# 5 12/16/89 World constantly in state of change
From a Christian, saved by grace: The Christian does not have to resemble a child tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of man, because the believer who is saved by the Lord Jesus Christ has the objective written word of God, the Bible.

In addition, Ephesians 2:8, 9, says, "for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast."

# 9 09/01/90 Manipulators don't have the answers
Just now our nation is in great need of warriors on several battlefields. In bold times, we must utter bold statements. "America, America, God shed His grace on thee."

#13 02/23/91 Who said what and when
John Wesley and John Calvin, though both brothers in Christ, are in total disagreement over whether Americans have free will to decide their own futures or did God already predestine the entire future of all mankind?

#16 11/02/91 We need to show more respect
We live in a world where there is a conflict of visions between people who are side by side in the workplaces, in schools and even in some homes. To put this conflict into perspective, I would like to quote the Bible (Philippians 4:8, 9) "…Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things which ye have both learned and received, and heard, and seen in me, do; and the God of peace shall be with you."

I suspect the God of peace is not with these people.

I do not try to shove God down anyone's throat. This is my personal policy because of my respect for the free will of others. I don't believe like theistic fatalists that some people were already predestined for hell, with no choice in the matter.

Even when, in my own mind's eye, I can see the deliverer of impure things turn white as a ghost when I come back with talk about a God who loves them and wants a relationship with them and has a plan for them. I give them the liberty to first freely seek the capacity to appreciate what I would like to share with them. I just wish some of those without the God of peace had a greater understanding of granting liberty to others.

#19 04/04/92 Changing things starts now
My fear, more for my children than myself, is that we have degenerated to a level of believing liberal or conservative politicians can make a difference, without the hearts of the people changing. Although I myself am a Christian, and therefore rely heavily on the Bible to understand human nature and God's laws of divine establishment for nations, what follows is not a sermon.

Thomas Jefferson, from what we can gather from his writings, was not a Christian, in the evangelical sense of accepting Jesus Christ as God in the flesh and accepting Christ as his personal savior. This will come as a surprise to many people, because Jefferson did consider, and often quoted, Jesus as "a great moral teacher," and he had a great respect for the teachings of the Bible after he cut out (literally, in his own Bible) all references to miracles from the text.

I believe a better understanding of the Book of Proverbs by all Americans would be a step in the right direction for changing the hearts of the people of our nation. I think this way because I believe God gave the whole human race a blueprint for happiness in this life, including good men like Jefferson, who reject God's ultimate gift for happiness in the next life.

Now, to shift into a political gear. What do I see as the shortcomings of both liberals and conservatives in America? I see each political persuasion focusing on one particular attribute or characteristic of God at the exclusion of all His other attributes.

Political conservatives are perceived as reflecting the righteousness or justice of God, without showing any real love for others. The attitude is that those who are not well off have only their own chosen lifestyles or low motivations to blame for the positions they find themselves in.

On the other hand, political liberals are perceived as reflecting the love of God without showing any real concern for justice (the laws of cause and effect). The attitude is that all people should assist those who find themselves in positions of need, even if it takes the force of government to carry this out.

Conservatives, you don't have to go to Washington, D.C. to do your part. If you want to teach people about "cause and effect," they are more likely to listen to you while you are voluntarily helping them meet their needs in your own community by reflecting the love of God for them.

#23 08/22/92 Classmates enjoy writer's letters
My position on increasing gay rights is simple. From a human viewpoint, many do's and don'ts in the Bible rub the hair on my back the wrong way, but I recognize the Bible as inerrant (without error), and God's authority as the last word. The Bible clearly states homosexuality is wrong; therefore, in my book, it is wrong.

#27 01/08/94 Bill Clinton is my dad
What bothers us the most is that these ungrateful children seem to have the cunning ability to succeed without the help of a national dad. Beside themselves, they say they only rely on God and their families. This cannot be permitted!

#30 03/26/94 Writing letters great for all
The way God designed reality (the time continuum), I will not have another opportunity to answer that question that I choked on (literally) in my past. But it did help my resolve in learning to express my thoughts in another mode.

#32 06/04/94 Talk radio has its place
I see some people embracing the attitude that there are not moral absolutes holding each of us responsible to others and responsible to a personal God for our own actions.

When I think of how so many people in our government have attempted to play God and perform the functions within American families that traditionally belonged to the father of each family, I confess to growing impatient with those who can't see the consequences of such social engineering. When children are raised by the government, spoiled by the government and excused by the government, then I believe we will end up with a nation full of anti-establishment and revolutionary brats.

#36 10/08/94 'Forrest Gump' is special movie
Fatalistic religious legalists are people who believe they, and a few others like them, are hereditarily and forcefully chosen by the hand of God to succeed in life, while others are hereditarily and divinely earmarked for failure.

#37 10/29/94 Sensitive people taken advantage of
In the end, the true cold and uncaring people will be held accountable to God on judgment day. You may sleep well on that truth!

#38 11/19/94 Many leery of GOP takeover
The third theory of the origin and destiny of life is the Christian doctrine of creation and the resurrection. This theory says that a loving God created mankind and after death there will be a resurrection of the body as Jesus Christ experienced. Those who joined the family of God will be forever partitioned (or separated) from those who are not a member of this family.

#42 03/01/95 Hearts similar, minds differ
Those who wish to examine the "husband and wife" as well as the "God and Humanity" relationships may be able to see the same principles at work. God's unconditional love and sacrifice for His creation is beyond human understanding. All that God asks of human beings is their appreciation and obedience.

There is true liberty under good and just authority. God has shown us the way if we will only love our neighbors as ourselves. The formula is on the blackboard!

#49 12/16/95 What if I've been wrong?
A very scary thought entered my mind recently--"What if the opinions I've expressed in the Times over the last eight years are wrong"? In many of my past letters, I have elaborated on four foundational themes which I strongly believe in: free market capitalism, political conservatism, creation by God, and mankind's possession of free will.

Liberals also refuse to pass judgment on those who choose "so-called" alternative lifestyles. In other words, they humbly refuse to play God. And talk about compassion--liberals believe that those who cannot work or do not work for a good enough reason should be taken care of by the rest of society. Liberals truly practice the religious charge that "we are our brother's (and sister's) keepers."

Evolutionists are intellectual thinkers. Whether they believe in God or not, they just accept the facts that objective scientists have proven in their research that mankind evolved from apes over a very long period of time (millions and millions of years). Any objection to evolution is mindless and childish wishful thinking.

Calvinists (faithful followers of John Calvin's philosophy of predestination) are Christians who are secure in their belief that God has determined beforehand the outcome of everything in the universe. There is no such thing as human freedom or free will practiced by mankind. It is a deceptive illusion!

Calvinists believe it is God's Plan that a chosen "elect" of individuals are saved for heaven while others, are passed over, thus damned to hell for eternity, with no real choice in the matter. This doctrine--expressed in five points--is called the TULIP (Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints).

#50 01/13/96 Difference of opinion our greatest strength
In the last thirty years, in America, there has been an orchestrated and concentrated effort by some public school superintendents and officials to remove prayer, the Bible, God and religion in general from "their" public schools. Because of this, I'm afraid they are losing touch with their opponent's arguments.

Those public educators who personally believe that the philosophy of humanism should be the public schools' "exclusive" opinion of diversity (think about that contradiction), believe that mankind, rather than God, is the center of all truth and possesses the power or potentiality of solving their own problems without a need for God. I realize some of you truly believe this with all your hearts, but why can't we talk about it in a real diverse environment--like adults and young adults--in our public schools?

The open and civil sharing of differences of opinion (real diversity) still works, even in the late twentieth century. Some of us believe "there is a God and we need God in America again!" That is our opinion. Please respect it for the sake of diversity.

#51 02/28/96 Predestination concept some accept, some not
The whole letter--14 times in this letter.

#54 11/09/96 Veteran writer reviews election
This last principle transcends the natural conflicts of politics. This principle should always dominate our actions toward one another. And remember, history shows that Stalin and Hitler both rejected this principle and its source. Thank God we have the free will to be political creatures!

#60 11/08/97 Why does evil exist?
The whole letter--18 times in this letter.