Mailbag

"No easy answers" (Feb. 26)

Thank you for the interview with Chuck Colson. I have added to my collection of quotes his closing line that he would like to be remembered as "one sinner who was rescued by God's grace, who tried, imperfectly as it was, to do his duty and live his life faithfully." Oh, how the world could change for the better if this sentiment were the plea of all men. Scott Alford; St. James, Mo.

"Mad mom" (Feb. 26)

As a homeschooling mother of five, I read Susan Olasky's review of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua and can only imagine how interested the state would be if I had "three- to seven-hour sessions of name-calling, threats, screaming fits, and refusal to let girls go to the bathroom." Lisa DeBusk; Schertz, Texas

I strongly disagree that pushing your children can be akin to idolatry. In Chinese culture, pushing children is showing them love. I force swim lessons on my children, although one screamed a year and another screamed a month. They began kindergarten at 3. If they enroll in something, they must finish it. Unsupervised and unprodded, children (like adults) play all day. Jennifer Reinoehl; Mishawaka, Ind.

Thank you for bringing clarity and a biblical perspective to the tiger mother debate. My parents emigrated to the United States from China in 1947. Both are believers. Although some of Mom's efforts had hints of tiger mothering, there was a Kingdom of difference. Mom motivated me with her love and the love of the Lord. She repeatedly lectured that scholastic and musical abilities are gifts from our heavenly Father. We are to do our best because it glorifies God. What the world values is less important. Elizabeth Tso; Crownsville, Md.

When we worship idols, we sacrifice our children to them. In my travels to Asia to teach principles of pastoral counseling, I have had to clean up a lot of wreckage left by tiger moms. The drive to please and appease others produces performance but squelches individual creativity and other expressions of the heart. Mark Sandford; Post Falls, Idaho

"Superlative song" (Feb. 26)

Andrée Seu's column on the Song of Songs not only sang to my heart, it spoke to my life. I'm thinking my husband and I need a belated year-long honeymoon after 37 years of marriage and failing to catch little and large foxes in recent years. Stancie Foss; Newport Beach, Calif.

Having lost my husband and soul mate to cancer a few years ago at only 48 years old, I have very little patience with Christian couples who "settle for less than joy." What a witness it would be if believers' marriages consistently rang with the joy that God delights to give through marriage. Lydian Davis; Tempe, Ariz.

Seu captured so very well the romance and beauty of love that God intends between a husband and wife. The health of our marriages is foundational to our society. We would have much less need for divorce courts, juvenile detention facilities, welfare, and drug and alcohol treatment if our marriages were healthy. Tom Dressel; Oregon City, Ore.

"Peace at what price?" (Feb. 26)

I read Joel Belz's column with a smile on my face, putting aside the seriousness of the situation in Egypt for a moment. This parent of five children, ranging in age from 10 down to 6 months, can certainly relate to the temptation to have peace at any cost. Parenting, like international diplomacy, is not for the faint of heart and requires great wisdom, discernment, and constancy. Tami Williams; Milford, Ohio

In my opinion, democratic republics are essentially impossible without a Judeo-Christian basis of law. I've been a registered Republican as long as I've been able to vote but a Libertarian when it comes to foreign policy. Many dimes for defense; but none for Rhodesian militarism. Vaughn Hathaway; Charlotte, N.C.

"Opposing counsel" (Feb. 26)

I have rarely encountered such a strong prompting to pray for a man and his family as I did reading this profile on Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. God honors his many sacrifices by keeping him in office and gifting him with the skill sets he needs. Holly Simons; Wolfeboro, N.H.

"Uttermost parts" (Feb. 26)

Thank you for the wonderful article on Marsabit, Kenya. I am so thankful God opened the doors for the story of this region and its people to be told. Linda Grosskopf; Harbor Springs, Mich.

"The curious case of Raymond Davis" (Feb. 26)

Mindy Belz wrote that this is the wrong time for Americans working in the Muslim world to be "getting away with murder," yet many reports say the deceased were armed and the aggressors. She claims that backdoor diplomacy would violate transparency and accountability, yet Pakistani courts will not offer transparency, accountability, or justice. Merel Frank; Park Ridge, Ill.

"No left turn" (Feb. 26)

I enjoyed this column. I am a high-school student and involved in Live Action, the advocacy group that Lila Rose started. This fight is so important, and reminding others of the power and determination that we, the young evangelicals of America, possess is so important. Daniel Ruggles; San Jose, Calif.

"Dotes & goats" (Feb. 26)

Ease up on Big Ben. The guy has led his team to two Super Bowl championships and three AFC championships. I would classify all those as "big games." It's OK to dote on Aaron Rodgers. The guy played an incredible game. But others besides Roethlisberger could share the blame for that loss. Frank Sirianni III; Fort Myers, Fla.

"Risking deadly diseases" (Feb. 12)

As a pediatrician, I have concerns about the rate of vaccine refusal within the Christian community. We must be careful not to create church communities that are largely vaccine-free. Serious, vaccine-preventable diseases usually raise their ugly heads in such close communities. Immunizations are a practical way for us to "look out for the interests of others" in love, especially our infants and chronically ill church-goers, both young and old. James R. Weidner; Haddonfield, N.J.

I have a child with autism. Many times since his official diagnosis (and a few before it) I have wondered about the routine childhood vaccinations he received. I do not agree that the vaccines do not play a part in causing autism. Research needs to continue to keep all our kids safe from both deadly diseases and life-altering disorders such as autism. We owe our children no less. Melinda Johnson; Burlington, Wash.

"The seduction of Andrée Seu" (Feb. 12)

I'm a retired film professor. I saw Dr. Zhivago when it first came out and still remember it vividly. I, like Seu, was seduced. Her analysis was excellent and helped me remember that the film was not a revelation of truth but a manipulation of it. The film was certainly a great artistic achievement, but art that promotes a lie is still evil. Even many Christians in the art community fail to see that art is a means, not an end. Tom Nash; Huntington Beach, Calif.

"Foreign aid bust" (Feb. 12)

Thank you for the articles on Haiti this year. They are generally well done and insightful. I must, however, disagree with the assessment of Jean Claude Duvalier. I lived in Haiti during most of the reigns of François and Jean Claude Duvalier and they were very different. François (Papa Doc) was indeed, especially in the early years, a brutal dictator. He did, however, provide stability and security. He also was friendly to Christian missionaries, opening the doors for rapid church growth. Jean Claude (Baby Doc) was a reluctant, reclusive ruler and a reformer. I would not support Jean Claude returning to power in Haiti, but I do understand why he still has many supporters. Jerry Miel; Tucson, Ariz.