Letters: Jun. 5, 2006

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(THE REV.) DAVID W. BURT Billings, Mont.

Christ calls us to "Make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28: 19); that is a call to action, not inaction. Christians are obligated to engage the culture, and the political arena is no exception. Lukewarm Christianity is indefensible. Christians living out their faith may take comfort in Holy Scripture: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you" (John 15: 18).

SUSAN D. CUTAIA Boca Raton, Fla.

When Christianity and politics are mixed, both are corrupted. How is it that today's politicians have ignored the profound wisdom of the Founding Fathers and injected religion into their politics? As a Christian and a Republican, my faith informs my politics, but I do not use my faith as a political weapon. It's about time that Republicans study their history and remember the words of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican President. In the midst of the Civil War, he humbly refused to claim God as a partisan for his political cause, saying, "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

WALTER LEE Orange, Calif.

I am mystified by the ability of liberal Christians to unself-consciously redefine Christianity at will. Sullivan asked how we can know what an "ultimately unknowable" God wants of us. Well, we know that through Scripture, and that is what ultimately defines Christianity. Sullivan is free to hold whatever beliefs he likes, but he shouldn't call himself a Christian unless he believes the tenets that define Christianity in the first place.

MARTYN WHITTAKER Poway, Calif.

Sullivan's Essay was a concise statement of the grounds for the separation of church and state. The President has on occasion insisted that our battle with terrorism is not with those of the Muslim faith. But his rhetoric linking his political positions to his religious faith does little to reassure those around the globe that the present Administration is not striving to achieve a Christian theocracy. Never in U.S. history has it been so important for Americans to examine the relationship among religion, faith and government.

BILL BROWNSON Woodland, Calif.

As someone who spent years in Catholic schools, I have never felt so alienated from the idea of Christianity and all its sociopolitical implications as I do today. When the end comes for me, I'm banking on God's being an independent.

ERIN M. GRIFFIN Kingston, Pa.