Mailbag

Case closed but not solved 

Nov. 6—Timothy McCarthy/Long Lake, Minn.

An excellent piece of writing by Emily Belz. I saw the courage and frustrations of the parents in the stories and the hopelessness in the communities with corrupt government leaders. Articles like hers expose the pain and suffering of lives under such conditions.

The evangelical divide

Nov. 6—Karl Stieglitz/Dubuque, Iowa

Thank you for Sophia Lee’s insightful article and series. We have a critical need to know our neighbors once again and not think that some sort of government program or solution will solve all our issues. I believe this is at the root of the divide.

Payment pending

Nov. 6—Gary Porter/Yorktown, Va.

James Madison fam­ously stated, “Charity is no part of the legislative duty of government.” There would be less poverty and homelessness in this country if the church stepped up. Instead, we allow the government to make more and more Americans wards of the state.

Season finale

Nov. 6—Mike Edwards/Charlotte, N.C.

Blessings to Mindy Belz in whatever the next season brings. Her travel and writing have revealed to us many lives—people we badly needed to hear about.

Stephen D. Lawton/Greenville, S.C.

My wife, Cathy, and I have been fans of Mindy Belz since the beginning when WORLD was on newsprint, and everyone was paying bills with affection and promises. To say that we will miss her voice does not do justice to the loss we feel.

Colin Powell was 84

Nov. 6—Karen Hester/Rescue, Calif.

Colin Powell’s obituary noted he had underlying conditions of multiple myeloma and Parkinson’s disease. While PTSD is the most discussed sequelae of service in Vietnam, these two conditions, which likely were due to exposure to Agent Orange, have shortened life spans and/or made life a great deal more difficult for a huge number of veterans and their families.

Thankfulness

Nov. 6—Barry Bertram/Campbellsville, Ky.

Marvin Olasky’s column should be required reading for college classes in logic. He is Scripturally spot on, but even for non-Christians his logic is practically irrefutable.

Identity vs. personhood

Nov. 6—Cheryl Irish/Bastrop, Texas

Our identity betrays us, one way or the other. Only identity in Christ, faithful and immutable, is solid—our true personhood.

“Light” music lives again

Nov. 6—Kristofer Sandlund/Zanesville, Ohio

My thanks to Arsenio Orteza for his recommendation of the wonderful British Light Music: Richard Addinsell. The incredibly relaxing and uplifting piano and orchestral music brightened my day.

Quotables

Nov. 6—Bobbye Nelson/Alvord, Texas

Thank you. Thank You. THANK YOU! For changing the background color of Quotables from black to white. I can now enjoy reading it again.

Book it!

Carol Cuttino/Carmel, Ind.

One of my favorite parts of WORLD Magazine is the book review section, and I must not be the only one. Every time I try to put a “hold” on a book from your fiction list at the library, it’s already checked out!

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

Season finale

Nov. 6—Kathryn Berry/Loveland, Colo.

I am so sad about Mindy Belz’s departure. Bless her. I have prayed for her safety while she traveled to dangerous places.

Bob Rivera/Chantilly, Va.

Mindy Belz will be missed. I always looked forward to her insightful articles. May the Lord bless her richly and abundantly beyond what she would ask or think as she starts the next chapter of her life.

Shades of America

Nov. 6—Smitty Rozman/Batesville, Ind.

I excitedly anticipate Arsenio Orteza’s music reviews and comments in every issue. He has opened so many musical doors that I never would have tried to unlock. His musical knowledge is off the charts, and a Christian perspective delightfully unveils God’s musical presence. It’s exciting to read Arsenio’s critiques and interesting back stories then promptly listen to the piece on a music site. Treasures of musical gold burst forth! Thanks, Arsenio; you rock!

No money-back guarantee

Oct. 23—Susan Dickens/Greenbrier, Ark.

Regarding the insolvency of Social Security, the problem doesn’t lie only with the uncertain consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic but with the slaughter of 63 million unborn children who would have worked and contributed to the health of the total economic picture. We have joined Europe in not having enough children to replace ourselves, on average not even two per family. As Carl Sandburg once said, “A baby is God’s opinion that life should go on.”

Generational battles

Oct. 9—Paul R. Harris/Austin, Texas

I take umbrage, more annoyance than offense, with mid-30s Helen Andrews’ remark: “I predict the anti-pornography fight in the next 10 to 15 years will become more salient once the baby boomers finally fade from the scene.” But then again, what would one expect from the woman who wrote Boomers: The Men and Women Who Promised Freedom and Delivered Disaster? Talk about painting with a broad brush; talk about the inability to distinguish between noble and ignoble paganism, let alone the baby boomers who grew up in turbulent times yet by God’s grace either remained in the faith or by greater grace still were brought back to it. Let’s agree, Ms. Andrews: Each generation sees the sins of the one before and often clearer than they do their own. Second, those in Christ ultimately see there is no answer for the sins confronting any generation apart from Him.

An interview with a founder

Sept. 25—Doreen Ashley/Callaway, Md.

I am teaching world history for a high school homeschool co-op. We were studying the American and French revolutions recently. I put a picture of Alexander Hamilton on the big screen and passed out Marvin Olasky’s questions to the students. My husband had recorded the answers that I embedded into the presentation. I had a remote clicker, so I clicked after the students asked each question. It seemed Hamilton was answering. The students were wowed! Thanks for the creative piece.