Letters

Exposing Devious Lies

Thanks for the common sense and factual article “The Politics of Contraception,” by Rachel Marie Stone (November 2015). I have personally been insulted by the propaganda some believe about Planned Parenthood. The affordable health care that women receive there is the only health care several have received. It is rewarding to know that the devious lies are being exposed, which is simply that responsible use of contraceptives actually reduces abortions.

Elain Edge
Rogers, Minnesota

What About the Birds and Bees?

I appreciated your balanced discussion of the issues facing Christians with regard to family planning (“The Politics of Contraception”), but it did omit one major reason why Christians have a responsibility to limit the size of families. Over the past 70 years, humans have used medical research to lengthen their lives and as a result have added almost 5 billion people to the world population. This has had disastrous consequences for many of the other occupants of our planet.

Do humans really have the right to beget as many children as they want and so squeeze out “the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the field” in the midst of which we have been set as stewards? If it is right for Christians to make use of modern medical science to extend the length of their lives, is it not also right to use the advances of that same science to limit family size and reduce the destruction that humans are wreaking on God’s creation?

Stephen Carr
Zomba, Malawi

Paul’s Spiritual Manifesto

I enjoyed everything about the November 2015 article by Reta Halteman Finger—except the title and closing sentence. I don’t believe we should call it “Paul’s Political Manifesto” but rather a spiritual manifesto with political implications. If we say that portions of scripture are to be read as political manifestos, it could indicate that you can only find validity in scriptures that directly relate to current social conditions.

Instead, we should consider that all spiritual truths are going to have implications for societies in all ages. If Paul had been truly political, I think we would have specific views from him on slavery and the treatment of women and children. The declaration in Galatians 3:28 is a key passage on this point: Saying that there is no longer male or female, slave or free, was not a cry for political reform but the revealing of a mind-blowing new community born out of the cosmic work of Christ. But for anyone who takes it seriously, it has to impact the way they treat others.

Mark Medin
Temecula, California

A Gift of Laughter

I experience many consciousness-raising articles and inspirational words in Sojourners magazine, and now I can say I have also laughed out loud at a recent reading. That reading, of course, was Ed Spivey Jr.’s essay “Answering the Call of the Mild” in the November 2015 issue. It was delightful to read his reaction to the “joys” of camping. Thank you for that gift!

Donna Milton
Marietta, Georgia