Letters

A Prophetic Exchange

“How God Intervenes” (January 2018), with Kenyatta Gilbert and Walter Brueggemann, is a wonderful interview. How blessed we are to have these two wise and articulate prophets among us. There is so much insight in their challenging and inspiring exchange.

Joan O’Brien
Wethersfield, Connecticut

The First Evangelizer

Heartfelt thanks for publishing Lou Ella Hickman’s “Anna, the First Evangelizer” (January 2018). I cannot express how much I appreciate Lou Ella’s Spirit-filled words. This poem and all her work is full of grace and truth. We have long known of Simeon’s faith, and now we better know Anna as a prophet and, as the poet-scholar has named her, “the first evangelizer.” Thanks be to God.

Elizabeth Whitlow
Austin, Texas

I Can See Death Panels from My House

Ed Spivey Jr., I’m sorry for your cold, but what the heck did you mean by “Obama’s Death Panels” in your column “Dog Days (plus cat)” (January 2018)? How could you forget that they were Sarah Palin’s total invention, a lie aimed at turning an election? Your mistake in Sojourners might rouse old ideas in folks whom Sojourners hopes to enlighten. The country needs us to think straight, which is hard enough to do without bringing up old rabble-rousing falsehoods. Anyway, thanks for your good work up to when you got that mind-bending cold. I hope you are feeling and thinking better.

Lilyan Snow
Seattle, Washington

The humor column H’rumphs often contains satirical references. Author Ed Spivey Jr. explains: “It’s kind of like Opposite Day, but with words.”—The Editors

Purdue Pharma’s Scourge

In his column in the December 2017 issue, Jim Wallis encourages readers to offer “A Prayer for the Soul of the Nation.” Then Heidi Thompson states in her article “Lord, When Did We See You Addicted” (December 2017) that the opioid epidemic is “a spiritual catastrophe” and a “public health crisis.” More than prayer is needed for this epidemic in the making. People should read The New Yorker’s article “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain.” They would soon realize that America has not only a spiritual catastrophe but also a moral crisis. The article examines the Sackler family and their development of OxyContin through their privately held company, Purdue Pharma. They are knowingly manufacturing and selling addictive drugs, fueling a situation that may take more lives than the HIV/AIDS crisis. Urge the Sacklers to point their moral compass to true north by banishing their manufacture and sale of this scourge.

Rich Dykstra
Ludington, Michigan

Keeping Hope Alive

I am afraid, angry, bewildered, and clinging to shrinking hope. The violent wind of injustice screams while the waves of moral destruction crash around us. In disbelief and desperation, I shout, “God, don’t you care that we are perishing?” Jim Wallis and all at Sojourners, you help keep my waning hope alive. Thank you.

Dale Morris Lee
Denver, Colorado