In Depth:  Anon

Dear Editor,

I have been reading much of the June 2020 issue of en today, especially as I am ‘shut in’ by the issues surrounding the Covid-19 virus. I was interested to see how several letters and articles have provoked us to think again about matters that we have taken for granted. Many of these are matters that brothers and sisters in other countries have had to live with because of the environ-ment (physical and spiritual) in which they live. We should be able to pray for them more intelligently.

Dear Sir,

When I was in my early twenties, I was brought under the sound of the gospel by a Christian friend and ‘prayed the prayer’ of acceptance and commitment to Christ. When nothing much happened, I was told to trust faith and not my own feelings. When I understood the gospel better, I realised that this had been a false conversion, because I was continuing in sin and had no personal knowledge of Christ – let alone a heartfelt love for Him. I must therefore have acted emotionally, partly to please my friend, and without understanding the nature of, or counting the cost of, true discipleship.

Dear Sir,

How good was Sarah Allen’s article ‘The War on Plastic’ – that latest earthly crisis (inevitably involving David Attenborough) that the media has decided that we all must focus on.

Dear Sir,

With reference to recent letters on the subject of creation, I am very glad to pay tribute to the valuable work that the various ‘creation ministries’ have done in showing the weakness of atheistic evolution. But I do wonder whether some of their current emphases should be questioned.

Dear Sir,

Although I can understand that an apparent dismissal of IVF could cause heartache to couples trying to have a baby (June en, letters July en), the wider point must not be lost.

Dear Sir,

In Iain Clement’s letter (June en) concerning the need for open air preachers to be gracious (with which I agree entirely ) he also states: ‘It is important that those who feel called to this work are gifted, … and, importantly, are sent by and under the authority of a local church.’

Dear Sir,

I wonder how many other grandmothers, mothers or daughters felt the same, on reading Dr Stammers’ article on medical ethics (June en).

Dear Sir,

I believe that you were right to publish the letter from the retired pastor’s wife (May en) but I was saddened to read the antagonistic response in the June issue.

Dear Sir,

We can’t advise Mr Baalham (November en) who advocates cancelling Christmas. We can however point out a few consequences of the line he has taken. We have been subject to such opinions for the last 14 years.