I appreciate the recognition that some of our interfaith work today is between generations (“God’s truth scattered,” Editorial, August). It feels like we millennials are inheriting a challenge that former generations kicked down the road. Humanity has never been good at monotheism. We may not erect Ashera poles or idols of Ba’al, but finances, firearms, fashion and fandoms pull us away from the spiritual practices of our forebears. This has been ignored, denied and even repackaged as missional, hoping that if we just become more entertaining we’ll solve the problem.

I’m not talking just about church attendance, nor do I blame social media. Twenty years ago, I attended a conference where it was said that the main reason children do not inherit their families’ faith is because they rarely see their parents practicing it. We need to choose our faith among the competitors for our devotion and adopt practices that shape our faith first.

We are shaped by the things we allow to repeatedly flow around us. Jesus gave his disciples a prayer to shape and inspire transformation (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4). That is a good place to start. We can reach out to a pastor, spiritual director or faith mentor to find practices to integrate into our lives and share within an intergenerational community.

Clayton Gladish, Goshen, Ind.

Recently, the 4-year-old grandson of the late Sen. Joe Lieberman, who was Jewish, told his mother that he would see his grandfather again. The New Testament affirms this because of Christ’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). The views expressed in the letter don’t square with the Bible. 

Ken Fellenbaum, Milford, Conn.

Don Steelberg’s letter citing E.G. Kauf­man (who was my professor at Bluffton College) and others about believing they would not see their spouses again after they died got me thinking about a book I read, Heaven Is for Real, by Todd Burpo. The subtitle is “A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back.” This is the story of the author’s 3-year-old son who had surgery for a ruptured appendix four days after a misdiagnosis, and his body was full of gangrene. The boy, Colton, went to heaven and told his parents of seeing Jesus, his grandfather and another family member. If you haven’t read this book yet, you may want to do so.

    Jane Friesen, Hesston, Kan.