2019 Books of the Year

[ Dec. 7 ] I cannot begin to estimate the value of WORLD’s reading lists. They should be required reading for anyone seeking leadership in our federal government. So many are ignorant of history and seem dedicated to repeating it. Thank you for being an information source worthy of investment. —Karen Woods / Muskegon, Mich.

Darwinism’s big breakdown

[ Dec. 7 ] It’s great that Michael Behe discovered that life changes only by genetic degradation and not by self-creation of new genetic information. Creationists have known for years that God created the world as He described in Genesis, and He didn’t use long and wasteful methods to do it. —Michael DuMez / Oostburg, Wis.

Vivid memories

[ Dec. 7 ] On your short list of history books is Did America Have a Christian Founding?, and your brief review noted the range of opinion on this question. There were a number of deists, notably Ben Franklin, but given the way the government was formed, the Christian influence must have been very strong. —Tom Burley / Alto, Mich.

A 30-ring circus

[ Dec. 7 ] Thanks to Jamie Dean for this balanced report. I appreciate WORLD’s call to consider where our ultimate loyalties lie. If churches are linking themselves to President Trump, we are truly in a tragic position. No president deserves our unfettered support, regardless of party, agenda, or view on abortion. Churches are to represent the Church.—Steve Shive on wng.org

As a supporter of Trump, I am praying that the office would humble him and bring him to a right relationship with God through Jesus. —Sam Lochinger on wng.org

Muscling in

[ Dec. 7 ] How can that photo of a male bike racer sitting next to two female opponents not be from a satirical website? As somebody said, these are challenging times to be a satirist. What a bizarre and self-­destructive age we live in. —Paul K. Lim on wng.org

It surprises me that males who compete against women don’t find it humiliating to win. —Cara McCarthy-Boes on Facebook

Learning to wrestle pigs

[ Dec. 7 ] I have really appreciated your lifestyle series on long marriages. We have been married 38 years, and God has brought us through many ups and downs. We’ve seen many couples, including three of our pastors, get divorced. Doesn’t anybody stay together anymore? —Linda Hunt / Pequea, Pa.

Fortunate sons

[ Dec. 7, p. 18 ] Janie B. Cheaney called boomers “exceptionally blessed” and she makes some good points. But what about the Soviet threat of nuclear holocaust since the 1950s, the disaster of the Vietnam War through the 1970s, and insanely high interest rates in the 1980s? It was not all candy and cake, but I totally agree with the need for grace to pray instead of complain! —Bob Cremer on wng.org

Corrections

Don Newcombe was the first African American pitcher to start a World Series game (Dan Bankhead was the first black pitcher in the major leagues), and “Jumping” Johnny Wilson was Indiana’s second African American “Mr. Basketball” (George Crowe was the first) (“2019 Deaths,” Dec. 28, pp. 88, 92).

A corrected April 2019 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences estimated 45 million missing baby girls globally from 1970 to 2017 due to sex-selective abortions (By the Numbers, June 8, 2019, p. 13).