Below are the ten posts from 2017 that had the most views. The collection itself is an interesting commentary on what our culture is currently searching for online. (I didn’t include two film reviews since the films are no longer current, but for those who are interested, see also Melinda’s review of The Shack and Alan’s commentary on Is Genesis History?)
- Did Old Testament Men Treat Their Wives Like Property? – “Granted, I’m sure there were some men who did, just as there are terrible husbands now; but in the main, the passages I read in the Bible about husbands and wives don’t look at all like men viewing their wives as property.”
- Never Read a Qur’anic Verse – “As we say at Stand to Reason...‘Never read a Bible verse.’ Always read the whole paragraph, chapter, or more. Never try to understand the meaning of a passage without considering the context. This should apply to Islamic texts as well.... In the case of Surah 5:32, the context is critical.”
- When Does Life Begin? – “When does life begin? It’s not really as hard to answer that question as many think.”
- Rethinking “God Hates the Sin but Loves the Sinner” – “There are at least two problems, as I see it, with this statement. One is practical, and the other is theological.”
- Is Homosexuality Natural? – “The answer to this question depends on how you define ‘natural.’”
- Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? – “Christians and Muslims seek to honor God while believing that different persons occupy that office. They believe in the same what—a deity who created the universe, administrates history, and judges human actions and motivations - but they believe differently in who fills that role.”
- Should the Apocrypha Be in the Bible? – “Should the Bible include the Apocrypha? Here is where I think Jesus can help. Specifically, I believe Jesus’ words lead us to the conclusion that the Apocrypha is not Scripture.”
- Urgent Prayer Request for Melinda – If you haven’t already read this post explaining Melinda’s serious accident, I hope you will take a few minutes to read and pray.
- If Naturalistic Evolution Is True, People Are Not Equal – “If reality is coherent, an acknowledgement of reality in one area (say, the idea that we evolved and were not created by God) will necessarily affect our understanding of reality in another area (say, the idea of universal human rights). Rather than being two completely separate ideas, they’re related to each other in a coherent worldview.”
- The Apology to the LGBT Community That Needs an Apology – This post had the most views by far: “Last week I was sent a video titled Confessions of a Christian Nation – LGBTQ Discrimination. The short, six-minute video features Brian McLaren, Greg Boyd, Brian Zahnd, and Bruxy Cavey taking turns apologizing for the mistreatment of the LGBT community by the Church.” Tim responds to the apology in this post.