2011 was a year of tremendous growth for Christianity Today‘s women’s blog, now entering its third year. First, in sheer numbers, we saw the number of readers nearly double since last year (to 1 million unique pageviews in 2011), and welcomed plenty of new readers through our Facebook and Twitter feeds (with no small thanks to a few evangelicalcelebrityretweets!). But perhaps more importantly, we saw the writers who make this blog tick (and who publishedbooksalltheirown in 2011) hone their ability to shed truth, deep thought, and charity on some of the most foundational issues within our movement — e.g., How can men and women relate in ways that honor God? How should Christian parents discipline their children? How do singles balance the demographic realities of delayed marriage, prolonged adolescence, and the “mancession” with the virtue of chastity? These and other foundational issues appear on the following list of the top-read posts of the year. We thank you, our readers, for returning daily to follow the conversations and adding your own (mostly charitable) two cents.
It’s no surprise that a recurring theme in the year’s list is sexuality, whether in marriage or mass culture, and no doubt we’ll continue to talk about sexual ethics throughout the new year. But we also want to acknowledge several posts that had nothing to do with sex; for this, we asked our regular writers to select a favorite 2011 post written by a fellow writer. For the list of our in-house favorites from the year, check back tomorrow.
And now, if you missed them the first time, enjoy the top-read Her.meneutics posts of 2011!
(10) The Argument for Girl-Boy Wrestling, by Caryn Rivadeneira (February 22, 2011)
Joel Northrup cited his Christian faith for refusing to wrestle Cassy Herkelman in last week’s Iowa state championship. I say his Christian faith should have taken him to the mat.
(9) An Open Letter to Donald Miller on Your Engagement, by Karen Swallow Prior (June 23, 2011)
First, congratulations. Second, let’s talk about that list of qualities we should want in a spouse.
(8) Another Assault on Little Girls, by Jennifer Grant (January 3, 2011)Vogue Paris‘s “Gifts” photo spread is one more example of how our culture robs children of innocence.
(7) Miss America and the Bikini Question, by Katelyn Beaty (January 20, 2011)
Do modern-day pageants ask young evangelical women to compromise their values an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny too much?
(6) My Father Was a Porn Addict, by Michelle Van Loon (July 25, 2011)
The Playboys lying on the coffee table were the tip of the iceberg in our home.
(5) Sin, Grace, and the Royal Wedding, by Caryn Rivadeneira (April 28, 2011)
What I’ll tell my 6-year-old daughter about marriage as we watch the festivities together.
(4) Much Ado about Mark Driscoll, by Sharon Hodde Miller (July 15, 2011)
What do we do when Christian leaders are imperfect?
(3) Doing Authentic Ministry with My Smokin’ Hot Bride, by Karen Swallow Prior (July 19, 2011)
A list of the worst ever Christian clichés.
(2) The Cult of the Orgasm, by Anna Broadway (June 16, 2011)
Thinking Christianly about the vibrator boom and unsatisfied sexual desire.
(1) How ‘Modest Is Hottest’ Is Hurting Christian Women, by Sharon Hodde Miller (December 15, 2011)
What the phrase communicates about female sexuality and bodies.
In a recent post at his Desiring God blog, Piper wrote:
“I think relevance in preaching hangs very little on watching movies, and I think that much exposure to sensuality, banality, and God-absent entertainment does more to deaden our capacities for joy in Jesus than it does to make us spiritually powerful in the lives of the living dead. Sources of spiritual power – which are what we desperately need – are not in the cinema. You will not want your biographer to write: Prick him and he bleeds movies.”
Piper went on to say, “If you want to be relevant, say, for prostitutes, don’t watch a movie with a lot of tumbles in a brothel. Immerse yourself in the gospel, which is tailor-made for prostitutes; then watch Jesus deal with them in the Bible; then go find a prostitute and talk to her. Listen to her, not the movie. Being entertained by sin does not increase compassion for sinners.
“There are, perhaps, a few extraordinary men who can watch action-packed, suspenseful, sexually explicit films and come away more godly. But there are not many. And I am certainly not one of them.”
What do you think? Is Piper right? Partly right? Does it “depend on the circumstances”? Weigh in with your opinion in the comments section below, and/or let us know at CT Movies.
