Mailbag

Profiles in poverty-fighting

July 31—Allen A. Wiant/Westerville, Ohio

What an adorable, charming, heartwarming photo on the cover of your Hope Awards for Effective Compassion issue!

Charlene Randall/Minneapolis, Minn.

I loved Sophia Lee’s organizational choices for WORLD’s effective compassion coverage: categorization, discernment, and perseverance. All deserve in-depth study, yet you still proclaimed the gospel front and center, the core value driving all charity.

A decade of destruction

July 31—Brad O’Brien/Schertz, Texas

The Syrians sadly are not an OPEC petroleum-soaked nation. Were that the case, the rest of the world might care.

An annual assessment

July 31—Jack W. Westall Jr./Asheville, N.C.

While George Friedman has significant credentials, and I have none, I question his belief that President Joe Biden would take significant action if China invaded Taiwan. I fear that Chinese President Xi Jinping knows Biden might make a speech or two but do nothing to interfere.

A hospital visit

July 31—Kendra Sandford/Dublin, N.H.

I am surprised that Joel Belz’s Muslim nurse “made a point of holding us as Christians at a short distance,” because the hundreds of Muslims I have known would be more likely to discuss faith and pray with me—or allow me to pray for them—than the average New Englander.

J. Kelly Smith/Hamilton, Ga.

Joel Belz’s thoughts and questions were spot-on. His comments on the “nonsectarian secularism” in the United States were particularly pertinent and show that at its core, we have a vast spiritual problem.

Painful selves

July 31—Cheryl Galanti/Warrington, Pa.

In praise of Janie B. Cheaney’s column: Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. The Spirit witnesses to the presence of Christ in our lives. If He shows up enough for us to be insulted for our Christlikeness, the pain is the blessing.

Am I gagged or not?

July 31—Carole Hutchings/Rathdrum, Idaho

Marvin Olasky’s last line prompts me to recommend the book my small group is studying: We Will Not Be Silenced by Erwin Lutzer. Each chapter ends with a prayer and suggestions for how we can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Genevieve Nunn/Madera, Calif.

Olasky’s column brought Romans 3:18 to mind: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Many Americans think they know better than the Creator when it comes to our littlest ones, marriage, and family. I wonder if all we’re dealing with has something to do with God’s chastening. He is amazingly patient and long-suffering, but there is a limit.

A roller coaster life

July 31—Kevin Lantaff/Commerce City, Colo.

The contrast between the issue’s last two Notebook articles was not lost on me. The story about Holocaust survivor David Wisnia was one of courage, perseverance, and gratitude, while the photo of Gwen Berry dishonoring our flag and country accompanying the article that followed (“Stars and swipes,” p. 72) was of selfishness, pride, and naiveté.

Correction

Upcycling company ReGrained is based in Berkeley, Calif. (“Snack from a brew,” Aug. 28, p. 72).

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

Profiles in poverty-fighting

July 31—Steven Moore/Nashua, N.H.

It was enlightening to learn how WORLD focuses on people who do effective, lasting work to relieve poverty and the suffering of others. Sophia Lee’s thorough research and excellent writing gave readers a deep dive into best practices for bringing Christian aid to bear on this vexing problem. The paragraph about the Bible verse, “The poor will always be with you,” exemplifies the thoughtful approach she employed in this piece.

July 31—Kaitlyn Garrett/Canton, Ohio

I loved the Hope Awards issue! I have no idea how I will pick only one to vote for, but I will make sure to vote!

A hospital visit

July 31—Darci Gamble/Denver, Colo.

I am sad to say, Joel Belz is not wrong. I’ve been a nurse for 15 years, and I wouldn’t trade my job for another, but each day is more discouraging to me for the long-term survival of good medical care in the United States.

Stephen Leonard/ Vidalia, Ga.

Joel Belz was right on target with his observations. Thankfully, I live in a small enough place and know Christians on the local hospital staff who always visit me. But sadly, an impersonal conglomerate has just bought our hospital.

Painful selves

July 31—Ann Maouyo/Baltimore, Md.

Janie B. Cheaney’s statement that “It shouldn’t take courage to stand for the truth …” struck a chord and sparked a different reflection. Over lunch, a dear friend, a conservative African American Christian, had expressed her dismayed sense of betrayal by white evangelicals. She noted many evangelicals’ complicity in “election reform” measures patently intended to decrease minority voting and improve Republican outcomes. Wistfully, she asked, “After 50 years of racial reconciliation and multiracial churches, why don’t they trust us? Why don’t they support us?” How much courage should it take for us to stand with our brothers and sisters in today’s world?

Am I gagged or not?

July 31—William Miller/Winston-Salem, N.C.

After reading Marvin Olasky’s column, I was reminded of a persuasive essay I wrote in 2006 while I attended Houston Baptist University. My professor had received enough low-quality papers on the topic of abortion that it was one of three subjects she banned for the assignment. I took that as a challenge, ignored the ban, and wrote on abortion. As Christians, we know what we need to do to help struggling parents. And this includes fathers, as pregnancy and abortion never involve only a woman. If we don’t help, then others will step in with the destructive, uncaring, sweep-it-under-the-rug “solution” of abortion. I would like to recognize those who have come alongside parents needing help and have given of themselves so that others might live. My mom is one of those people, as she helped her sister and sister-in-law, and two of my cousins are alive and well today because of her. My aunt made the ultimate sacrifice of her life so that her son might live, as she delayed cancer treatment rather than abort her son. By the way, my professor at HBU congratulated me in class and gave me an A on the paper.

House flipper

July 31—Donna Vannoy/Palm Coast, Fla.

There is an incredible dichotomy between those who view their world through critical glasses versus those who view it through gratitude glasses. I thank Andrée Seu Peterson for providing us an example from her life. I was encouraged and strengthened by it.