CT’s Top 20 Stories of 2021

This year, Christians engaged with church abuse scandals, political concerns, global events, and more.

Christianity Today December 21, 2021

In a year that has been difficult for so many people around the world, Christianity Today’s readers came to the site wondering about the downfall of influential Christian leaders of our day, looking for advice on navigating political controversies and social tensions, and wanting to understand the unprecedented division in many churches today.

The most-viewed CT article of 2021 was our in-depth investigative report about Ravi Zacharias’s sex abuse scandal, which was translated into seven different languages and read by about two million people around the world.

CT reported on the independent investigation after RZIM’s staff pushed its leaders to take responsibility and cautioned our readers not to diminish Zacharias’s abuse by saying “We’re All Sinners.” We also covered the fallout—when RZIM declared it would no longer do apologetics, when the CMA denomination revoked Zacharias’s ordination, and when his books were pulled by HarperCollins publishing.

Our 20 most-read stories of the year are listed below in descending order, starting with No. 20 and ending with No. 1. You can find these and other top CT stories of the year here, a number of which are also offered in hundreds of CT Global translations.

20.

19.

18.

17.

16.

15.

14.

13.

12.

11.

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

Check out the rest of our 2020 year-end lists here.

Also in this series

Our Latest

Latino Churches’ Vibrant Testimony

Hispanic American congregations tend to be young, vibrant, and intergenerational. The wider church has much to learn with and from them.

Review

Modern ‘Technoculture’ Makes the World Feel Unnaturally Godless

By changing our experience of reality, it tempts those who don’t perceive God to conclude that he doesn’t exist.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

News

Evangelicals Struggle to Preach Life in the Top Country for Assisted Death

Canadian pastors are lagging behind a national push to expand MAID to those with disabilities and mental health conditions.

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

What Would Lecrae Do?

Why Kendrick Lamar’s question matters.

No More Sundays on the Couch

COVID got us used to staying home. But it’s the work of God’s people to lift up the name of Christ and receive God’s Word—together.

Review

Safety Shouldn’t Come First

A theologian questions our habit of elevating this goal above all others.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube