To the Editor:
Re “He Coined a Term for the Way Many Christians Feel” (news article, March 11):
In Ruth Graham’s profile of the influential Christian author Aaron Renn, I recognized my own relationship with conservative Christianity in the model Mr. Renn proposes — a present-day “negative world,” in which being Christian no longer offers social privilege.
But Mr. Renn’s framework works only for white Christians. Black Christians could never be described as enjoying a “positive world” in the 1960s. Perhaps this explains the conservative, often Christian, crusade to erase the history and accomplishments of people of color from schools and libraries.
Mr. Renn suggests that the example of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. doesn’t disrupt his model because Dr. King’s persecution was about race, not Christianity. Absolutely wrong. Dr. King was persecuted by white Christians for his Christian values: equality, economic justice, peace, safety and access to the vote. Dr. King dreamed that everyone might love their neighbors as themselves.
I left this religion of love years ago, heartbroken. True faith should never be entwined with white supremacy, misogyny or animus toward any group or individual in need. Today’s “negative world” has been crafted by religious people unwilling to love their neighbors.
Surely, Jesus weeps.
C. Sullivan
Colorado Springs
To the Editor:
What a disappointment to read the long profile of Aaron Renn and see “traditional Christian moral views” defined almost entirely through the narrow lens of sexuality and gender. For those familiar with Scripture, it’s clear that Jesus focused on generosity, healing, loving one’s neighbor and welcoming the stranger, while the Ten Commandments are famously opposed to killing and lying.
By cutting international aid, our current evangelical-endorsed administration is killing others in great numbers, and it tells lies as often as the president requires it. Ideologues of Mr. Renn’s persuasion might imagine less “hostility” being directed toward them if they would focus on these kinds of very public and devastating sins instead of demonizing people’s personal lives and fabricating theologies to justify the comforts of white patriarchy.
Any decline in their “privileged status” is not mourned by the rest of America. And it was the Christian right, not the secular or Christian left, that returned to the White House the boorishness and cruelty that Mr. Renn bemoans.
(Rev.) Jim Foti
Minneapolis
The writer is a Unitarian Universalist minister and a doctoral student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
To the Editor:
When reading Aaron Renn’s views about a purported “negative world” for Christians today, I’m tempted to reply, “Try walking a mile in my shoes.” Or the shoes of any L.G.B.T.Q. person in this country, or around the world.
We can tell you about a negative world, in particular, for queer people of color. Since Constantine in the fourth century, Christianity has been married to secular power in the West — it still is today — and that has made life difficult for anyone who doesn’t toe the line of the Christian worldview. Today, one of the goals of Project 2025 is to erase queer people and culture from America entirely.
There’s been a Christian bias in the United States all along, giving people of that religion real privilege. If they’re feeling under siege it’s only because the country was just starting to live up to its own ideal of a separation between church and state, and the view that religious sway ends where another’s rights are eclipsed.
But as we see with President Trump and his crusade, the true goal of many Christians in this country is to blur and ultimately eliminate that boundary, in order to resolidify religious power and privilege.
Donald Mengay
Santa Fe, N.M.
The writer is the author of a series of books about the intersection of race, religion and queer identity in America.
To the Editor:
For most of Western history, Christians have dominated society and government. In America today, Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation zealots have exploited Christian grievance for their own culture war agenda.
At its best, religion ritualizes human irrationality and provides ethical strictures to our most destructive impulses. At its best, politics helps translate the Golden Rule into government policies to care for the general welfare of the people.
Instead, religious extremists and the Republican Party are instituting a Christian nationalism abhorrent to practitioners and patriots alike. Because it violates the biblical and constitutional notions — of justice as fairness — on which our secular society is founded.
Annlinn Kruger
Bar Harbor, Maine
Poverty Kills
To the Editor:
Re “House by House, She Steels for Grim Battle With Chronic Illness” (front page, March 3):
Chronic poverty is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, killing 10 times as many people as homicides. Let that sink in. In the world’s largest economy, where American households hold more wealth than any other country, poverty is a major killer.
Eli Saslow’s powerful article puts a human face on this crisis. In Mingo County, W.Va., where the poverty rate nears 30 percent, life expectancy has fallen to 67 years — the national average in 1950. Decades of policy choices have left places like Mingo behind, with every resource, including its residents, exploited for profit.
And yet, rather than tackling poverty, House Republicans are gutting the safety net. President Trump’s “big beautiful” budget threatens programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which are crucial to helping those in need.
The people of Mingo County — and every community trapped in poverty — deserve better.
But today, it is greed, not empathy, that drives policymaking. If the president’s budget is enacted along with the reckless dismantling of government infrastructure being led by Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, poverty won’t just worsen — it could be driven back to levels unseen in decades. More lives will be lost, and our nation’s progress will be undone.
Let’s make America empathetic again. Actual lives depend on it.
Robin Stephenson
Williamsburg, Va.
Where Are Our Ex-Presidents?
To the Editor:
Where are the voices of our former presidents? They have a responsibility to lead a coalition supportive of the Constitution and the rule of law. They should be speaking out effectively about the current abuse of power in this administration.
Gretchen Goethner
Bridgeport, Conn.
Women Traveling Alone
To the Editor:
Re “Travel 101: Tips for Solo Women Travelers” (Here to Help, March 13):
This small feature presents a capsule of what it is like to be a woman even now in 2025: When you are alone, limit where you go, where you stay, what you do and where you dine. Be aware of your surroundings, and be sure your whereabouts is known by others at all times.
The pleasure of solitude is a privilege women who are alone can seldom enjoy, whether traveling or just engaging in everyday activities, like going for a walk in a park or running on a beautiful but secluded trail.
We are used to it, of course, but wouldn’t it be great if features like “Tips for Solo Women Travelers” did not need to be written?
Karin Kramer Baldwin
Petaluma, Calif.
