Top 17 of 2017

The biggest posts of 2017–including a few surprises!

Top 17 of 2017

Hacking Christianity had 98 blog posts in 2017–down about 35% from 2016, but about par with 2015 (2016 was a big year with United Methodist General Conference). While the rate of posts was down, they showed up on 1.37 million computer screens (10% more than 2016)

In carrying on our tradition (2016, 2015, 2014), the Top 17 posts are in different categories: general Christianity posts and United Methodist posts. Here’s the top ones from each category:

General Christianity

#1 – The Widow’s Mite: Look What You Made Me Do

• Facebook / Blog
• Confession: I got this story wrong so many time before. The story of the Widow’s Mite has traditionally been used for stewardship sermons encouraging sacrificial giving. But a deeper reading of the text reveals something more revolutionary than I was aware of.

#2 – Why Christians Shouldn’t Make Fun of Poverty Culture

• Facebook / Blog
• When a church makes a couple’s date night into a group event, it turns harmless role-play into an unsightly exploitation of persons in poverty for middle class amusement.

#3 – “Dying Churches Have Community Gardens” and other unfortunate quotes by a megachurch pastor

• Facebook / Blog
• “Dying Churches have community gardens and coworking spaces.” Such is the volley lobbed at small churches by a megachurch campus pastor reflecting on their own success. But a small neighboring church lobs back with a reminder that discipleship happens in community…and success isn’t what it seems at the megachurch.

#4 – Denominations are Dinosaurs, except when Disaster Strikes

• Facebook / Blog
• When disaster strikes and the entire country of connected churches is mobilized to help, we remember we are better together. Read on for a case study of why connectedness matters in a world that wants to render denominations asunder.

#5 -Herod Slaughtered the Innocents After Christmas. The Republicans Did Not Wait 

• Facebook / Blog
• King Herod responded to Christ by targeting innocents in order to prop up his Empire. In the same way, the Republican Congress has targeted innocents and marginalized in order to enshrine their own reign. How do people of faith respond?

#6 -Does The Eclipse Solve a Biblical Conundrum?

• Facebook / Blog
• The eclipse has come and gone, but the experience I will hold with me as it informed a troubling biblical passage that I’ve never preached or taught in 12 years of ministry. Take a read and see if it helps your biblical reading as well.

#7 – To be a Prophet, First be a Priest

• Facebook / Blog
• For some reason, this one shot up in hits 6 months after it was published. Must have landed the readership somewhere. As we raise hands in protest, as we enter the dangerous but thrilling work of resistance, we cannot forget to care for those we are charged with. Read on for wisdom and Scripture on the prophetic era we are in as a Church and why we need to not forget our priestly care for one another.

United Methodism

This was a “low” year for United Methodism with the every-four-year General Conference and Jurisdictional Conferences already held and the next for another 3 years. But plenty was written about the Phantom Menace in United Methodism and the coming topics for 2017 will continue…

#1 – A Hostile Takeover during a UMC Ceasefire

• Facebook / Blog
• Instead of waiting on UMC Commission on a Way Forward, the tale of a suburban church in Washington state reveals that the Wesleyan Covenant Association is actively involved in helping local UMC churches exit the denomination and take people and property from The United Methodist Church.

#2 -The Fake News Epidemic in The United Methodist Church

• Facebook / Blog
• Fake News is all the rage in Politics, but it exists in the Church as well. Take a read on how for almost 100 years, Fake News has reigned in The United Methodist Church, and what we can do to move forward in faith.

#3 – Practice the UMC Covenant Before you Prosecute

• Facebook / Blog
• A powerful moment at the Mississippi Annual Conference revealed the extent to how the clergy covenant and upholding of the Discipline has fallen short–but this time, it has nothing to do with LGBTQ people.

#4 – United Methodism at the Threshold of a Constitutional Crisis

• Facebook / Blog
• The Judicial Council is pretty important as we see if anti-gay politics reach a fever pitch high enough to violate one of The United Methodist Church’s core principles and makeup. Is it really worth it? Read on for the crisis moment and share with others who think it is all about the gays.

#5 – Wesleyan Covenant Association Bears False Witness

• Facebook / Blog
• In a sad reflection of culture’s embrace of alternative facts, the recent video by the Wesleyan Covenant Association bears false witness not only to the conflict in The United Methodist Church, but also to fellow believers in Christ.

#6 – As Goes Mississippi, so goes The UMC, Part 2.

• Facebook / Blog
• How did a $7 million dollar church leave The United Methodist Church by only paying $69,000? We have the result of one of two churches that has left the Mississippi Annual Conference and the deal is just absurd. (Here’s part 1, incidentally)

#7 – Closing Arguments on the Retention of Bishop Oliveto

• Facebook / Blog
• Here’s the final argument made by the Western Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church that Bishop Karen Oliveto is to continue as a bishop in The UMC. (Only the first of the three posts got into the top ranks, but the other two are linked in it)

#8 – The Sad Tale of the Free Book of Discipline

• Facebook / Blog
• This is one of my personal pet peeves, but it might be interesting to others to see the behind-the-scenes tension between the work of the people and the paywall in The United Methodist Church. May the future have fewer walls and more participation. While there are limited free versions available now, it’s important to see how far behind the times we have been.

#9 – 12 Things Clergy can do to be good LGBTQ Allies

• Facebook / Blog
• Helpful list by an LGBTQ clergy ministry candidate to help straight allies (like me) be better allies..

#10 – The UMC Covenant will be Stronger in #NextMethodism

• Facebook / Blog
• One “flash in the pan” memes online was about whatever is next for Methodism. Since the Clergy Covenant has been a huge topic over the past few years, it seems that these three changes would do the most to re-establish it in whatever is Next for The United Methodist Church.

Reflections

I think the rise in readership reflections from 2015 still hold true, so read those for a fuller picture.

But there’s another reason for the enduring quality of the Methodism writings on this blog, and it’s one I really didn’t expect.

In an age where people don’t trust the institution or the various movements in The UMC, an independent voice is able to offer a biased but authoritiative perspective on the shifts and subterfuge in United Methodism. As an active pastor of a local church who is not employed by the higher echelons or seminaries or the caucus groups, I think it makes the writings have more local appeal. I’m glad for it.

2018 will be a formative year as the protest movements make their cases for their visions of United Methodism, and those of us stuck in the middle await the Bishop’s Commission work on finding a way forward. Looking forward to the journey with you.

Your turn

Any favorite posts from last year? Share them in the comments!

Thanks for your support in 2017 and looking forward to 2018!