Crimes and punishments

March 27—Jim White/Chapin, S.C.

Kudos to Alexis Marcou for his caricature of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the cover. One can see the evil exuding from his face.

Bethany’s break

March 27—Bob Francis/Wakefield, Mass.

I agree with Katy Faust that it is “vital to keep the focus on children and what’s best for them, instead of leading with perceived rights of adults to foster or adopt.” The Bible and its definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman supersede any perceived notions of man.

Neighbors in need

March 27—Nancy Davis/Menard, Texas

Texans always step up to help their neighbors and don’t expect the government to do everything for them. Yes, supplies failed to reach many and put us in a bad situation, but gratefully people are generous in our state.

God’s law library

March 27—Peter Kushkowski/Portland, Conn.

In my experience with organizational rule-making, finding loopholes is essential to the smooth running of an organization. In that setting, “creative altruism” is a better descriptor of the process than “evil inventiveness,” in which “evil” is much too severe a blanket indictment.

Love beyond borders

March 27—Ali Sanders/Montgomery, Texas

I was delighted and grateful to see the review of Crash Landing on You. It was my favorite television show from last year. Our family appreciates K-dramas for their relatively clean plots and clear beginning and end, and I would love to see WORLD review more of them.

Catch and rerelease

March 27—Gerald Bonsall/St. Albans, Vt.

I’m sorry, but the Band is not overrated. Music From Big Pink and The Band sound as fresh today as they did 50 years ago. So what if they lost a little steam and coasted into the sunset. What rock group didn’t?

Beauty out of ashes

March 27—Cheryl Irish/Bastrop, Texas

Thanks, Jamie Dean, for this beautifully encouraging column. I have dear friends surrounded by ashes right now. I trust the Lord to bring forth His beauty.

Lassitude and SNOVID-21

March 27—Carmela Werner/Jefferson City, Mo.

What wonderful thoughts from Andrée and Marvin—thoughts that made me smile and think!

Slipping through the cracks

Jan. 16—Tom Zimmerman/Playa del Rey, Calif.

Sophia Lee’s reporting on the state of our country’s mental health system was outstanding. It baffles me that our elected spenders of our money won’t fix this human tragedy. Our political leaders just don’t take the problem—the people who suffer—to heart.

Thankful for WORLD

Arlene Deans/Mission Viejo, Calif.

Every time I get WORLD Magazine I think it’s the best issue ever. Especially now with the COVID lockdown: can’t go to church, can’t go to the gym, and it’s making me crazy! So I am thankful I can read your wit and wisdom.

Corrections

The residents of Bar’am were documented Israeli citizens when the Israel Defense Forces ordered them to leave in 1948. In October 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son Yair, not Netanyahu himself, visited the village (“Courting Christians,” April 24, p. 55).

More letters, emails, and comments we didn’t have space for in the print edition:

Canceling the classics

Feb. 27—Karen Davis/Exton, Pa.

As a high-school literature teacher, I appreciated Janie B. Cheaney’s astute perspective on enlarging readers’ worlds and expanding their imaginations through classic literature. We desperately need good literature that inspires students during an impressionable time in their lives while teaching them to read and analyze critically.

Freedom fighter

Feb. 13—Ardrue McMahan/Cherryville, N.C.

After reading your amazing story of Benny Tai Yiu-ting and his courageous fight for democracy in Hong Kong, this thought came to mind: What if WORLD readers banded together to pray for Tai every day? There is no telling what God might do. He could turn Tai’s situation around in a way we could not even imagine!

Flying unfriendly skies

Dec. 10—Gary W. Vollmer/Rapid City, S.D.

I loved Sharon Dierberger’s article about World War II pilot Bill Patten. I had a friend who flew B-17s out of Foggia, Italy, in 1944, and I bet they knew each other. He passed away at age 99 in 2017. I take special interest in these Greatest Generation patriots who are leaving us so fast these days.

Finding WORLD again

Kristen Lemon Olgren/Milwaukee, Wis.

I just discovered The World and Everything in It podcast the other day, but WORLD and I go way back. Let me tell you how far.

I remember getting a copy of WORLD Magazine when I was in seventh grade at a Christian school. An article in that issue made such an impression on me that I’ve never forgotten it, and it influences my view on the death penalty to this day. It addressed the pro–death penalty perspective and the concerns from the anti–death penalty point of view. It then examined how the death penalty was applied in Scripture. According to the Bible, multiple eyewitnesses were required before the death penalty was permissible. The article suggested that perhaps some evidence could be considered the equivalent of an eyewitness. The example of a fingerprint was used, but DNA evidence was in its infancy at the time, and it, too, could be very strong. What evidence could be strong enough? I’m still not sure, but the point was that we know innocent people have been put to death, and these safeguards could help prevent that.

A few years later, I was assigned to write a position paper on the death penalty. I remembered WORLD’s article, somehow tracked it down, and wrote my own position based on the foundation the article laid. (I assure you the article was cited as a source!) Many times I have thought back to that when I have heard about people who were likely innocent and either were put to death or later exonerated and set free.

It is so nice to find that the ministry of WORLD Magazine continues. I appreciate that you address issues in a way I can’t find elsewhere—certainly not from the same worldview.