Every December, I collect the ten posts written that year that had the most views and post them here for you. It’s always interesting to see which posts especially caught people’s attention, and this year I found that nearly all of the ten most popular posts were about controversial cultural issues—and in particular, transgender ideology and abortion (this is not always the case). It’s an indication to me that people are experiencing an increasing need for practical advice on how to respond to controversial ideas in pressure-filled situations at work, at home, and online.
No one wants to be unfairly labeled a bigot or stand alone in his peer group unless it’s absolutely necessary. So as pressure from the culture mounts, careful thought can’t be avoided. Answers are needed: Does my employer’s idea and approach really conflict with the truth about God and his world? Does this issue my friends care about really matter enough for me to take an opposite stand? And if a stand is required, how can I be both truthful and loving? I see all of this reflected in the list below. (And strangely, the first three articles we posted this year—#7, #6, #3—all made it into the top ten!)
Thanks for reading this year, and we look forward to continuing to serve you in 2023.
- Sexual Behavior Isn’t the Most Important Issue – “The most common question I’m asked during a Q&A session on sexuality goes something like this: My friend is transgender (or bisexual, gay, etc.), and I want to know what I can tell her to make her reconsider. I’m sympathetic to this question, and I understand why they are asking…. [But] there are two faulty assumptions with this question.”
- Everyone Needs to Change, Including LGBT People – “Every person who follows Jesus experiences a change in who they are and what desires they will satisfy. That will look different for every individual…. So, do LGBT people need to change who they are and who they love? If they want to follow Jesus, then, yes, of course. God calls us to change our unbiblical identity (whatever it is) and align our will (whatever its desires) with the Father. But that’s not just for LGBT people. It’s for every person who calls upon the name of Jesus (Rom. 10:13).”
- Richard Dawkins Is (Partly) Right about Pro-Life People – “[Richard Dawkins] recently wrote an article claiming that pro-life people ‘believe—deeply and sincerely—that abortion is murder.’ Let’s give him credit where credit is due. At least he understands why we oppose abortion. We recognize (and have good scientific and philosophical evidence) that abortion kills an innocent human being.”
- Are Transgender People Fixing God’s Mistakes? – “Allegedly, God could have given you the wrong body, and fixing that mistake is just like getting glasses or braces. This thinking, however, is misguided for at least four reasons.”
- The False Philosophy of Cancel Culture – “Cancel culture is based on the assumption that power—not truth—is the only way to drive cultural change. Change the group in power, and change the culture. On this view, everything is a power play. Ultimately, group power plays result in the loss of individual freedom and liberty—canceling, in other words.”
- Does Isaiah 45:7 Teach That God Created Evil? – “Several people asked how I reconcile my claim with Isaiah 45:7, where it says, ‘I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.’ There it is in plain English. God said he created evil. This thinking is mistaken for three reasons.”
- Humans Come in Only Two Sexes – “We’re not denying that people with intersex conditions exist. Nor are we denying that transgender people identify as something other than their biological sex. We can affirm the reality of these people and their experience while simultaneously affirming there are only two sexes. These are not mutually exclusive. What we can’t do, however, is deny what appears to be the reality regarding human sexuality: there are only two sexes—male and female. We know this from Scripture and creation.”
- Why Agree to Use Preferred Names but Not Preferred Pronouns? – “This is what it comes down to: I can abide by the preferences of others when it’s a matter determined by preference, but not when it’s a matter determined by objective reality. The sticking point, here, when it comes to using preferred pronouns vs. using preferred names, is that we won’t agree to confuse matters of objective truth with matters of subjective preference.”
- How to Make the Case against Abortion in Less Than a Minute – “Learn the arguments Megan [Almon] presents against abortion, and then help educate others and start some discussions by passing this video on to both pro-lifers and pro-choicers. The simple truth about abortion has the power to change minds.”
- God’s Preferred Pronouns – “God’s pronouns are they/them, we’re told. After all, God is an ungendered spiritual being. He's three persons in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s a plurality of persons. Furthermore, ‘Elohim’—the ancient Hebrew word for God—is in plural form. Doesn’t all this evidence signal a reason to change how we refer to God? Should we abandon he/him and adopt they/them?”