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‘Tidings of discomfort and joy’

Dec. 28 My compliments to Jamie Dean for her article about churches losing buildings but gaining far more in return. My wife and I began worshipping with Holy Trinity Anglican Church less than a year ago. We had never before felt so warmly welcomed, and Fr. Don Hellmandollar is remarkable. It will be fun to watch where God leads us from here! —Fred William Hodge, Bristol, Conn.

‘Waiting and singing’

Dec. 28 This column makes me cry again for these dear brothers and sisters in Pakistan. I pray for them, and for myself to remember their example of singing through their tears. And thank you for pointing us to Jesus, our Immanuel, for in Him we have hope. —Vicky Turner, Lebanon, Ore.

As an Anglican who saw the church of my youth hijacked by humanists, the cover story reminded me of a quote from an 80-year-old widow who left the 300-year-old Episcopal church in North Carolina where her husband is buried. “I do not worship my husband’s bones,” she said, “I worship my husband’s God.” May we Anglicans give half as good a testimony as our Christian brothers and sisters in Pakistan have given through their perseverance and faith. —Steven Kelley, Odessa, Texas

‘Disparate impact’

Dec. 28 I wholeheartedly agree with Christina Hoff Sommers on education, especially her comments on the Aviation High School in Queens. I am a 1952 alumnus of that school, back when it was in Manhattan. It taught me mechanical skills and prepared me for life’s challenges and my future career in the Air Force as a fighter pilot and commander. —John Kopsick Jr., Macon, Ga.

Human Race

Dec. 28 I appreciate WORLD but am disappointed in your report on the death of Paul F. Crouch, which focused on his lavish lifestyle and the prosperity preachers on TBN. I respect your right to question his lifestyle, but you didn’t mention that TBN also enables Billy and Franklin Graham and many others who guard the gospel of Jesus to preach it around the world. —Pat Caruana, San Antonio, Texas

‘Going with the flow’

Dec. 28 As a conservative Mennonite I am not surprised that some mainstream Mennonites have come to this point. Our forefathers were willing to surrender their lives to uphold the authority of Scripture, but now some of their descendants are “going with the flow” just when a degenerating society needs the reminder to be loyal to Scripture. —Chester Weaver, Lagrange, Ind.

Dispatches

Dec. 28 We need not look to “monogamous mice” to know children need daddies. Using such science to support a biblical point promotes the unbiblical idea that animals and human beings are alike in “social and behavioral consequences.” —Carol K. Tharp, Long Grove, Ill.

‘Around the corner, part II’

Dec. 28 Thank you for summarizing reader expectations about the future from a “seemingly downcast group.” I myself am on the bridge from pessimism to optimism. I had an “Aha!” moment while reading Ephesians that shifted my emphasis from God’s plan to save me to God’s plan to defeat evil through His church. —David A. Ellis, Greenwood, Ill.

‘Man knows not his time’

Dec. 28 The obituary on Nelson Mandela was good, but it only told half the story, failing to mention the many people Mandela’s communist ANC murdered in its efforts to overthrow the apartheid South African government. —Pete Malone, St. Charles, Ill.

Daniel of the Year

Dec. 14 Thank you for the article on Bishop Antoine Audo. This was a well-written and informative story connecting Middle East history with the current state of Syria. Please keep hammering away at our insulation from what a large number of Christians live with daily. —George A. Damoff, Farmers Branch, Texas

Truly, Bishop Audo is fighting a good fight, especially when contrasted with pastor Steven Furtick’s “battle” over his 8,500-square-foot house (“The house that Steven built,” Dec. 14). —Kristyn Hall, Columbus, Ohio

‘The other side of failure’

Dec. 14 The story of the orphans who were deported from Laos back to North Korea was very sad, especially the fact that so many children who make it to South Korea wobble or lose their faith. The missionaries helping these children escape see that the children’s faith is more important than a comfortable life in South Korea. We often pray that fellow believers would be delivered from persecution, but we should also pray that they endure faithfully what God has planned, even terror, torture, and execution. —Elizabeth Kerr, Ontario, Calif.

‘Men on the street’

Nov. 30 Your article on street evangelism was interesting and balanced. I believe there is room for everyone when it comes to proclaiming Jesus. If we are too combative some people will take offense, but if we serve without words some people will not recognize we are proclaiming Christ. —Mervin Auchtung, Holland, Mich.

‘Adoption under fire’

Nov. 16 Thank you for the compelling article about the challenges facing international adoption. My heart aches for the orphan children and their prospective adoptive families who have been caught in the middle. May this raise awareness of the great need of God’s precious children and encourage others to take action. —Micala Siler, Alexandria, Va.

‘The high cost of negligence’

Nov. 2 Abusers of all kinds, and sometimes their friends and families, have similar characteristics, including denial and protecting the abuser from dealing with his problems. God bless all who commit themselves to breaking through this and helping those who are trapped. —Kathryn Lee, Indianapolis, Ind.

‘Dead seriousness’

Oct. 19 Thank you for this carefully researched article on the death penalty and the commentary, “Better off dead?” My concern is the need to meet the biblical standard of two or three witnesses. Could not the automatic appeal process and the need to meet other legal safeguards before execution occurs meet the requirement? —Steve Thompson, Oak Harbor, Wash.

I strongly disagree that “[t]he Bible sets a very high bar for capital punishment, and the American legal system today rarely reaches it.” The American standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt” is the toughest the world has ever seen. Can we please keep sympathy focused where it belongs, on the victim and their loved ones? —James Gaylord, Fullerton, Calif.

‘Fleeting images’

Oct. 19 We appreciated the article addressing pornography. It is extremely difficult to escape its infiltration into every aspect of culture. We stopped watching TV 20 years ago, but now suggestive material is even creeping into mainstream news websites. We’re very disappointed. —Fred & Wendy Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Corrections

Tom Clancy’s book The Hunt for Red October became a Hollywood blockbuster (“2013 departures,” Jan. 11, p. 62); Howard Phillips was the founder of the Conservative Caucus (p. 67).

Russell Moore and his wife Maria had three biological children after they adopted two boys from Russia (“To protect and project,” Dec. 28, p. 44).

Copepods react within 2 or 3 milliseconds to escape from predator seahorses (“By the numbers,” Dec. 28, p. 60).

Global Aid Network is the overseas humanitarian arm of the ministry Cru (“Suffering servants,” Dec. 14, p. 65).

WORLD Around the World

North Maroon Peak, Colorado Submitted by John F. Toner

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