Mailbag

2021 Deaths

William Ward/Clewiston, Fla.

Jan. 15: As a 17-year-old, homeschooled student, reading your magazine has taken the place of watching mainstream news networks. I was impressed by your year-in-review article, providing a clear map of all that took place in 2021. Thank you for your fantastic magazine.

Peter King/Monmouth, Ore.

I know everyone has their favorite person you missed in the yearly obituary section, but I would have loved to have seen prolific voice actor Will Ryan honored. He was best known for voicing Eugene Meltsner on Adventures in Odyssey. His acting helped shape generations.

Shirley Kolb/Monticello, Ill.

Rush Limbaugh gave and raised millions of dollars for charity. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He embraced Christ before he died. Yet you chose to note he “contributed to our polarized political climate.” To me, this shows you had no understanding of him or his listeners.

Ken Wienecke/Monroe, N.C.

Frank Barker Jr., the founder of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Ala., and a co-founder of the Presbyterian Church in America, died in late December. I had hoped to see his significant life noted in your 2021 compendium of prominent deaths.

Handling a hostile culture

Ron Perry/Wake Forest, N.C.

Jan. 15: Tim Keller’s interview was one of the most encouraging yet discouraging pieces I have read in a long time. His honesty, candor, and love for the gospel were encouraging, but his concerns for the church laid out a disturbing pattern. It should be mandatory reading for pastors and seminary professors.

Rick Thorne/Bettles, Alaska

I beg to differ with Tim Keller. The church has not failed. Should we persevere and try harder and be innovative in our witness? Of course. But don’t use false guilt as a motivator. As a pastor, I’m insulted. If Pastor Keller feels guilty, that’s his problem—don’t lay it on the rest of us.

Understanding CRT

Tom Hagedorn/Cincinnati, Ohio

Jan. 15: I think Marvin Olasky and I can agree, no matter the label, Marxism and CRT are both evil. They seek to create hate, not love; division, not unity. I pray that we will step back from the abyss on CRT—and related gender, same-sex, and transgender theories—before it is too late.

Mickey Giles/Austin, Texas

Thank you for a clear, concise explanation of CRT. I plan to memorize it! I’m so tired of all the misinformation.

Following the lead of Carl F.H. Henry

Donna Brown/Castalia, Ohio

Jan. 15: Thank you, Joel Belz, for honoring this outstanding man of faith. We should wish that every current journalist would honor his 10 questions.

Hope in the headlines

Kathy Connors/Medina, Wash.

Jan. 15: Michael Reneau referred to Liz Cheney as “brave” and “act[ing] on principle.” Her only driving force is hatred for Donald Trump. She has virtually no allies in her party. November will speak volumes for her “backbone.”

Quotables

Theron N. Stallings/Fort Collins, Colo.

Jan. 15: I saw the quote from the mother announcing her ninth son. I guess we missed out on our 15 minutes of fame pre-YouTube. My wife, Janene, and I have nine sons, now ages 18 to 38. Our gender reveals were on the day of birth. The surprise would have been if we had a girl.

Correction

Nellie Gray made her comment about marching until the court overturns Roe v. Wade during an interview at a March for Life rally (“Legacy marchers,” Feb. 12, p. 40).