More like him

Thank you so much for publishing that article about Curt Schilling ("'Never hide,'" March 19). I am a huge baseball fan. I thought that the players who are Christians would not express their faith for fear of ruining their reputation, but I love how Mr. Schilling is willing to share his faith and tell the media how his faith grew during the playoffs. I wish we had more players like him. -Jennalee Schuler; Silverdale, Wash. After seven years of public silence, Curt Schilling last fall took a stand for Christ and showed us the difference between being in the world and being of the world. Baseball, notoriety, and money may be the culture's affections, but they are not his. God wants to honor the same boldness in us. -Greg Grotewold; Lakeville, Minn.

Her life, our fight

Posterity will judge our generation on how it treats the most vulnerable members of our society, as modern civilization rightly condemns those of past generations who supported slavery. As Terri Schiavo was allowed to die at the hands of her estranged husband (and a complicit medical and legal community), it will only be a matter of time before many others are euthanized against their will ("The fight of her life," March 19). -Steve Costello; Lake Jackson, Texas

Giving food and water to a sick or dying patient has been regarded until relatively recently as basic comfort care, not medical treatment. Whether through a tube or by mouth, to deny an afflicted person this kindness is a cruelty upon those least able to defend themselves. It could only happen in a society breaking loose from its Judeo-Christian moorings. -Juliet Kane; Portland, Ore.

I am concerned for my son's future. His brain was injured in a car accident at age 2, and for 16 years I have cared for him at home. The fact that he is sustained by a feeding tube does not mean he is not a valuable member of society or our family. I whole-heartedly supported Bob and Mary Schindler in their fight for their daughter, and grieve with them. -Janet Nussbaum; Shreve, Ohio

My morning routine has changed drastically since doctors discovered a large tumor in my brain. This morning, as my wife helped me take a shower, she wiped my nose with her thumb. Talk about humor and humility. Some suggest that the lesson from Terri's struggle is to have a living will, but I have learned a more important lesson: Know who you are marrying. Will they mean it when they say, "For better or worse, in sickness and health"? -Mike Lemont; Ceres, Calif.

Gospel politics

Gene Edward Veith complains that Jim Wallis's book, God's Politics ("Whose politics?" March 19), mentions nothing about Christian conversion. But the book is geared toward believers who feel shut out of the current debate on social issues because politically conservative Christians, who dominate Christian media, seldom admit that the gospel has political implications for issues other than the "cultural issues" that the right prefers to highlight. -Rick Nowlin; Pittsburgh, Pa.

With liberals having lost two straight presidential elections and their power in Washington at an all-time low, so-called liberal people of faith are coming out of the woodwork. They read the New Testament as a blueprint for an anti-war, social justice agenda. In their minds Jesus is pro-higher taxes, anti-war, and pro-gay marriage, a combination of John Lennon, Gandhi, and Karl Marx. As absurd as this may sound to religious conservatives, it should not be discounted. I do not believe the right is prepared to make proper rebuttal, and this is potentially disastrous. -Glenn Steinhilber; East Hanover, N.J.

Who decides?

What Mrs. Cheaney says is true, but we need a full-fledged attempt to establish our right to have the Ten Commandments on public display. They represent what our country is based upon. Is the question to be decided by nine Supreme Court justices, or is it a matter of our peculiar history? -Les MacLeod; Santa Rosa, Calif.

Liberal clones

In my college program in social work, I am frustrated and disheartened daily by the onslaught of anti-Christian, liberal, and (as we say in social work) oppressive bias in the field ("Providence speech patrol," March 19). The profession has veered so far off course in the last 50 years it is frightening. Morality has been replaced with vague ideas about cultural diversity, relativity, and anti-oppressive practice. It breaks my heart that so many impressionable students enter the field, desperate to make a difference, and end up as little liberal clones whose values have been replaced by the profession's overpowering agenda. -Rachael McDonald; Denton, Texas

Cheerless

In the theater where I saw The Return of the King, last year's winner of the Best Picture Oscar, when Sam relieves Frodo's distress by carrying him up the slopes of Mt. Doom, the audience erupted in cheers. Andrew Coffin's comments on Million Dollar Baby ("Bringing up Baby," March 12) left me wondering how many audience members cheered when Clint Eastwood's character applied the coup de grace to Hillary Swank. -Tim Webber; Dallas, Texas

Light blue

In "No. 2 pencil blues" (March 12) you stress the importance of the new essay section. However, several magazines for college applicants I've read agree that colleges will not place much emphasis on the writing scores because there won't be much information to provide a comparison. They add that some of the colleges they represent are reluctant to consider this portion at all because it is subjective and discriminates against students who may not be able to produce quality work in only 25 minutes. -Connor Fournier; Monroe, Va.

It's the people

I read "Booting big government" (March 5) with interest as I was a case worker and administrator for Illinois DCFS for 17 years. There were good, successful faith-based programs, of course, but in my experience there was nothing intrinsically better about private programs over state-operated programs. The key was the ability to attract good, committed workers, who would do a good job in any program, and the ability to fire poor ones, which is usually a problem in state programs. -Carene Jacobson; Hayward, Wis.

Correction

Moses did not grind up the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments; that was the golden calf ("Patently offensive," March 19, p. 51).