Mailbag

‘Suffer the children’

April 15 | The research by WORLD reporters Jamie Dean and Sophia Lee for the articles on transgenderism is fantastic! It is easy to see how Satan is at work in spreading this lie. I thank the Lord for a newsmagazine that reports everything from a Biblical worldview. —DICK DICKERSON / Mechanicsville, Va.

There is so much heartbreaking information here. I am truly saddened by the testimonies, all the result of a non-Biblical worldview. —ERIC PURDY on wng.org

These were the best articles I have read yet on the transgenderism issue. You people never cease to amaze me with great writing and thoughtful pieces. —KATHY DRONEBARGER on Facebook

When I was a teen, in 1947, I wanted to do what the boys did, and even helped the man next door work on his car. But when I turned 17, that man suddenly looked very interesting to me and my whole attitude changed. We were married for 61 years. That’s how we dealt with girls who wanted to be boys—we let them grow out of it. —DORIS HEYNS / Whiting, N.J.

Why are we shocked that children voluntarily undergo hormone treatments and surgical mutilation? Protestants say little about adult hormonal birth control, vasectomies, and tubal ligations. We consider these perversions of our sexuality to be a personal choice, but the Lord commanded us to be fruitful and multiply. —ALISON HENDRICKS / Fayetteville, Ark.

One would think that 4-year-old children would be safe from modern ideas about transgenderism in our home, but our grandson saw the cover and shocked his mom with the question, “Why is that boy a girl?” What is a family with a Biblical worldview to do? —DAVID SQUIER / Central Point, Ore.

‘Sounding the alarm’

April 15 | It’s good to see WORLD addressing what Christians can do to help transgender people besides shun them and squirm around them. If they are people of faith and need help, we can stand with them as they work through it. —ROBERT FUENTES on wng.org

May our Lord Jesus give us the courage to speak the truth in wisdom, love, gentleness, and respect in this whole issue. No one is so broken that Jesus cannot heal him or her. —JUDY FARRINGTON on wng.org

It’s so valuable for WORLD to tell these stories, since many in the media will not and much of the painful truth is being buried when it’s most needed. —BETH DARANCIANG on wng.org

‘Walt’s story’

April 15 | The media celebrated Bruce Jenner’s “bravery” when he went public with his transition, but Walt Heyer is the real brave one. What a powerful story. —KATIE POWNER on wng.org

The articles on transgenderism were eye-opening. Heyer’s story is Romans 8:28 lived out! —KEVIN DAVIS / Woodland, Idaho

‘Unfair fight’

April 15 | In addition to hyperandrogenic athletes, we now have the young woman in Norway who is convinced she is a cat, for example, or the grown man who insists he is a young girl. These used to be just tabloid stories. What will we do when people “identify” as a different age? Allow them to change their birth certificates? Madness, indeed. —SVEN TRENHOLM on wng.org

‘The wrong side of idealism’

April 15 | Janie B. Cheaney offers some good warnings about nationalism, but what about the dangers of globalism? I am for American nationalism because it recognizes American exceptionalism, and I support limiting immigration to those who want to adopt American values and our system of law. We must not allow Islam to take over America. —RON CASEY / Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Religion supposedly makes people violent, but it turns out they become more violent without religion. What a shocker. Nationalism that requires loyalty regardless of where it leads will always be destructive. —JOHN KLOOSTERMAN on wng.org

There may be a wrong side to nationalism, but there’s a right side, too. —JAMES FISHER on Facebook

This idea of winning at all costs will continue to destroy conservatism as long as conservatives keep winning. —NATHAN CARPENTER on Facebook

‘Mutual mission’

April 15 | Sophia Lee’s interview with Yitzchok Adlerstein was sad. His efforts to protect people of faith from persecution are laudable, but his comments about studying Scripture remind me of Jesus’ words in John 5: “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.” —TIM FRIEDRICH / Sterling, Ill.

Lee’s mature conversation with Adlerstein was refreshing, especially in a culture where it seems increasingly difficult to have thoughtful conversations with others of differing viewpoints. —BEV PARRISH / League City, Texas

‘Negative diagnosis’

April 15 | Overall, I agree with your informative article on healthcare in Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. However, the former missionary’s memory of healthcare costs doesn’t reflect our experience here in Japan. As required by law, my wife and I pay into the national system a premium based on income, for us about $420/month, and we pay 30 percent of the cost of services. A recent overnight hospital stay, including CT scans and other tests, cost about $650. —RUSSELL BOARD / Saitama, Japan

The solution for rising healthcare costs is simple. Government needs to stay out of the industry, except for fostering competition, which will lead to innovation and lower prices. —TODD FINCH on wng.org

‘Wars and rumors of wars’

April 15 | This impressive column pushes for policy details and asks our leaders and our people to consider our country’s goals for military spending. It levels no mudslinging accusations but outlines specific concerns. Mindy Belz shows how to conduct worthy political discourse. —DANIEL McPHEARSON on wng.org

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

‘Suffer the children’

April 15 | I am amazed at how many people claim to be scientific yet refuse to acknowledge that a person's sex is determined at conception and cannot be changed without changing every chromosome in a person's body. —JOHN DEGGES / Salt Lake City, Utah

‘Sounding the alarm’

April 15 | When I was raised, we were taught women could like math and men could like to cook and sew, but that didn't make us any less men or women. Now it seems if a girl is athletic someone tries to convince her she is really a man, and if a boy likes to dress up or is artistic, he must really be a girl. So much for liberation. —JOELLYN CLARK on wng.org

I have continued subscribing for many years in part because you have the courage and compassion to address issues from which other publications shy away. Those who seek to change their gender need to hear these stories and seek another course of action. —DAN MARSHALL / Concord, N.C

‘Making it up’

April 15 | Thanks for a great article and perspective on fake news. I have always relished the quote from Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street: “The most valuable commodity I know of is information.” —RANDY CREWS / Spokane, Wash