So low

When I read your article on stem-cell research, I got really upset. It's hard to believe that our country could stoop so low. - Jonathan Snyder, Titusville, Pa.

Meet Hannah

Wouldn't it be great if Hannah, adopted while still a frozen embryo, could be introduced to all Christendom so that all those fence-sitters would know who a mass of stem cells has the potential to become ("Persuading a president," July 28). It is amazing to me that most Christians can be united on the abortion issue yet wishy-washy on a debate that could lead to even more abortions. And that was a great column by Gene Edward Veith. If Jonathan Swift were here, he would be flipping his wig. - Jeff Benham, Milwaukee, Wis.

Looking

I agree that the proliferation of Bible translations has been "more a hindrance than help," and so I want to take a look at the new English Standard Version when it appears in September ("A standard, maybe," July 28). However, I have serious reservations about the RSV, which provides the base for the new ESV. I also believe that the church, not secular or even Christian publishers, should issue versions of the Holy Scripture for the people of God. For these reasons, my family and I plan on sticking with our venerable Authorized Version. - George T. Thompson, Gonzales, La.

The decisive factor

Thanks for the notice of the new ESV translation. Unfortunately, regarding public acceptance, it's my observation that heavy marketing trumps product quality. - Dick Parvin, Clearwater, Fla.

Buy one, send one

The ESV sounds good, and maybe it will become the standard, but I'm concerned that American Christians already have too many Bibles while so many Christians around the world have none, or perhaps one or two in a whole congregation. I propose that every American who buys a new Bible should send an old one to a mission agency for distribution overseas or contribute the price of providing a new one. - Janet Neidhardt, Branchville, N.J.

Insulting Rush

My husband and I have enjoyed WORLD for many years, and so it was with shock and disappointment that we viewed the insulting picture of Rush Limbaugh (QuickTakes, July 28). Rush may not be an evangelical Christian, but he has always been sympathetic to evangelical issues. - Florence Dick, St. Augustine, Fla.

Parading Rush

I couldn't believe my eyes. There he was in the pages of WORLD, Mr. Conservative Values with his luscious lips locked onto a big old cigar. And you have the audacity to parade Rush Limbaugh before our children as if he is the ultimate pulpiteer of morality. What good old Rush really wants isn't your or my agreement, but our money. - Ken E. Archer, Kingwood, Texas

A blonde responds

As a WORLD reader, movie-goer, pre-law student, and natural blonde, I was more than a little irritated by your myopic critique of Legally Blonde (The Movies, July 7/14). This refreshing story showed that it is possible to be attractive, well-off, fashionable, and yet manage to be intelligent. It does not glorify a woman who is "all image and no substance" but one who is successful through hard work. - Alison Young, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Missed the boat

You completely missed the boat on Legally Blonde. It was a story of friendship, ethics, and learning to stand on what you believe. Yes, the bad language and sexual references were needless, but that's the way of the American movie industry. - Sharon Coule, Medford, N.J.

She decided

Thank you for the column about the Fox News Channel ("Crazy like a Fox," July 28). We tuned in during last year's election and haven't turned back. We were looking for news without the liberal, left-wing bias and we found it. The major networks only see Fox as right-wing because they are so far left that anything else is right. Fox's theme, "We report, you decide," made the decision for me. - Karla Hamrick, Wapakoneta, Ohio

Nothing short

I feel for the parents of Terri Schiavo, the severely disabled woman whose husband is trying to stop her supply of food and water ("Till death us do part," July 21). What her husband is trying to do through the courts is nothing short of murder. - Clinton Nelson, Florence, Ariz.

Defending pastors

In defense of pastors allowing couples to write their own marriage vows, many pastors insist on covering issues like the gospel, genuine eligibility, the purpose of marriage, and vows during premarital counseling ("Goin' to the chapel," July 7). My husband is one such, and his parameters for the worship ceremony reflect his strict counseling standards. If a couple doesn't like it, they can go elsewhere. - Elizabeth Stone, Moundsville, W.Va.

Correction

The New Republic writer who commented on The Prayer of Jabez was Michelle Cottle (July 7/14, p. 46). - The Editors

The King is dead

Larry King says that he "just can't make that leap" into belief ("I've always searched," July 28). What's holding him back? My guess is wealth and fame. I think that he is another "rich young ruler" who went away sad because he couldn't let go of his wealth to follow Jesus. Mr. King should be honest with himself. It is not that he cannot make that leap; it is that he won't. The interview revealed not a Larry King live, but a Larry King who is spiritually dead. - Ron Moser, Stafford, Kan.

Inside himself?

Your article on Larry King was eye-opening. I wonder if his agnosticism was brought about because of his unwillingness to be a rational creature answerable to a divine Maker. Maybe he really is "too into" his own head. - Emily Christine Molberg, Pine City, Minn.

God's answer

I was pleased to read the piece on Larry King. He hit the nail on the head with his questioning of Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Isaac; but Mr. King fails to see God's answer in the sacrifice of God's son, Jesus. - Joseph Quinn, Somers, Conn.

Disgrace

Your issue with the Larry King interview is now on the bottom of my garbage bag where it belongs. This man is no friend of devout Christians or observant Jews. To put his face on the cover of WORLD is a disgrace. Please cancel my subscription. - Chris Bay-Hansen, Port Angeles, Wash.

The cost of obedience

Gene Edward Veith is absolutely right about stem-cell research ("A new modest proposal," July 28). I believe that Christians must prepare for the next step. If and when our "culture of death" markets the medicines made from the most helpless of human beings, Christians should refuse to use them. There will be a cost to this form of discipleship, but it will be a powerful witness. I do not speak lightly. Some in my family have conditions that are expected to be helped by such research, and those in my long-term care community (where I am a resident counselor) will feel this challenge keenly. May God give His people grace to live out the implications of Mr. Veith's biblical position. - Gregory A. Donovan, Quarryville, Pa.

Jaw-dropping

My jaw hit the ground several times as I read "A new modest proposal." How can Americans be so focused on themselves as to take somebody else's life to save their own? Thank you for defending previous lives. - Sarah Wolfskill, 17, Bellville, Texas

Killing for kidneys?

With tens of thousands of people awaiting organ transplants in the United States, harvesting organs from death-row inmates could save thousands of lives. For men and women soon to be executed, it would be a waste to have their useful organs die with them. But even some of the most morally subjective members of our society would scream if we started hauling prisoners off to forcibly remove their kidneys, spleens, and livers. Some have argued that embryos should be used for stem-cell research because they would be discarded anyway. But destroying embryos for research or medical purposes is akin to harvesting organs from inmates. We should not do it because it would be reprehensible. - Armando Emanuel Roggio Sr., Rigby, Idaho