‘Hope for children, help for families’

July 1 The Hope Awards issue was an excellent read. Thanks for bringing these worthy organizations to our attention. It is so exciting to see what God is doing all over the world with people who have a heart of compassion and a mind to serve. Vote for only one? I think that’s impossible. —Barbara Gutzwiller / Harmony, Pa.

‘Friends in adversity’

July 1 Henry Olsen’s reflections were sound, clear, and direct. He has helped us trust and pray. —David Covington / Quincy, Calif.

For the first time I am truly disappointed with WORLD. You worry that Trump might appoint a liberal to fill a rumored Supreme Court vacancy, yet I see no reason to believe that the worry is justified. —Kevin Braun / West Chester, Pa.

The writer suggests that character is no longer important to Christian Trump supporters. Character does matter, but when your house is burning down, the character of the fireman is less relevant than whether he is able to save your house. —Tom Burley / Alto, Mich.

Let’s get behind our president and support him. God put Trump in this position, and He can use him mightily. —R.D. Thomason on wng.org

A major reason for Trump’s support is that he can play the mainstream media’s game against them. His willingness to call them out on their fake news has Trump supporters very happy. —April Van Luven / Elkton, Md.

Is it too early to start thinking about a serious conservative challenger to Trump in the 2020 primaries? Yes, he’s done some good things, but don’t we want a president we could trust to treat people with respect and to put the needs of our country above his own desire for greatness? —Laura Weleneth on wng.org

‘Being in hate’

July 1 Thank you, Andrée Seu Peterson, for this thoughtful perspective on hate. We live in a time when many of us, young and old, seem unable to handle love or hate. —David McMillan / Pembroke, Ill.

Thank you for wise words about the destructive power of harboring hate. It reminds me of Corrie ten Boom, who called on Christ to help her forgive her Nazi captors, allowing her to experience joy and minister to others. Forgiveness benefits the one forgiving more than the one forgiven. —Susan Peisker / Cedar Park, Texas

I’ve seen people in both cases—in love and in hate—who claim to be rational but are instead rationalizing their emotions. We all do it in our weak moments; righteousness is found only in humility before God. —Dick Friedrich on wng.org

Let’s follow Christ and be peacemakers who love those we are told are the enemy. One day many will wish that they had let go of hate and strived to love instead. —Daniel MacLean on Facebook

‘Boys against girls’

July 1 The premise of your piece on transgender athletes—whether it’s fair for biological boys to compete against girls—is important and timely, but I am less concerned about maintaining the “dignity” of transgender athletes than about upholding the binary definition of gender as assigned by the Creator. —Jeffrey C. Danco / Bridgewater, N.J.

When “transgender” boys compete against girls, there is no fairness for girls. —George W. Rodkey / Post Falls, Idaho

We can be sensitive toward people who struggle with gender confusion, but toward the evil agenda that seeks to upend the created order we cannot be sympathetic. —Ree Mehta / Sunnyvale, Calif.

It should be an easy call that all athletes compete with the same biological sex. If this unfairness continues, soon the Olympics will become a circus, and a boring one at that. —Janet Seagraves on wng.org

‘The bigger news’

July 1 This issue arrived at our house as our new granddaughter was whisked off to the intensive care unit. As my daughter-in-law walked into the NICU, she noticed her sick and premature newborn trying to lift her head in response to her voice! I have never heard the womb referred to as “a room on a sunny afternoon with thin shades drawn,” but as I read, it all came together. Indeed, babies are not just buried inside their mothers’ bodies; they are patiently waiting for the time when a mystery is revealed. —Kristine Wessler / Yorktown, Va.

‘Failure to launch’

July 1 Every bit of this column sheds light on our experience. My husband pastors a young Reformed church plant that is going through a challenging time. It feels exactly like the situation in Judges, where God was both disciplining His people and preparing them for what was to come. —Emily Perez / Clifton, N.J.

Janie B. Cheaney rightly noted that we’re so often defeated, despite following God’s Word and seeking His will, because “spiritual warfare is real.” I’m very concerned that spiritual warfare is rarely discussed today. —Ron Tarlton / Marietta, Ga.

‘Lost and found’

July 1 What a story from Mindy Belz about the girl captured by ISIS and then reunited with her family. It gives hope to those who feel so hopeless. —Joan Dietrich / Poplar Grove, Ill.

‘Praiseworthy publishing

July 1 Knowing that Jesus was not just a carpenter who worked with wood but a “builder” who laid stones gives new significance to Paul’s teaching that Jesus is building a house of “living stones.” He is constructing a spiritual house, the church, of which He is the cornerstone. God is the master of object lessons. —Larry Paulus on wng.org

‘Culture creep’

July 1 This review of children’s literature with LGBT storylines was enlightening to me as a Christian teenager. I recently took home a library book that described how two gay couples exchanged partners to produce children. I was mortified. Your warning is so true. —Joshua Higgins / Bellevue, Ohio

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

‘Too cozy for comfort’

July 1 You quoted Muslim cleric Siraj Wahhaj saying that Muslims can impose the death penalty under Sharia law “in their country but not here.” What he left unsaid was that Sharia can’t be imposed here—yet. —Fred Brailey / Grand Rapids, Mich.

You refer to Islamist organizations “evangelizing” their children. Christians should be careful about associating any part of jihadist messaging with the “good news.” —Jon Bell on wng.org

‘New convictions’

May 27 Thank you for recent articles about needed reform in the criminal justice system. As a prisoner myself, I am familiar with some of the challenges. Overcrowding makes effective programs harder to provide and makes it harder to deal with inmates as individuals. It’s nice to see WORLD reporting on issues that affect people like me. —Theodore Ranier Bawayan / Miller, Ga.