December 27

‘Far as the curse is found’

Jamie Dean is right: The solution will not come from Washington, except insofar as it ends the soul-destroying ideologies and policies that are a huge part of the problem. The solution comes from the gospel, the church, and allies who understand that we change culture one person at a time.

Dean from Ohio on wng.org

Jesus did say that the poor will always be with us. As a pastor I have found that it is better to teach folks skills, as the article says, and also teach that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Both change lives and give hope to those in need.

BroJohn on wng.org

The people where the coal mines have closed have at least two alternatives: Find a job in a mine elsewhere and move, or take taxpayer-sponsored retraining and find a new career.

Anthony Brooks / Leesburg, Ga.

‘A nation at risk’

Wonderful article. We are connected to a group of Anabaptist/Mennonite Native churches and have seen the great harm religious and government social programs cause by creating dependency. We are encouraged by a new spark of hope and revival among Navajo Christians.

Leonard & Anna Mary Burkholder / Bowmansville, Pa.

I am frustrated by the ineffectiveness of most attempts to help the poor. Sophia Lee rightly warns us not to compromise the gospel for social work, noting that the problem is our broken humanity.

Jim Schultz / Decatur, Ill.

‘Double trouble’

The reason for the president’s recent immigration order is obvious: He doesn’t care what the people think. He has been governing against the will of the people since the beginning of his presidency.

Lynn Barton / Medford, Ore.

Perhaps President Obama thinks his immigration order is the right thing to do. I think we should revise our immigration laws to make it easier for immigrants to come here and earn a living. Obama’s actions might be illegal, but his intentions are good.

Clyde Herron / Bonner Springs, Kan.

Obama knows he’s badly damaged the Democratic brand, but he thinks he’s on the right side of history.

Bill Taylor on wng.org

I fully agree with Obama’s move and his description of the current state of affairs regarding illegal immigration. I don’t blame illegal immigrants; I blame businesses for continuing to hire undocumented workers and Congress for being too partisan to find a solution. Let’s go, Congress. It’s your move.

West Coast Mom on wng.org

‘Unspoken’

I agree that Unbroken is incomplete. Maybe a sentence at the end about Zamperini forgiving his captors is the best we can expect from Hollywood. Maybe it’ll take a Christian movie company to tell the story of how he could be so abused yet return to forgive them. I want to see that story.

David Nyhuis / Eatonville, Wash.

I can only hope that movie viewers will be drawn to read the book. Laura Hillenbrand truly understood the power of Zamperini’s transformation when he encountered Christ.

GreenTravelGal on wng.org

To be fair to Jolie, Zamperini wanted nothing to do with Jesus in the prison camps and I don’t know how the whole story could have fit into one movie. I agree with her that his conversion is a second storyline and should be treated as such.

LittleWomen on wng.org

‘In the fullness of time’

Thank you for the column about the seemingly impossible events leading up to Jesus’ birth. I’ll use it to remind my Sunday school class of His sovereignty in all things, including the refining process.

Janine Dillard / Trenton, N.J.

‘Community crisis’

I’m not saying that most police are bad, but if they treated us white, middle-class folks with the same suspicion and disrespect that many blacks tolerate regularly, the outcry would deafen the nation and things would change.

Don Sutton on wng.org

‘In with the old’

Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s I felt that Queen did signify something: living uninhibited by morals. It saddens me when artists with so much talent throw away their future by their lifestyle, so I appreciate all the more the gifted artists who stay true to family and relationships.

Peter Allen on wng.org

‘Myth makers’

“Myth makers” typically ignore the Pauline letters. Even secular scholars generally admit that Paul wrote most of them, and before the Gospels, so the core of Christian teachings stands on the firmest possible documentary footing. Minor inconsistencies in the Gospels and the “lack of contemporary secular references to Jesus” are just red herrings.

Scott B on wng.org

‘Terror and grace in 1914’

I watched the video that portrays this story and wondered how the soldiers in the trenches could go back to killing each other. Marvin Olasky helped me understand, but it’s still sad.

Lowell W on wng.org

December 13

‘I kissed Fox goodbye’

Fox is the only news we ever watch, but I am persuaded by Marvin Olasky’s challenge. He and WORLD’s many other fine writers have delighted, inspired, and informed us. You faithfully fulfill the magazine’s mission statement, so I will try to help by continuing to introduce many new subscribers to WORLD.

Bill Douglas / Independence, Kan.

‘The light of the sun in a dark basement’

Thank you for your “Daniel of the Year” article about Rep. Frank Wolf. I knew nothing about him prior to reading this piece, and I feel blessed in a deep way to have learned about him.

Doug Wright / Renton, Wash.

In 1980 I worked on Wolf’s campaign. His Christian faith and advocacy for the powerless are a few of the many reasons why I call him a friend and my congressman. In or out of Congress, he will be the same man: a humble Christian and a voice for the forgotten.

David A. Williams / Fort Worth, Texas

November 29

‘Happy days of despair’

Excellent column. Janie B. Cheaney went straight to the root of our human condition. I was struck by my internal conflict of emotion: pain at seeing my error painted against the backdrop of a happy, satisfied, and comfortable life. May God’s spirit challenge and convict us to appreciate our blessings.

Fred Berkheimer / Pinehurst, N.C.

‘Interpretive dance’

Daniel James Devine has given us good insight into the BioLogos movement’s attempt to buy its way into churches, Christian schools, and seminaries. It’s a real Trojan horse.

Theodore and Donna Loy / Normal, Ill.

Corrections

Actress Sheila MacRae did not appear in the movies Oklahoma! and Carousel (“Departures,” Jan. 10).

Carolyn McCulley went to college amid post-1970s feminism and became a Bible-believing Christian in 1993 (“Pilgrims passing through,” Nov. 1).

Clarification

The Affordable Care Act’s mandate requiring employers to provide health insurance came into effect for companies with 100 or more full-time employees on Jan. 1, 2015, and will for companies with over 50 on Jan. 1, 2016 (“WORLD and Obamacare,” Dec. 27).

WORLD Around the World

Blantyre, Malawi Submitted by Sandra Gutknecht

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