What a year. While not wanting to wish any time away, we’re thankful to be so near a fresh start in 2017. Yet looking back at Pastor J.D.’s most popular blog posts of 2016, I (Allison) am reminded that there was a lot to learn from the grueling political season and all the hot-button issues facing the church.
So here’s to 2016 and auld lang syne and all that. And even more, here’s to 2017 and the hope that we’ll be better for lessons learned this year and applied to the next. Here are the top 10 blog posts (your favorites, at least!) for the year that may help you do just that.
Happy reading! And Happy New Year!
10. The Biggest Questions I Get on Genesis 1 and 2
Contradictions and timelines and dinosaurs—oh my! While the questions addressed here aren’t the only ones that matter, they are apparently very popular ones. Pastor J.D. gives answers but also encouragement on how to study Genesis and approach differing beliefs on the subjects.
9. How Pastor J.D. Reads a Book
Front to back, right? Well, yes. But if you’d like to start digesting and not just reading books so that you can benefit from them long after you’ve read them, here are two easy action steps to make your reading more meaningful.
8. Is Your Church a Safe Place for People with Same Sex Attraction?
Brad Hambrick, The Summit Church’s pastor of counseling, offers suggestions for how your church can create an environment that doesn’t just allow someone to discuss his or her struggle with SSA but that embodies the gospel well by considering the person and not politics.
7. Why Aren’t Baptists … Baptizing?
Baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention have steadily declined in the past few years. But we can be hopeful for the future as we apply these five observations and recapture a “whatever it takes” mentality about seeking and saving the lost.
6. 7 Points to Consider When You Preach About Homosexuality
Another guest post by Brad Hambrick coincided with the Sam James Institute’s forum in April called “Do Ask, Do Tell, Let’s Talk: Why and How Christians Should Have Gay Friends,” which is also the name of Pastor Brad’s book. The book’s emphasis on friendship provides a lens through which to process how to craft a sermon and equip your members to become better ambassadors of the gospel.
5. Preaching Like Jesus to the LGBT Community
Pastor J.D.’s message at the ERLC National Convention in 2014 shows us how a gospel response to homosexuality is possible and helps us speak the truth of Christ to those in the LGBT community with the love and grace of Christ.
4. Why Don’t We Follow All of the Old Testament Laws?
For anyone who wants to arm himself or herself with a grace-filled and effective response to the “picking and choosing” argument, here’s how understanding the different kinds of Old Testament laws will help you explain why we keep God’s law out of loving obedience.
3. Why (and How) Christians Should Still Vote and Who Should We Vote for This November?
In this two-part series on Christian engagement in politics, Pastor J.D. shares why, no matter how you vote, the church must be united in the gospel, pursuing thoughtful discussion infused with grace with people on all sides of the issues.
2. My Four Biggest Passions as President of the Southern Baptist Convention and
Why I Am Voting for Steve Gaines as President of the SBC
In March, Pastor J.D. accepted a nomination for president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Then, after two votes for president at the SBC’s annual meeting in June that were too close to call, Pastor J.D. withdrew his name from contention and pledged his support to Pastor Steve Gaines. He is still, however, driven by these four passions and hopeful for the future of the SBC.
1. Empathy and Charity: How Christians Can Respond to Election 2016
It’s no surprise that the number 1 post of 2016 addresses the number 1 topic of discussion in the U.S. this year. No matter how you voted, this is one agenda we can all get behind: In a season marked by radical division, the church continues to have an awesome and unique opportunity to show supernatural unity through the gospel.
