We are halfway through 2012 already, so I thought it would be fun to go back & look at the 12 most popular posts of 2012 so far. Then I thought it would be fun to share. Interestingly my favorite posts are never popular and some of my least favorite are the most popular. Whatever. It’s also obvious that gay sex and the Bible are hot topics. As if I needed actual data to know that. Here they are in chronological order:

Gingrich, Marriage, & Our Hypocrisy

There will be plenty today who clearly see the hypocrisy of Newt Gingrich. He is adamantly for “the sanctity of marriage” and yet asks his second wife (who was his first mistress) for an open marriage so that he can continue his affair with the woman who will later be his third wife while remaining . . . keep reading

Why Sunday School Worries Me

I teach Old Testament at a university. My kids are now old enough to be in Sunday School on Sunday mornings. Add those two things to my own years of experience being a kid in Sunday School and I have noticed a few things about the Sunday School system that worry me (as I have experienced . . . keep reading

You do not read the Bible Literally

While this could easily be a rant against the improper use of “literally” in pop culture, The Oatmeal has already done a wonderful job of that. So instead, and knowing full well that this discussion is bigger than I can address here because of the attention span of anyone who reads things on the internet, . . . keep reading

It Takes More Faith to be an Atheist

Here is a conversation I hear over and over in evangelical circles: Atheist: “How can you believe that God created the world in 6 24-hour days out of nothing? That sounds pretty ridiculous considering the amount of evidence we have for the slow progression of life on earth.” Evangelical: “How can you believe that people . . . keep reading

The Irony of Being Bible Believing

As someone who went to graduate school to study the Bible and who has since been paid by a university to teach the Bible to college students, I have learned a very valuable lesson.  When people say they are a “Bible-believing Christian,” that is not usually what they mean. They usually mean they will protect . . . keep reading

5 Things Being Home More Has Taught Me

One of the priorities for us as a family in our move from the Philadelphia area to the Phoenix area was to get out of the “normal” work week system. After doing the numbers, it turned out that I only got to see my kids 4 hours a day. We just weren’t okay with that. . . . keep reading

Brainwashing our Kids with Religion

How do you teach your kids about Jesus but also teach them to think for themselves? Christians are often accused of brainwashing their kids by atheists. But even with all their emphasis on critical thinking, atheists seem not to realize that they too are brainwashing their kids. We will all “brainwash” our kids. We are . . . keep reading

I Still Stand as an Evangelical for Gay Marriage (by far my most popular of the year)

I say to my fellow evangelical Christians who voted in North Carolina yesterday to ban gay marriage in a constitutional amendment, I get it. I know why you felt you had to vote the way you did. You aren’t out to oppress anyone, hate anyone, or even judge anyone. You honestly think you are loving them . . . keep reading

Jesus was a Failure

Our society values success above all else. In fact, we care so much about success that studies have shown that most of us lie to ourselves and others about how successful we are. We are literally self-delusional when we aren’t good at something that we value or think we should be good at. Of course, . . . keep reading

Why I will Not Divorce the Bible

When it comes to politics, one rising voice (a voice that usually sounds a lot like Ron Paul) is that Republicans & Democrats, though opposite on the surface, are often basically the same. When it comes to the Bible, I feel the same way about my Evangelical & Progressive brothers and sisters.* On the one . . . keep reading

Top 10 Things We Believe that Aren’t in the Bible

Now, the title is a bit, how shall we say, debatable. First, I don’t know if these are the “top” 10, they were just the first 10 I thought of. Second, there are many Christian traditions that would still affirm some or all of these beliefs. But “A Random 10 Things I Used to Believe . . . keep reading

Southern Baptists, Black Presidents, & Homosexuality

For the very first time the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has elected a black President. And I am happy about it. As someone who has historical roots in the SBC, it’s a happiness borne out of relief. But I am a little puzzled why many are wearing it as a badge of honor. Correct me . . . keep reading