Top 10 Posts of 2019

I did this last year, and if it was not necessarily a smashing success, at least it was easy and fun. So why not give it another shot?

If we started any trends in our sixth full year of daily posting, it was probably due to the shortage of new material from Immanuel Can. IC has written a bunch of things in the past twelve months, many of which I’ve read and enjoyed. However, most of them have been directed to individuals online and targeted toward very specific personal needs, which made them poor blog fodder. Our loss.

In any case, what happened as a result is that five of our ten most-read posts this year (numbers four through eight) were various installments of my weekly email exchanges with IC. Hey, apparently our readership will take what it can get ...

Here they are:

10. Anonymous Asks (35) (April 15)

“Why is it ok for the church to sell coffee and other products when Jesus was outraged when merchants were selling things in the temple?” So asks an anonymous poster, and I attempt an answer that doesn’t come across as a bunch of mealy-mouthed excuses. Your mileage on that issue may vary.

By Tom

9. Anonymous Asks (40) (May 20)

“In Genesis, Adam and Eve leave the garden and cities are already there and other people. Please explain.” So asks another anonymous poster, and I respond with a few documented facts about a woman’s reproductive window and the Guinness World Record for children birthed therein. People can make more people very quickly indeed under the right conditions.

By Tom

8. Too Hot to Handle: Two Promises (January 4)

In Matthew 16, upon Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus responds with two promises, which we may briefly restate as: (i) “On this rock I will build my church”, and (ii) “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” As you might imagine, with Qman and Bernie lurking in the comment section, the interpretation of “this rock” inevitably turns into a hot take.

By IC and Tom

7. THH: Bypassing the Intellect (April 26)

I think this may be the only time we’ve managed to snag Bernie for one of our regular THH sessions. It starts with a barely-remembered quote from Ravi Zacharias to the effect that music has a way of bypassing the intellect and speaking directly to the heart, lurches into our various experiences with the transcendent, and includes a fair bit about C.S. Lewis. Nobody minded that, apparently.

By Bernie, IC and Tom

6. THH: The Church and Fatherhood (June 7)

Is it better to leave teaching fatherhood to the state, or does the church have something significant to contribute to the discussion? And what should our churches be doing for fatherless children? Are there any circumstances under which a fatherless household is actually the right option? I won’t suggest we find all the answers to a difficult subject, but we certainly take a whack at it.

By IC and Tom

5. THH: The Good, the Bad and the Godly (March 29)

Is something good (or bad) just because God says it is, or is it good (or bad) intrinsically? The Euthyphro dilemma considered. At some length.

By IC and Tom

4. THH: The Best Men Can Be? (January 25)

You will remember the Gillette commercial from earlier this year in which the corporation presumed to lecture its own customer base about toxic masculinity. We didn’t find it funny. And I’m still doing just fine with my new Schick Hydro. Not cutting myself at all. Take that, Robert Kraft.

By IC and Tom

3. Flood Myth-takes (March 6)

In which I compare the “flood myth” of Genesis to the real thing: the Gilgamesh Epic. As it turns out, they are very different indeed. Part 2 of a four-parter, if I recall correctly.

By Tom

2. Somebody Else’s Lamb (April 21)

It starts with a conversation with an atheist who insists he’s “morally better than your God”, winds through the Passover, and ends up at Christ, where everything always should. My favorite post of last year by a country mile.

By Immanuel Can

1. The Dreaded New Year’s Day Post (January 1)

I hate writing event posts. I moan about it constantly. So it’s ironic my New Year’s Day post was our most-read post of last year. Maybe it was the odd combination of Hosea, Jacob and zeal for God. Or maybe it was just the word “dreaded” in the title.

By Tom