Jim Winkler and the Christian-Muslim Summit in Washington, D.C., are onto what should be Topic One for all believers ("The sacred work of reconciliation," Word from Winkler, Faith in Action, March 5). That work is hopeful and it needs to be cranked up a thousandfold.
That work is hopeful and it needs to be cranked up a thousandfold.
At the core of reconciliation is a phenomenon clearly identified by Konrad Lorenz. In order for a person(being) to kill another person(being of the same species), the kille first has to mentally transform the other into some different species. In other words people don't kill "people," they kill "others.". All the names we had for German and Japanese people during World War II expressed this clearly.
Putting a face and name on the "other" preempts and interferes with the killing process. Go for it!
— Hill Kemp, Many, Louisiana
Hats off to young Jason Illian ("Sex and the church: 'Bachelorette' alum talks about true love," Faith in Action, March 5)! And thanks to Diane Degnan and the General Board of Church & Society for presenting what is increasingly being characterized as "old and outdated" in the church today!
Jason has found the pearl. Loving relationships are the heart of our Christian faith. The "true love" that Jason speaks of is the kind that sustains a healthy marriage. Sex is only one expression of that love.
Thank you! It's not old fashioned to distinguish between acts of love and sexual acts of passion. And it's surely wise to understand which one has priority over the other.
—Bill Chadwick, Louisa, Virginia
The budget is not and never has been a moral document ('Greatest anti-poverty program, Word from Winkler, Faith in Action, Feb. 26).
Christ said render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's and render unto God what is God's. Worry about what the church does, and what you do, not what the government does.
There are many of us in The United Methodist Church that think your statements about the environment and militarism are just plain wrong. We would like to see more military spending, and we know enough science to know that the recent talk from many church leaders about environmental change has no scientific basis, but we do not claim it as a moral issue deserving of church action.
Your claim that you know the correct moral stance about the U.S. budget is nothing but hubris on your part. Stop trying to tell others what to do and do something yourself.
—Andrew Kerber, Blue Springs, Missouri
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