Israel and Morgan Griffith in today’s letters to the editor.

Pick of the day: The unschooled in Scripture need chapter and verse

Your editorial “The latest punch line in GOP politics” on Nov. 29 included an interesting word.

You write of Republicans: “When they lose, they lament the party’s Laodicean drift and demand a course correction … to the right.”

While the word Laodicean has been used for perhaps three centuries to describe a lukewarm or compromising attitude, students of the Bible know that it derives from Revelation 3:15-16, where the Lord chastises the church in Laodicea for being lukewarm — a problem today.

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” words taken from the Gospel of Luke 11:17.

He knew that Americans would be familiar with these words.

When you use an uncommon biblical term, you should include the Bible verse reference, as many today have not been taught Holy Scripture.

J.H. WOOLWINE

ROANOKE