‘A bold stand in the Land Down Under’

Dec. 10 | Activists call their movement “Australian Marriage Equality” to stigmatize and intimidate supporters of traditional marriage as bigots, but the vast majority of people do discriminate regarding the definition of marriage. Does Tiernan Brady support a “fair go” for incest, polygamy, and polyamory, or does he too discriminate? —DAVID ROSE / Canton, Mich.

‘Reporting worth supporting’

Dec. 10 | I heard Marvin Olasky out during the campaign, disagreed, and voted for Trump. Still, my high regard for WORLD is unchanged. I do like chocolate, but when it’s time for the news, please keep passing the salt. —JOEL MUMMA / Lancaster, Pa.

Both candidates were very flawed, but they stood on entirely different moral platforms. It wasn’t an easy choice, but you could have looked at the big picture and supported Trump without excusing his behavior or compromising Biblical principles. We must not leave it to others to make hard choices. —BARBARA MONTEIL / Raymore, Mo.

I appreciate your faithfulness in applying your standards in your editorial positions, even when it hurts. I’m so thankful that I am not alone as a Christian when interpreting an at times overwhelming mudslide of world news. We are family! —CHRISTINA WILSON / Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Thank you for taking a bold stand concerning Trump. I could not hold my nose tight enough to vote for either candidate and have taken a lot of heat. I’m afraid that we Christians have sold our inheritance for a bowl of pottage. —DEAN DAVIS / Carbondale, Ill.

WORLD’s decision was courageous precisely because you knew that it would upset paying members. I wrote a check that day. —JEREMY LARSON / Waco, Texas

I am grieved to hear that your editorial position during the election cost you donors. Whether I agree with you or not, I admire your courage to take a stand despite the risk to your bottom line. Journalism with integrity needs to be supported; I am ordering gift subscriptions for my three millennial children. —DONNA FLECK / Succasunna, N.J.

‘The weeks after’

Dec. 10 | I appreciated Janie B. Cheaney’s sound summary of the election results and the godly work on which believers must focus. I’m hopeful Trump can make some positive changes, but political change is only temporary. Our biggest cry to God is for another Great Awakening; may God have mercy. —LISA MEEK / Bothell, Wash.

WORLD is again looking forward to what we Christians need to do next, not whining about the poor candidates we have. Columns from Olasky and Cheaney provide direction and hope. Welcome back! —MOSS LUY / Ellicott City, Md.

We need a postelection strategy now more than ever. Evangelicals’ support of Trump gives us a heavy responsibility to encourage the administration to protect immigrants as well as the unborn and religious liberty for all communities, not just ours. Our willingness to tolerate Trump’s rhetoric makes our immigrant and minority brothers and sisters wonder whether they can trust us at all. Do we as evangelicals have the courage and discernment to play the prophetic role God has given us? —ANN MAOUYO / Baltimore, Md.

‘My hospice training’

Dec. 10 | As a hospice volunteer, I encourage Andrée Seu Peterson not to give up until they boot her out. Many terminal people have hardened hearts, but God calls some into His kingdom as the sun is very low in the sky. Between boorishness and being a liar, there is plenty of room for God to use her. —RICH WALTON / Asheville, N.C.

I recently lost my mother. Her loving family ushered her into Jesus’ presence with hymns, prayers, and fond goodbyes. I have been waiting for the “stages of grief” to hit, but received instead the peace that passes all understanding. Thank you for letting me know that is OK. —MARILYN ASHER / Omaha, Neb.

‘Classical conflict’

Dec. 10 | If you don’t teach that Christ is at the center of all truth, all that wonderful classical education leads to nothing but well-educated humanists. Either Christ is at the center or man is. —CLAUDIA MICHELS BELL on Facebook

I am amazed at the concern about using non-Christian classical authors. Classical education must hinge on the works of Aristotle and Cicero, who believed in a Creator God, and their works greatly influenced the American founders. Classical charter schools are a solid foundation for Christianity. —ALLAN BEALE / Dellwood, Minn.

‘Medical mysteries’

Dec. 10 | Americans don’t have insurance for an oil change or a brake job; why for routine medical care? At our direct-pay, insurance-free medical clinic, suturing Joel Belz’s laceration would have cost only $160. Many Americans are now being gouged by Obamacare premiums and deductibles because we think someone else is paying these bills. Eliminating insurance for primary medical care would save this country about $200 billion a year. —ROBERT S. BERRY / Greeneville, Tenn.

‘Encyclopedia of civility’

Dec. 10 | You say Wikipedia moved toward the political center recently, yet its entry on reparative therapy for unwanted homosexuality remains utterly biased, despite years of our attempts to include information that acknowledges the Judeo-Christian view on gender and sexuality. Whenever we add a citation from the scientific literature, the editors quickly remove it. —JOSEPH & LINDA NICOLOSI / Encino, Calif.

‘The MK privilege’

Dec. 10 | What a heart-touching article. I have the greatest admiration for all who sacrifice the amenities that we take for granted to spread the gospel. —DAVE DAHLKE / Port Orchard, Wash.

Corrections

Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston for his first world heavyweight title in 1964 (“News of the Year: Deaths,” Dec. 31, 2016).

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

‘Reporting worth supporting’

Dec. 10 | I wept reading some of the letters about your opposition to President-elect Trump. We've never had a savior on Capitol Hill, and never will. I wish you’d called for him to step aside much sooner, but of course hindsight is 20/20. —BEN STRITESKY / Verona, Wis.

I have been reading the letters from people canceling subscriptions because of the Trump article. I felt like canceling, too, but I made a donation instead because I thought about all the other pieces Marvin Olasky has written. WORLD and your readers deserve better. I hope you continue to publish a magazine with a Christian worldview, and I pray every day God will help Trump. —VINNIE BYRNES / Delton, Mich.

Of course we're not electing a pastor, but we are foolish to think that Trump’s sinful choices will not affect how he leads. American Christians should be deeply ashamed of their support of Trump. —ANNA GRUHN on Facebook

‘Medical mysteries’

Dec. 10 | Physician assistants may be paid less than physicians, but the practice will charge Medicare the same amount. And Medicare will pay for Joel Belz’s care, but at a rate half to two-thirds lower than the doctor’s billing rate. He is getting a bargain at the expense of the practice and other non-Medicare patients. Medicaid reimbursement is even worse, and the need to offset these lower reimbursements is one reason practices are getting so big. I look forward to my own retirement soon from this less fulfilling environment. —RAYMOND C. CLARK / Reidsville, N.C.

‘Act locally’

Dec. 10 | As former residents of Cedarville, Ohio, just up the road from Wilberforce, we are glad you chose southwest Ohio to make your excellent point about the many layers of civic life, apart from government, through which God's Spirit works to promote human flourishing. —JOHN & ABBY SILVIUS / Wooster, Ohio

‘A food & fuel Thanksgiving’

Nov. 26 | Thank you for a most informative magazine, but as someone who worked in agriculture for 30 years, I assure you we are no more or less “real servants” than anyone else. As Adam Smith pointed out, butchers, brewers, and bakers provide our dinner not out of benevolence but “from their regard to their own interest.” —DAVID SCHUBERT / Bay City, Mich.