Letters
posted 9/09/2002 12:00AM
Trouble and StrifeI do not doubt the devotion, intelligence, or capabilities of Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry ["Double Jeopardy," July 8]. As a pastor's son who has served much of 10 years as a missionary, though, I am astounded at the widely accepted practice of sending our devout Christian single women into male-dominated cultures—especially to Islamic cultures!
Who in their right minds (and hearts) would encourage, let alone aid and enable, these gals to go to such an area? Christians ought to be sensitive enough to such cultures that we would refrain from putting our daughters at risk. The practice of sending single women to such countries is far worse than U.S. cultural imperialism. It is more personal than anything Nestlé, Playboy, or Paramount Pictures has done.
My views are an unpopular and lone voice in the evangelical wilderness. While many in my own church would quickly retort that single missionary women have won multitudes to Christ, I do not find that post hoc ergo propter hoc ("after this, therefore because of this") is a sound application of Scripture. Nor should we ignore the dangers of the ends justifying the means.Douglas Stewart
San Antonio, Texas
Gay Baby BustAs a christian who values biblically based political discourse, I found John Kennedy's portrayal of homosexual parents in "Gay Parenting on Trial" [July 8] disquieting and blatantly biased. While the second half of the article adequately touched upon the research and opinions surrounding gay adoption, the first half painted a skewed picture of homosexuals' parenting abilities.
The story of Suzanne Cook's gay father and his partner, who molested her brother and flaunted their sexual escapades in front of both children, is horrifying and sad. But to claim that Cook's experience offers an "insider's perspective on homosexual parenting" is terribly biased. There are countless examples of children who are the victims of abuse and bad parenting at the hands of their heterosexual parents, but those cases appropriately are not used as representative examples.
We should debate the gay adoption issue on the merits of biblical principles, not on the basis of unusual examples. Citing these exceptional cases to typify an entire group's parenting abilities undermines the attempts of evangelicals to speak credibly on complex social issues.Molly Doctor Henry
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Don't Mess with TheocracyIn Jeff M. sellers' article on Saudi Arabia, the account of Muslim law in terms of religious liberty would benefit from more nuance and clarity ["Confronting a Theocracy," July 8].
Islamic law, or Shari'ah, has always stated that Muslims are not to persecute native Christian communities. Christians are placed under numerous restrictions, though: They are not permitted to build new churches or expand existing ones. They are obligated to pay a special tax. They are forbidden to evangelize anyone outside of their own religion or to defame Islam.
It is obtuse for Christians to quote passages from Islamic law that appear to protect Christian churches. Every Muslim knows that, in context, these texts apply to communities of native "cradle" Christians. They never applied to missionaries or converts.
Missionary work in the Islamic world must work slowly and patiently, around its fringes (such as among Muslim emigrants). It must work in windows of opportunity amid political changes. Such work must also take place with an awareness of the possibility of martyrdom.Jonathan Couser
South Bend, Indiana
September 9 2002, Vol. 46, No. 10
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