Mailbag

Out of the shadows

The two pieces by Mary Jackson and Carolina Lumetta on the rise of anti-Semitism have left me shaken. I find myself again repeating “God has not given us a spirit of fear,” as I have so often in the past few years after I read something in the news that shakes my confidence that this country is going to be the same place for my children and grandchildren that it has been for me.

My family came to this country from the Soviet Union in December 1979 on the Jewish Migration Visa. President Carter strong-armed Leonid Brezhnev to allow Jewish dissidents to leave the Soviet Union in exchange for shipments of American wheat. Our “Jewishness” was enough to get us out of the Soviet Union, but not enough to get us to Israel as only my dad’s mother was entirely Jewish. The IRC took up our case in Italy and helped us get to America. While in Italy, missionaries in Rome—who were there specifically to share the gospel with Soviet Jews living temporarily in the city while their paperwork was getting processed— shepherded my parents and grandparents to a saving knowledge of Christ. Twenty-one days after my family arrived in New York City, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, which surely would have resulted in my father being called up and forced to fight because he had been drafted into the Soviet Army. He was drafted because as a half-Jew, there were no university spots open for him.

This is just a part of the amazing story of God’s working in one family of very unimportant immigrants to the United States. We came to the United States from an enemy land, an “evil empire,” and were welcomed with open arms to eventually become church members, taxpayers, citizens, voters, fully contributing members of this country. I pray that the readers of WORLD will not forget that so much of the “anti-” this and “anti-” that comes from the same place—forgetting that we have the Imago Dei on all of us.
     Vera Volodin / Charlottesville, Va.

I appreciated the fairness of the recent article about the rise of anti-Semitism, however the lead photo for the article was disappointing. It was a full-page image of a burning swastika, with a caption about a neo-Nazi group in Georgia. Yet the article did not mention neo-Nazi groups, or how vanishingly rare and unpopular they are. The image seemed intended to lead the reader to believe that lack of support for Israel is akin to neo-Nazism (i.e., anti-Semitism), as though it’s a quick slide from one to the other (which is not supported by the facts or the text of the article). The photo undermines the fairness of the article by cashing in on a sensational image while discussing a reasonable topic.
     Rachel Gage / Hart, Mich.

Good article on anti-Semitism! Anti-Semitism, however, is different from all other kinds of racism; it has a demonic empowerment. God chose the sons of Israel as His initial and dominant missionary group to evangelize the nations, which they have never done. Someday they will, when they awaken to their Messiah. Meanwhile, Satan has been trying to kill off every last Jew possible to prevent that since Haman’s attempt in about 450 B.C.
     FM Ward / Seaside, Calif.

Thanks for the insightful and timely cover story on anti-Semitism currently on the rise in some conservative circles. I hope that, as a magazine that takes pride in fairness, you will continue this topic with a cover story on leftist anti-Semitism where it is much more violent and prevalent, most notably at Ivy League schools like Harvard and Columbia.
     Dr. Lowell Hagewood / Nashville, Tenn.

I am so grateful for your cover story on anti-Semitism! I think this is the most important issue for the church and the world right now. I am tuned in to Israel and the Jewish world, but most of your article was news to me!
     Paula Oas / Laurel, Md.

I was sad and upset reading the two articles on anti-Semitism—especially about some “pastors,” who are supposed to know the Word of God. According to the Bible, every human being is the same in God’s eyes. Maybe it is time for them to read the book of Esther!
     Ed Chan / Hoover, Ala.

Distilling godly wisdom

I found it interesting that there was no mention in Timothy Lamer’s article on Matt Smethurst’s 2025 Book of the Year about Tim Keller that WORLD had actually knighted Timothy Keller’s book The Reason for God as the 2008 Book of the Year! That would have been appropriate, if not ironic. One may not agree completely with Keller, but some of his works, such as The Reason for God, are superb tools for exploring faith with seekers.
     Laura Gong / Livermore, Calif.

In recognizing Tim Keller on the Christian Life as its 2025 Book of the Year, WORLD is honoring a man who was an effective spokesman in a bygone era that was less hostile to biblical faith. But Keller overemphasized winsome engagement, exemplifying Naaman’s example (2 Kings 5:17–19) of accommodation at the expense of stand-taking and resisting pressure. He was not always consistent in his public comments on the biblical understanding of homosexuality. And he often punched right but coddled left.

His approach will not carry the day, given unprecedented challenges in front of the American church. At the least, it would have been better to share the Book of the Year award with a more convictional writer who is willing to support younger believers who very well may have to live out costly, faithful, and courageous convictions.
     Steve Thomas / Graham, Wash.

Honoring the body

I so agree with Janie B. Cheaney and appreciate her mentioning Victor Sweeney and his views on caring for the body of a loved one. My mom always told me to just bury her in a wooden casket, not knowing that when she died the wood ones were the most expensive. But I did honor her request to be buried under a tree. I like visiting that spot where she and my dad are now waiting for their new glorified bodies. Last summer when I visited my grandparents’ grave, I knelt and thanked God for giving me a godly heritage. Now my family has had disagreements about burial versus cremation. I am sad that I don’t have a place to take flowers for those who were cremated.
     Shelley Spanogle / Clearfield, Pa.

We have been praying for Janie B. Cheaney’s husband and her and her family. We find her updates during her trying journey encouraging. Wonder, love, and hope in Christ are at the heart of one devoted to Christ in this fallen world. Every time we read her columns, we find her locked into the promises of God’s Word, with that wonder, love, and hope oozing from the page.
     Charlie & Sue Hornick / LaGrange, Wyo.

On the edge of faith

I understand Charles Murray when he says, “I have beliefs rather than faith.” This reminds me of theologian Herman Sasse’s warning of “a philosophy to live with, not a philosophy to die with.” I respectfully recommend a good dose of Bible reading and C.S. Lewis’ books Miracles and Mere Christianity. I pray Mr. Murray will someday realize he was saved by believing.
     Jorge A. Velez / Long Beach Calif.

The foolish road

This column touched on many of the issues that have bothered me about the political right today. Since becoming a Christian, I have come to embrace moral principles, government policies, and attitudes toward my fellow man that I have seen many conservatives also embrace. However, this is countered by the MAGA movement and an ideology of tribalism that espouses grievance, cruelty, and visceral hatred. My faith remains strong that the American political system can be healed to bring us back to the God-ordained core principles that our forefathers established for us to live civilly and in peace.
     Paul Scheihing / Otis, Maine

Unconventional press

While the White House has changed which news outlets are welcome to the press briefings, most people do not get their news from these outlets anymore. Trust in the mainstream media is at an all-time low, and I am grateful for the countless podcasts, X, and a largely free alternative media that exist. If we are honest, we have to admit the newsrooms of conventional media are filled almost entirely with registered Democrats. Most of us moved on long ago from that as our news source.
     Kathy Connors / Medina, Wash.

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