Article avoided discussion of sin
Joan Garrett’s article (June 24) on Matt Nevels’ loss of his son to AIDS was sensitive, moving and well- written. But it wasn’t balanced and fair to those who disagree with Nevels’ opinion. It lacked a clear and sympathetic argument for seeing homosexual behavior as sinful.
All of us are sinful and need to have our sinfulness pointed out to us. To tell someone his sin is part of his identity and God cannot or need not cleanse him of it is neither charitable nor gracious. Jesus Christ, who was the embodiment of God’s compassion, said, “Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19, TNIV).
The church has taught for millennia that homosexual activity is sinful. The church can, of course, get things wrong, but our culture’s notion that it’s somehow more charitable to approve of homosexual activity is based more on our desire to construct a morality that appeals to us than on a desire to understand the compassion and grace of God as it is revealed in Scripture.
DR. CLIFFORD FOREMAN, Lookout Mountain, Ga.
It’s not OK to shoot a bird of prey
As a long-time birder, I was saddened and dismayed to read Dalton Roberts’ column on how to protect your yard birds from danger (June 26). His noting that he shot a Cooper’s hawk with a BB gun is not only stunning to me, but illegal. Nature provides a balance, and part of that balance is having raptors who do, yes, unfortunately sometimes eat other birds. This keeps the bird population in check. Hawks are a protected species, Mr. Roberts, just like songbirds, and a hawk hunting prey is simply doing what they are hardwired to do. Trapping feral cats is one thing, but it’s never OK to shoot a bird of prey, period.