At year’s end it seemed a good opportunity to review the top articles of 2017. This past year we changed from being a subscription-based print magazine to being a donor-supported multi-media enterprise, and we’ve seen God bless this transition in many ways, including increasing our reach and impact.
Of the more than 300 articles we’ve published in 2017, these Top 10 11 (a late entry, published after this list was released, slipped in to the #3 spot, so for the sake of simplicity this is now a “Top 11 list”) were read by anywhere from 3,000+ to as many as 15,000…though we’re not sure about that last number, because the traffic for our #1 article kind of broke the website, and also the counter. We were forced to move to a faster server that could better handle the large number of visitors – it was a problem we were happy to face because it meant the article was being noticed.
So, here are Reformed Perspective‘s top articles for 2017, starting at….
#11 – Wikipedia: reader beware and Did Adam have enough time to name all the animals?
Ties are a sneaky way to fit just one more into this list, with both of these articles registering roughly 3,900 views. The first is an article by Dr. Wes Bredenhof on how, while Wikipedia can be very useful, there are occasions where it can be not only biased but unfair. Thus there is a need for readers to beware.
The second article is a fun and thorough response to an objection sometimes raised that there wasn’t enough time on the sixth day for Adam to name all the animals.
#10 – Jorge’s Heresy
Christine Farenhorst relates how the pope has elevated Mary and in so doing diminished the need for salvation through Jesus Christ alone.
#9 – Sales as a noble calling
Rene Vermuelen was a columnist in RP for more than 25 years, and in this blast from the past he relates how the calling of salesman – sometimes looked down upon – is an area where Christians can let their light shine.
#8 – Call me Billy
This satirical poem mourns what our society is doing in affirming those who say that their “feelings” can remake reality.
#7 – Princeton scientists announce discovery of “sex chromosome”
Another satirical take, this time asking how or culture would react if sex chromosomes – XX and XY – had only just been discovered today. Would there be pressure to deny this reality? Of course there would be!
#6 – Here’s the problem with just closing your eyes during the sex scenes
We know R-rated sexual content is problematic. But sometimes we watch it anyway. This article encouraged readers to consider the psychological and spiritual harm done to the actors themselves when they perform sex scenes. If the harm we’re doing to ourselves isn’t enough to stop us from watching these sorts of films, then maybe the harm being done to the actors will shake our consciences.
#5 – Overpopulation is a myth and we should have known it
The overpopulation myth is one that has killed millions – it’s why China implemented their one-child policy, and around the world it has had a hand in popularizing abortion. And while this myth is starting to be torn down it does still keeps reappearing in popular media – this lie has staying power.
But it’s also a lie that Christians should never have fallen for. Those who pushed it viewed children as a curse, seeing a baby as just another mouth to feed, which stands in stark contrast to how God speaks of children as a blessing. Each child is a mouth to feed, yes, but God has also given us hands to work, and brains in which to create – we consume, but God has so made us that we can produce even more than we consume.
While Christians should have known better than to believe the overpopulation lie, instead our witness was compromised because too many doubted the Scriptures, and believed the skeptics. This is a mistake we can learn from.
#4 – Is Recreational Marijuana sinful?
More than 5,000 took in this article which offers up four Scriptural reasons to abstain from smoking recreational marijuana. With legalization just around the corner in Canada, the hope is that this article can serve as a conversation starter for parents and their teenage and older children.
#3 – Heaven-bound: What will it be like?
We all have questions about what comes next and they can be important to ask.
#2 – 21 Things I learned living with teenagers
Sarah Vanderguten shares the joy and troubles that come with parenting teens. It’s a fun piece that will get any parent, and many a teenager, laughing.
#1 – Investigating the Birth Control Pill
And the number one article this year is about the birth control pill and how it has an abortive action that many Christians have never heard of. This is an article to pass on to friends and family because this is information that, on the one hand, is almost unknown, and on the other, is literally a matter of life and death.
