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Correction! In the January/February issue we failed to insert the editor’s note at the end of both “Refuse to Do Nothing” by Kimberly McOwen Yim and “Saving Bathsheba” by Rachel Marie Stone, indicating that the endnotes are posted at PRISMmagazine.org/currentissue/end-notes. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. And we wrongly attributed a quotation in “Sharing the Shame” (the May I Have a Word? column) to Raimond Gaita. It is actually from Simone Veil.
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I attended my first ESA Conference in 1990. Hard to believe. It is what got me to Eastern University for grad school, and now I have a little organization—Someone’s Child (SomeonesChild.net)—to engage moms as to how they can use their pivotal role in the community to eradicate modern-day slavery. Thank you for playing such a major role in my learning curve over the past 20+ years. Carrie Pierce Kuba Santa Clara, Calif. I read with interest “Peace Begins on our Plates” by Sarah King in the January/February issue of PRISM. It was similar to the article “Pray Ceaselessly and Eat Justly” by Bruce Friedrich in the September/October issue. Both made good points, though I was disappointed that Ms. King omitted any information about farmers, especially small-scale, who raise all manner of animals for milk, eggs, and meat in loving, humane ways. I was, however, most discouraged by the fact that neither author acknowledged with graciousness that for many people a vegetarian diet is impossible due to allergies and other health issues. She states that “we can choose peanut butter instead of pigs” and “we can choose barley over bacon.” Well, many of us can’t. We were newlyweds with great zeal when Diet for a Small Planet was first published. At that point, we had only a few allergies to milk, and potatoes, beans, and rice were great sources of protein for us. After our first son was born, it took a few years until we discovered he was allergic to lentils. Son #2 came along, with an allergy to milk, eggs, and oranges. When our third son was 2, his entire face swelled like a balloon, and we thus discovered his anaphylactic allergy to peas and all legumes in addition to shellfish and other fish. I developed an allergy to tofu, milk, eggs, and beans, in addition to issues with many fruits and vegetables due to a “grumpy gut” (known to doctors as IBS). By the time all three boys were in their teens, the only protein all five of us could safely eat (without my fixing three different menus each meal!) was meat. I now have two daughters-in-law—one can’t have dairy or beans; the other can’t have any gluten. We are not an isolated case! Since we married in 1973 we have been strong advocates for conscientious, frugal, low food-chain diets, but sometimes bodies change over time, and we need to adjust and make allowances. It would be lovely to someday see an article about how/where to locate “humane food” for people who cannot eat legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, dairy, etc. without serious health problems and to acknowledge the reality of Peter’s vision in Acts that God has given us all food to eat as needed. Suzanne Grilman Vancouver, Wash.
I find it difficult to find words adequate to express my appreciation for the November/December issue of PRISM on “finding our identity in Christ, not sexual orientation.” The articles in this issue were profound, very moving, and greatly needed by all churches today. What a fascinating dialogue “Oriented to Love” must have been. You have put the discussion of homosexuality in a different and much-needed context for the Christian community. My wife and I read these articles along with Scripture for our morning devotions over a period of several weeks. As parents of a gay daughter, we found them insightful and deeply touching. We found ourselves responding to specific comments, experiences, and situations that are critical for the church today but too numerous to mention here. A question that intrigued me was whether there were any practicing gays among the 12 in the dialogue, Christians who were living in a committed gay relationship. That was not clear to me. I understand that the dialogue was in the context of ESA’s official position on what constitutes marriage (a man and a woman covenanted for life), but would not the experiences of gays who are committed Christians but also living in a committed relationship have much to offer, as well as to learn from the dialogue experience? If commitment to Christ and the fruits of the Spirit are marks of a person’s Christian identity, then would not “gay” Christians living in relationships qualify for the dialogue? Is not that also a fundamental issue facing Christians today, and is it really separable from the issue of gay orientation and Christian faith? The brief write-ups of the dialogue were very interesting, but I wish the writers would have expressed more directly the different experience or perspectives that emerged and to which they refer. Each described their profound appreciation for the experience and how unique and meaningful it was for them. It would, however, have been extremely helpful to those of us who were not there to have some insight into the specifics about the differences and agreements that were experienced. Thank you so very much for initiating this dialogue and for the meaningful articles in PRISM. Be assured we will keep this issue handy for future reference. Thank you and your staff for your significant work with PRISM in the cause of Christ. Robert L. Turnipseed, Sr. Lansdale, Pa.
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