This past year, I have written about a number of topics such as my favorite holiday (Halloween), the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, and the effects of social media. In the same way that I have posted a list of my favorite books from the past year, I wanted to share the most viewed pages on my website for the year. Just as Google’s Year of Searches video reveals something about us, these posts reveal something too. They reveal that we wonder about the nature of justice, which I consider in my piece on Martin Luther King Jr. Also, they reveal that many of us have questions about how to deal with revelations of misconduct from a respected individual or how to parent in light of the ever expanding revelations of sexual misconduct brought to light in the #MeToo era. I do not claim to hold all the answers, but over the past year I have tried to think through these difficult topics and offer my advice by addressing these things honestly. Below are short excerpts and links to the Top 10 pages of this year. I hope that they can be of benefit to you as we close this year and begin the next.
10) Can Your Soul Survive Facebook and Twitter?
I sometimes post pictures on Instagram of books that I’m reading, usually just a stack on my table to let my followers know what I’m thinking about at the moment. The stack is almost always very heavily redacted. It’s not (necessarily) a list of recommendations, but a real-time rundown of what I’m consuming. Even so, I would never include in the stack Why I Don’t Believe in God or Beyond Good and Evil or Why Country Music Is Awful, for fear that some might think I agree with those ridiculous arguments. There was one book that I didn’t post on Instagram though for an entirely different reason; I didn’t want to be thought a hypocrite. I still don’t, but the case was so compelling that I’ve decided I don’t care.
Read the article here.
9) What MLK Can Still Teach the Church?
King didn’t simply preach judgment. He knew that his argument wouldn’t resonate with Christian consciences unless it appealed to their Christ-haunted imagination. That’s why so much of his language evoked a distinctly biblical view of justice.
Read the article here.
8) Should You Quit?
From hearing from you, I can tell some of you are about to quit. People often quit when they hit resistance. You might be discouraged and ready to give up. But should you?
Read the article here.
7) Why Theocracy Is Terrible?
Some Christians might be confused watching coverage of the demonstrations in Iran. Many in the West identify the problem with the mullah-led government of Iran as not merely dictatorship but “theocracy.” But shouldn’t we aspire, they might ask, to just that: governments ruled by God?
Read the article here.
6) Have Bible Quoters Replaced Bible Readers?
Most readers of this site will share my angst about biblical illiteracy. The problem goes beyond non-denominational churches or entrepreneurial churches. And the answer is not easy.
Read the article here.
5) Why Mister Rogers (Still) Matters
Children were drawn to Rogers not because he was a spectacle; he wasn’t. They were drawn to him because an adult seemed to look over that glass divide and say to them that their value was not in their striving and doing and buying and consuming. “It’s you I like. It’s not the things you wear. It’s not the way you do your hair. But it’s you I like.”
Read the article here.
4) When Someone You Admire Does Something Disgusting
After learning about someone fraudulent, you may wonder whether you can ever trust anyone again. “Who else might be lying to me?” you might ask. It is good to be skeptical, but do not grow cynical. Even in the darkest situations, we can always see the goodness of God.
Read the article here.
3) What I Really Think About Halloween
If you asked me my favorite holiday, I would probably say Christmas or Easter, but I wouldn’t want to risk saying that while hooked up to a lie detector. The polygraph would probably jump around erratically until I blushingly admitted the truth: it’s always been Halloween.
Read the article here.
2) How To Teach Boys To Respect Women
As the father of five sons, I find myself cringing if the news comes on in front of them. With high-profile men seen to be using and abusing women in the highest realms of politics, government, sports, and entertainment, I sometimes wonder how to keep the concept of the predatory, misogynist man from being normalized for my sons.
Read the article here.
1) If You Hate Jews, You Hate Jesus
We should say clearly to anyone who would claim the name “Christian” the following truth: If you hate Jews, you hate Jesus. Anti-Semitism is, by definition, a repudiation of Christianity as well as of Judaism. This ought to be obvious, but world history, even church history, shows us this is not the case.
Read the article here.
