2014 has been a mighty good year to PARSE. Here’s a retrospective of the year’s most popular or valuable topics and pieces, with the expected (Mars Hill, immigration, sexuality, etc.) and the surprising (the wardrobe habits of a female preacher, elder care, and church planting’s dirty laundry). Enjoy! -Paul
1. Mars Hill: Yes, we know you’re sick of hearing about it. But When a Pastor Resigns Abruptly , Why Mark Driscoll’s Resignation Shows We're in a New Era For Pastors , and Mars Hill Elders' Letter of Confession (broke here on PARSE), along with Thank You, Mark Driscoll all made a splash. We don’t think it’s cheating to lump them under a single bullet point in this list. Nor do we think it’s cheating to direct you to our well-received extended piece on Mars Hill at Leadership Journal.
2. Immigration: We featured activists and pastors in bringing light to a complex issue. Alexia Salvatierra (Breaking Down the Walls), Matthew Soerens (How Churches Can Respond to the Unaccompanied Children Crisis), and Matthew Blanton (Thinking Christianly About the Unaccompanied Children Crisis) all contributed to our national dialogue as evangelicals here.
3. An Open Letter to Houston Mayor Annise Parker struck a religious liberties nerve when Houston pastor Chris Seay wrote to city government after they subpoenaed pastors’ sermons. (The city has rescinded its demand.)
4.The Op-Ed (Oprah Edited) Drew Dyck’s theologically edited java jacket quotes. That is all. Well, mostly all.
5. I Walk Between (Part 1 and Part 2) “I’m gay, a Christian, and in a straight marriage. What does discipleship look like for me?” asks Aidyn Sevilla. And in We All Walk Between, Aidyn’s wife had a few ideas . . .
6. 30 Christian Stock Photos of Limited Appeal The viral humor piece you’ll wish you didn’t have visuals for.
7. What (Not) to Wear: A Female Pastor Prepares to Preach An anonymous byline doesn’t detract from the keen dissection of gender and ministry perceptions in this clever piece.
8. When Service is Selfish Amy Simpson’s excellent look at co-dependency in ministry will prompt introspection. It’s not healthy to need to be needed…
9. The Dirty Secrets of Church Planting This two-part piece, published anonymously, is an honest and kind-hearted take on the gritty side of church planting—with plenty of wisdom for established churches too.
10. The Spiritual Power of Physical Touch . Rob Moll writes, “[O]ur culture lacks practices that provide … intimacy beyond sexual relationships. Into this kind of isolation, the church can articulate a strong theology of the body, offering a way forward…” Yes indeed. Powerful and pastoral.
11. Redefining the Kingdom? Our interview with Scot McKnight was one of many strong conversations published during the year, but the cultural and theological angle here truly shone.
12. Still, small voices. 2014 was a great year for elevating the quiet and often forgotten ministry practices of place, “incarnation,” and presence. Two standouts from those themes on PARSE were our conversations with Michael Frost (Christians, Engaged and Incarnate) and Tim Soerens (Planting the New Parish), plus nearly anything from Mandy Smith (start, perhaps, with The Right Kind of Desperate).
13. Behold Your Mother PARSE regular Daniel Darling reflects on the need for excellent elder care.
14. Pro-Death, and Pointing Fingers A radical, beautiful call to personal and pastoral repentance.
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