Mailbag

"Bad connections" (Aug. 14)

My skin crawled after reading this article. Mark Siljander is unbelievable, and what hubris. Promoting peace? Give me a break. I also have grave doubts about the Fellowship. It seems very suspect, calling into question a number of our political representatives connected with them.Beverly A. Coldiron; Longs, S.C.

I was grieved to hear of the court case against Siljander, obviously for him and his family, but also for the setback his apparent errors in judgment gave to Christianity's credibility.Glenn Martin; Santiago, Dominican Republic

"Talk talk talk talk talk" (Aug. 14)

I reluctantly joined Facebook recently, hoping to stay connected with a few old friends who scarcely use email anymore, and was friended by half the students with whom I attended high school. I was unprepared for the shallowness and the frothy comments, but encouraged to know that others see the lack of substance in our dialogues.Rebecka Tol; Tacoma, Wash.

I agree that social interaction is a lost art. With the distractions of everyday life, who has time to interact with a friend or neighbor? Why not have every personal experience on a social networking site? Thank you for the insightful column.Phillip Owen; Kissimmee, Fla.

"Thank you, subsribrs" (Aug. 14)

After a rather lengthy argument my mother and I determined that "miat" could either be "medicate" or "mediate." And my vocabulary has greatly improved. I also hope Marvin Olasky's finger will recover quickly so I can continue reading his columns without have to diphr thm ovr lunh tim.Alyssa Hughes, 16; Yigo, Guam

Olasky's alphabetic musings inspired me to find more unrecognizable parings and cost me an afternoon nap in the process. In this alphabetic economy, credit is severely crunched, to "rit." Lengthy ceremonies could be shortened to more bearable "rmonis." And it "ain't" an "accident" (or is it?) that some, called upon to "recant," choose instead to "rant." Clearly this could get out of hand, so let's hope Olasky's injured typing finger mends quickly.Mark Lama; Arlington, Wash.

"A need-to-know basis" (Aug. 14)

I enjoyed the column. Most of the giants of the scientific revolution in the West-Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Boyle, Pascal, and others-were Christians. In their view, God is a God of order and therefore His orderly creation would yield information to rational investigation. Further, since the Creator and the creation were separate, no longer was nature in some sense sacred. They could tamper with nature without defiling anything, and the experimental method, the backbone of modern science, was born.Scott Hightower; Colorado Springs, Colo.

Janie B. Cheaney points out that Christians are encouraged to satisfy their curiosity, and in the West this has led to scientific progress. Curiosity exists in non-Christians as well. Some atheists claim not to care where it all comes from, but this is a lie. Part of the human condition is the God-given curiosity that distinguishes us from other living creatures. To ask why, how, and who is a built-in part of the hiker's equipment.Don Fairburn; Wilmington, N.C.

"Love, internet style" (Aug. 14)

I agree that the "matches" internet dating services provide often aren't of interest, that there are unique risks, and that you can't always trust what people say about themselves. Of course, meeting people in real life can have the same drawbacks. But past age 30 or 40, very few spiritually compatible, interesting, and marriage-minded singles are available. These websites may open up new possibilities.Cheryl Dunlop; Nashville, Tenn.

The article on "electronic" matchmaking was fun. Next June, my husband and I are traveling to Phoenix for our 10th anniversary to visit the office of the Christian dating site where our profiles first met. We are both convinced God used it to answer our lonesome prayers.Janie Cook; Flagstaff, Ariz.

Quotables (Aug. 14)

No one would doubt the total forgiveness of God to a repentant sinner, but does God have anything to say about whether Ted Haggard should be leading a church? I think so. Priests who sinned could not come near God in the office of priest, according to Ezekiel 44, but they could serve as a keeper of the gates and in similar roles. However much the flippant Haggard "needs" to lead a church, God has other ideas.Gladdy Teague; Mount Vernon, Iowa

My daughter who is not yet 3 years old regularly counts from 1 to 50. I can't help but think that when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stated, "It's easy to count to 60. I could do it by the time I was in eighth grade," he is giving us a much bigger glimpse into the real reasons for what he says and does in the Senate than he realizes.Loren H. Sanders; Milwaukee, Wis.

"Role change" (Aug. 14)

You noted that Lance Armstrong may fall from grace due to drugs. But he showed his true colors when he ditched his wife and kids some years ago for a string of floozies. And his wife had nursed him back from cancer! What a guy.Richard Brewster; Cutchogue, N.Y.

"The disappointment of the double helix" (Aug. 14)

Rather than being a biomechanical blueprint, DNA more closely resembles computer programs. Programs for vastly different purposes often use identical code to perform common tasks; these are called "operation codes." The "modest" 20,000 genes in all living things might be like the operation codes of DNA. In comparison, the Java programming language has at most 256 opcodes. Could God have used something akin to a computer language with 20,000 opcodes to express something as complex as a living thing? I think He could.Scott Ritchie; Palm Bay, Fla.

"The end of accomplishment" (July 31)

I appreciated Janie Cheaney's column, except her comment that "still later, [the U.S.] was able to subdue two deadly enemies on opposite sides of the globe, and then single-handedly rebuild them." Not to downplay the U.S. contribution, but quite a few others were involved in the war with Germanyand Japan and, especially in Europe, some of them did a lot of the heavy lifting.Don Codling; Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia

"This important war" (July 17)

America's proud heritage includes fighting a Revolutionary War and many others on the premise that we were "fighting for freedom." If we are not fighting for freedom of religion in Afghanistan, why are we there? Everything I have learned about the Islamic religion and Shariah law indicates that those under that law are not free.Ray L. Jones; Mesa, Ariz.

"Moveable feasts" (June 5)

Great column! Thanks so much for the reminder to slow down. As a rural family living in the largest agricultural area of the United States, we see how people are in a quest to feast all the time. They come to our fruit stands in May when we have fresh, ripe, luscious strawberries, and they want walnuts or navel oranges, which come in the cold weather. Now in August we have mouth-watering peaches and plums but they want strawberries and cherries, although their cool season is past. I praise God for the seasons of the year and seasons of life, and that He gives us wisdom and grace to enjoy them all.JulieBeth Lamb; Oakdale, Calif.

Reading WORLD is like hearing from members of our family. There is a warm family feel that we just don't get in secular publications. Thanks for all you do.Joel & Sheila Harris; Grapevine, Texas

Corrections

Chaplain Frederick McGuffin's rank is Navy Commander ("Warrior class," Aug. 28, p. 42).

Scientists estimate that the BP oil spill is the worst offshore, accidental oil spill in history ("Oil deal?" July 31, p. 8).