Mailbag

‘Day of reckoning’

June 14 The articles on GM’s culpability in ignoring fatal car defects and the exposé on the government’s cozy relationship with big banks (“Too big to jail,” June 14) give citizens knowledge and insight into issues that affect them. I found the cover story especially endearing because of Lance Cooper’s dogged determination to get down to the facts and then hold those responsible up to the light of ethics and the law. —Ed Schick, Brunswick, Ohio

Jamie Dean did a great job telling us what really went on in the Melton family’s lawsuit against General Motors. We should never forget how one person can make a difference. —Paul Matlock, Pagosa Springs, Colo.

‘Let’s be reasonable’

June 14 Janie B. Cheaney describes marriage as the union of one man and one woman for the purpose of begetting and nourishing children. I would add that it is the very heart of the created order, the source and means of growth of the human race. God’s judgment is at the gate when government institutionalizes and churches bless same-sex “marriage.” —William Camp, Pike, N.H.

The world is changing so fast I can’t keep up. Just when I thought we were making good progress in the abortion debate, along comes gay marriage like a tornado. Now we have federal judges overturning state laws and voter mandates as if they were written in disappearing ink. It seems we have been ambushed in the culture war, but our job is not to give up. —Robert Hill, Lakeland, Fla.

‘Repeated exposure’

June 14 Andrée Seu Peterson is right about how our cultural attitudes gradually change: through repeated exposure. Especially if we are regular TV watchers, our attitudes change so gradually we hardly know what happens to us. —Linda Ames Nicolosi, Encino, Calif.

My first year in Africa we had no TV, so when I came home I was shocked by what my Christian friends were watching. By the end of that year-long home assignment, I was amazed by what I was watching. Now that I’m retired, I try to avoid watching negative things, but our whole culture bombards us daily. It’s a battle. —John Hosie, Rumford, Maine

‘Grandpa J and the VA’

June 14 I commend Joel Belz for acknowledging that in government, as in all walks of life, some bureaucrats are “sincere and devoted providers.” Christians must resist our culture’s tendency to belittle particular groups, and the controversy surrounding the VA would have made those workers easy targets. —John Nelson, San Antonio, Texas

‘Honoring Dad’

June 14 I too miss my father and wish he were here. Despite his mental struggles, he led me to a deep-seated, Calvinistic faith, uprooting our family from a comfortable setting and moving to Iowa to attend a Christian Reformed Church and enter a Christian school system. I am eternally grateful for the sacrifices, financial and otherwise, my father made for us. —Pete Andreas, Pella, Iowa

‘Hashtag wars’

June 14 There are no adults in the White House. Keep turning up the heat, and keep letting us know about those in Washington who understand the problems so we can encourage them. —Jim Richardson, Oro Valley, Ariz.

‘Reflective journey’

May 31 Sophia Lee’s account of her train journey made me want to take in the America that surrounds me daily but that I rarely notice. Finding pleasure in the mundane and taking time to notice the sights, sounds, and smells around us seems to be a forgotten art these days. —Riley Frambes, Seattle, Wash.

I like WORLD, but can stomach only so many articles about things we need to pray for. I was about to put down this issue until later when I turned to Lee’s article and wondered, “What’s this about?” I enjoyed it very much. —Kevin Davis, Woodland-Kamiah, Idaho

Lee’s reflections brought back many memories of cross-country travel on Amtrak in the ’80s. But since when does the definition of “lady” include a person who “spew[s] f-bombs for 13 hours.” My dictionary’s definition describes a woman with “refined habits and gentle manners.” I suppose this is something else we of advanced years must accept. —Penny Leusink, West Bend, Wis.

‘Sky watch’

May 31 People are concerned about surveillance programs, but I think people would do well to remember the supreme surveillance program. As it says in Hebrews, “all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” —Paul E. Yoder, Union, W.Va.

‘Pattern of deception’

May 31 Thanks again for another great issue. It seems as though the administration deceives us on almost every subject, with officials thinking they can create their own version of “truth.” Perhaps the most significant are the deceptions regarding Benghazi. That debacle was no “accident.” —Pete Malone, St. Charles, Ill.

‘A little common sense’

May 17 I would like to include a little common sense of my own in the gendered bathroom debate. Going to the bathroom should not be a social or political activity. It is a biological function, which is part of why we have separate bathrooms: to accommodate physical differences. —Crystal Walker, Lexington, Ill.

‘To train up a Pharisee’

May 3 I thought you did a good job on the article about the Pearls. We were expecting a very negative article, but you were fair and balanced. We read To Train Up a Child over 17 years ago and have been blessed by their perspectives over the years. —Michele Methum, Santa Rosa, Calif.

We are very disappointed in this article. We have read the Pearls’ books and magazine for well over a decade now and find their ministry faithful to Christ and refreshingly biblical. I suspect that some warped or unstable parents have abused the Pearls’ teachings on physical correction of children, perhaps because they read about wonderful, peaceful, homes and try to beat their children into fitting that image. Such people cannot make that happen, whether they read the Bible, the Pearls’ books, or anything else. —Lana Braddock, Baldwin City, Kan.

The loss of three children’s lives is heart-wrenching, but it was shocking to see them mentioned in an article about the Pearls. It puts a negative cloud on this family and business. Those cases speak volumes, not about the Pearls or homeschooling, but on the challenge of incorporating adopted children into family life. —Laura Grover, Pittsburgh, Pa.

‘Silent submission’

May 3 Christian culture has become so foggy regarding the authority of Scripture. How refreshing to be reminded what we have: God’s actual word! The truth is on our side, in creation and all aspects of life. —Piper McEwen, Camas, Wash.

I appreciate Joel Belz’s stand on creation, and agree that God is involved in the whole world, not just the “religious” parts. As a young earth creationist, I do not understand how some try to point people to God but yet deny that He is the creator and sustainer of the universe from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22. —Jeff Dickerson, Bloomington, Ill.

Your magazine has a different tone. You give the negative side of the news, but you balance it with positive news about decent, helpful beings on this increasingly evil planet who strive to make it a better place to live. Thanks so much. —Bruce King, Hamilton, Mont.

WORLD Around the World

Abba, Nigeria Submitted by Liza Hopper

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