various Islamists elements, their future, in a land they have inhabited for centuries, is even more in question. I am appalled and deeply concerned that despite the strategic imperative and the moral obligation to act, this State Department and this administration seem unable or unwilling to address this issue with the urgency it demands. —Hon. Frank Wolf, Member of Congress, Herndon, Va.

'Niche nook'

July 14 The first thing I look at when WORLD arrives is the book review section. This is where I learned of Charles Todd, author of wonderful mysteries set just after World War I. On the other hand, I found the recently reviewed What's That Funny Look on Your Faith? to be crass and disrespectful to God's Word. I returned it. —Carole Hutchings, Rathdrum, Idaho

WORLD Around the World

Moher, Co. Clare, Ireland Submitted by Joan Booth

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