Mailbag

‘Boots on the ground’

Aug. 23 We love your magazine but were very disappointed with your cover story. Many Louisiana conservatives believe that Bill Cassidy is the Republican establishment’s “moderate” candidate. Also, you didn’t mention the tea party favorite, retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness, who will face Cassidy and incumbent Democrat Sen. Landrieu in an open primary on Nov. 4. —V. Louis Goppelt, Gonzales, La.

‘Birth is just a start’

Aug. 23 Joel Belz’s description of Christian growth well answers his critic. I would add that Jesus commanded us to make disciples, and teaching them to “obey everything I have commanded you” is a lifelong process. —Rick Ross, Owosso, Mich.

I agree that we desperately need to share the “simple gospel of Jesus” throughout the world. Thank you for providing a biblical perspective on current events in a world where the media are dominated by secular voices. —Don Wilkinson, East Berlin, Pa.

Recently I read in Ephesians that we are called to be “preachers and teachers” according to our gifts. To those who think WORLD should avoid secular news to focus on the gospel, I would say that the magazine’s writers are more teachers than preachers. —William Buchalter, Middletown, N.Y.

‘The Giver’

Aug. 23 I saw The Giver before I read your review, so not knowing what to expect I settled into my theater seat with Junior Mints in hand. I found it more than a pro-life movie; it continually pointed to a loving God who provides choice to His children even when it may cause pain. It is a depiction of life without our Lover. —Kym Faulkner, Davenport, Wash.

‘Plastic façade’

Aug. 23 Sophia Lee’s article was excellent. I pray that one day this beautiful peninsula will, like Germany, be reunited in freedom. The prosperity in the South hides real problems that can only be solved by prayer. —Dale Murrish, Troy, Mich.

For years I have prayed for the overthrow of the North Korean government so Christians there can receive help from South Korean believers. Now I wonder if God is planning the opposite, using persecution to strengthen and purify the North Korean church so that when it is free it can help Christians in the South. In 1907 a nationwide revival began in Pyongyang, the present capital of North Korea; perhaps history will repeat itself. —Clyde Herrin, Bonner Springs, Kan.

‘Generation distraction’

Aug. 23 Our constant search to connect with something larger and better than ourselves will appear, when we can’t find it, to be just a search for distractions. Decades ago a wise professor of mine at a secular college urged us always to ask, “Where does the goodness lie?” I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but many of his examples of the “good” things came from the Bible. —Emil Henning, Easley, S.C.

‘Toward a sustained quiet’

Aug. 23 Mindy Belz’s accurate reporting on the Middle East has enlightened me. She has detonated much misinformation on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. —Nancy Richter, Early, Texas

‘Rhythm and rhyme’

Aug. 23 I tugged on his arm. “Dad, we have to dance. Please?” Frank Sinatra was singing “Embraceable You.” He rose, slowly pushing his walker onto the kitchen floor, and we danced our last dance that night, he and I. That was 10 years ago; he would have been 98 now. After reading this column, all I could do was sit and weep. His name was Frank. —Jane Reeves, Weiser, Idaho

‘Bothersome babies’

Aug. 9 I appreciated Joel Belz’s column on the undocumented, unaccompanied minors coming to our country. I don’t know what we should do for these children, but I am grieved by the hatred some express in other news media. —Elizabeth Kerr, Ontario, Calif.

This column is so wrong. There are compassionate ways to enforce our laws, but we are angry because our president and his administration refuse to enforce them and even stand in the way of states that try. —M. Bentley, Palm Harbor, Fla.

Thank you for this insight into the opportunity knocking on our door in the states bordering Mexico. One can only hope that the body of Christ responds the way it should. —Greg Kynast, Beijing, China

Is it not obvious that if we welcome all these “babies” that we will get more? If I sent my children unlawfully across borders, what other nation would even contemplate housing them in resort-style facilities for the moment; seeing to their education, medication, and other needs for the rest of their lives; eventually invite me to join them; and all but hand me a local ballot when I arrived? The answer is none, because it would be national suicide. —David Batchelder, Tucson, Ariz.

‘LA confidential’

Aug. 9 The Catholic Church was not “adding to the Scriptures” in prescribing absolute confidentiality for what priests hear in confession. That requirement, as you note, is defined in the Canon, but the church does not consider the Canon to be Scripture. That the priest in the Louisiana case exercised very poor judgment in his advice to the girl has nothing to do with Scripture, nor does the Seal present “moral dilemmas” for other priests. —Scott Hammel, Clemson, S.C.

‘Hello darkness’

Aug. 9 Thanks for Emily Whitten’s article on the hopelessness of much teen literature. Several years ago we had a foreign exchange student who had recently lost her closest friend to suicide. She struggled with her English class, despite excellent language skills, and finally broke down and related how all the books were about suicide or death. Her teacher initially refused to substitute any books, and when I called, told me, “She’ll have to get over it; suicide is a way of life in America.” —Michelle Ule, Santa Rosa, Calif.

‘Married to Darwin’

July 12 Thank you for the stand on creation. The best basis for interpreting scientific data is God’s revealed Word; one cannot doubt that He knows what really happened. When youth and adults are supported in their beliefs, they have a bulwark against atheism and progressive ideology. —Vic Lindblom, Hagerstown, Md.

Anyone wondering whether evolution is true should consider the scientific evidence and the difficulties with the theory. For example, the thousands of systems in the human body supposedly evolved over millions of years in many different areas on Earth and then united in a single individual, the first human. Perhaps problems like this are why over 800 scientists have signed the online “Dissent From Darwin” statement. —James D. Hopkins, Mechanicsville, Va.

‘Hope and help for the poor’

July 12 Compassion International is a deserving recipient of your 2014 International Region Hope Award. Thank you for enlightening readers about the conditions in Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. I sponsor a child in Haiti and will now sponsor a child from one of these regions. If many more people here offered help and hope, perhaps fewer families there would send their children on such a long and perilous journey. —Lisa Bradshaw, Arlington, Texas

I rely on World News Group for 99 percent of my news. You have done an outstanding job recently beefing up the depth and scope of your content, adding contributors and writers, and improving your website experience, all with a Christian worldview. —Kristy Hiner, Conyers, Ga.

WORLD Around the World

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Submitted by Paul Lim

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