Your Views

Dear Editor,

I am writing to thank you for the very timely article in May’s en by Ian Hamilton. The repeated phrase that struck me as I read it was “Behold the mystery of iniquity”.

Dear Editor,

I was saddened to learn in your May issue of the passing of Pastor A.N. Martin.

Dear Editor,

en readers might be interested in a simple form of evangelism that is bearing real fruit in our local conservative evangelical Anglican church on the Surrey/West Sussex border.

Dear Editor,

In the May issue of en, Ken Brownell, in his article on icons in Eastern Orthodoxy, writes: “images of the invisible Father the Orthodox agree are not permitted”. Orthodoxy is not a monolith with one supreme leader. There are variations in doctrine and practice. Although there have been synods that have prohibited images of God the Father, this has not prevented certain iconographers from portraying Him in their icons.

Dear Editor,

In response to Rachel G’s letter in the May issue of en, as a 64-year-old I like to think I’m well able to use QR codes and Slido. What is, however, of concern is the tendency to reduce any questions for a speaker to a limited number of words in a Slido comment or, worse, to only pick out the most popular questions. That misses the opportunity to be mutually shaped by truly pertinent questions and challenges which do not lend themselves to such limitations.

Dear Editor,

I found Jon Kuhrt’s interpretation of C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle as a prophetic parable for contemporary geopolitics to be intriguing and compelling (en online, posted 17 April).

Dear Editor,

I am so enjoying Adam Ramsay’s series on Martyn Lloyd Jones – thank you for publishing it. As a first-year student in London, for the first time I had the choice of attending any church from a vast array of options. Wanting to remain fairly local to my student accommodation, my best options were a conservative evangelical offshoot of a well-known larger “parent” church, or a large, well-known charismatic church in the area.

Dear Editor,

My wife and I belong to St John’s CofE church in Yeovil. We have found that the provision of Jesus-centred books on the bookstall is proving extraordinarily popular. This has been really helped by the church card reader having a bookstall option.

Dear Editor,

In Rebecca Chapman’s interview with Andrew Graystone (en February, page 17, online version here) entitled: “Evangelicals after John Smyth”, Mr Graystone suggested the Titus Trust withheld information from him and that the trustees dismissed his advice out of hand. I was present at the meeting in question and would like it known that Mr Graystone’s account badly misrepresents what took place.

Dear Editor,

Chris Sinkinson’s piece on archaeological finds relevant to King David (en May 2026, p. 25, online version here) is accompanied by a cropped photo of Michelangelo’s David. With regard to the latter, may I quote some comments by Francis Schaeffer (How Should We Then Live?, chapter 3): “Michelangelo took a piece of marble so flawed that no one thought it could be used, and out of it he carved this overwhelming statue. But let us notice that the David was not the Jewish David of the Bible. David was simply a title. Michelangelo knew his Judaism, and in the statue the figure is not circumcised. We are not to think of this as the Biblical David but as the humanist ideal ...

Dear Editor,

Thank you for Ian Hamilton’s article on ‘Fearing God’ [read said article here]. Perhaps we could add that the fear of God shrinks all other fears (implied by Isaiah 8v12-13). And may we add non-biblical illustrations? There are earthly things larger than us yet which we are drawn to approach (if not use), but these will prove fatal unless we respect the terms of engagement: the sea for swimmers, the cliff for climbers, the rope for cavers, the air supply for astronauts, the road for drivers, and electricity for our devices.

Dear Editor,

As a lady of a certain age (65 to be precise), I am really pleased to see many young families in our churches. However, there is a tendency for church leaders to accommodate these people more than those of my own age; events accessible by scanning QR codes and questions to leaders using slido.com [a way in which people at an event such as a conference or church service can ask questions from their phones and vote for their favourite ones]. I fully realise that these families are the next generation, but I would appreciate comments from other readers of every age with their experience in their churches.

Dear Editor,

Christians can and do speak on controversial subjects, from abortion to Zionism, and sometimes disagree. This cannot be helped, and probably does no harm, so long as Christians on all sides are seen to be wise, thoughtful and gracious. If we seemed to be silly, ignorant and spiteful it would do a great deal of harm, even if we all agreed!

Dear Editor,

An important PS to your piece about the problematic Baptist Union presidential candidates this year [read said piece here].

Dear Editor,

I am grateful for David Reynolds’ comments on my article about the monarchy. It is good to be challenged!

We do not normally publish letters of this great length – and the recommended maximum continues to be 200 words. But occasionally, very occasionally (!), there is an exception that proves the rule. And such is the helpful letter that follows.
-Ed.

Dear Editor,

Dear Editor,

I enjoyed the article by Graham Daniels that tentatively examined Wales’ performance in Round 1 of the Men’s Six Nations.

Dear Editor,

I can see why John Funnell wrote about why he wants to lay out the case for loyalty to church as to a family or spouse.

Dear Editor,

I fully understand Andy Mellen’s reasons as a Christian for being a member of the Green Party as it once was, even if I disagree with him on some of its environmental policies. Unfortunately he didn’t mention that the Green Party of today is not the old Green Party.

Dear Editor,

In recent editions of en, the word “secularism” has cropped up many times. I led the track on secularism at the Lausanne Congress in Seoul in September 2024, and we worked on a model of analysis which I think clarifies the issues.

Dear Editor,

Kirsten Birkett’s article “Connection and community for the lonely” touches on a core issue for today’s church. Loneliness is a most powerful driver for church attendance, spiritual searching, and serving. Mother Teresa, Elisabeth Elliott, and numerous other missionary figures wrote extensively about it as the deepest of human needs.