Perusing the list of most-read Her.meneutics posts of 2012, you may be tempted to conclude that this past year was not much different from the rest. In one way, you would be right: Sexuality and relationships keep readers talking, as they have everyotheryear. In other ways, you would be wrong: 2012 saw the addition of several new writers, several new books from said writers, our first-ever eBook, plus the addition of a Her.meneuticscolumn in CT print, and changes (and more to come soon!) in our editorial leadership. As the editor of the site for 3-plus years, I sometimes have to pinch myself when I think of how quickly the site has grown.
Part of its growth, I believe, comes from the panoply of topics we aren't afraid to cover. This includes sex, of course (see list below). But it also includes shoes, voting (or not), the Mommy Wars, mental illness, and vaccines. We believe that the light of Christ may be found in news stories and contemporary debates of our day, and that the Christian writer's call is to refract that light to a church seeking wisdom. Our post next week, "The Best of 2012: Writers' Choice" will feature this panoply.
And now for the list!
A note about metrics: Our top 10 lists are based on number of unique pageviews per post, and thus do not necessarily reflect posts' popularity among readers or editors.
(9) Confessions of a Lustful Christian Woman, by Jonalyn Fincher
The first step Christians can take to help women struggling with lust is to acknowledge that they exist.
(5)Ann Voskamp, Tim Challies, Beth Moore: Dinner and a Defense of Earnestness, by Micha Boyett, guest writer
Tim Challies calls Ann Voskamp's book "dangerous." She invites him for dinner. He apologizes. Beth Moore also wants an invite. We look at what it looks like to err on the side of earnestness.
(4) Why Mark Driscoll Is Wrong about Twilight, by Beth Felker Jones, guest writer
The popular series' troubling take on love actually overlaps with Driscoll's teachings on men and women.