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# Mere-Orthodoxy: 2009 in Review - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture
- URL: https://mereorthodoxy.com/mere-orthodoxy-2009-in-review/
- Published: 2009-12-31T06:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-18T17:38:05.000Z
- Description: The Lord was extremely kind to us in 2009, and we have much to be grateful for. We have a number of new readers, which is a huge blessing. We also brought on some new writers, and I am very […]
- Author: Mere Orthodoxy
- Tags: Matthew Lee Anderson

The Lord was extremely kind to us in 2009, and we have much to be grateful for. We have a number of new readers, which is a huge blessing. We also brought on some new writers, and I am very thankful for their voices and contributions.

Here are some our 9 most popular posts in 2009:

1. [Is Beauty Objective?](http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1177&ref=mereorthodoxy.com) (Google apparently loves this post)
2. [The New Evangelical Scandal](http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1740&ref=mereorthodoxy.com) (the essay that started it all)
3. [Thought’s on Willard’s ](http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/?p=658&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)[*Renovation of the Heart*](http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/?p=658&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)
4. [What Marriage is For: Robert George’s Latest in the Ongoing Conversation](http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1892&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)
5. [The Dr. Pepper Question](http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1795&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)
6. [Blest Be the iTies that Bind: Thoughts from CWC on Online Church](http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1967&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)
7. [Subordinate Complexity](http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/?p=31&ref=mereorthodoxy.com) (one of our earliest posts, and still one of Google’s favorites)
8. [The Enlightenment and Evangelicals](http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/?p=2044&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)
9. [Clint Eastwood’s Theological Vision](http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1713&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)

I was pretty bad at book (and movie!) reviews this year, which I hope to remedy next year. But here are three that we did worth noting:

1. [Urban Planning 101: Love and Study and Actual Cities](http://www.mereorthodoxy.comhttps//mereorthodoxy.com/?p=2006&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)
2. [I Told Me So: Self-Deception and the Christian Life](https://mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1929)
3. [Making Friends with Stanley Fish: Hunter Baker’s ](https://mereorthodoxy.com/?p=2013)[*The End of Secularism*](https://mereorthodoxy.com/?p=2013)

Other books that I read in 2009 and hope to review in 2010:

1. [Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830837167?ie=UTF8&tag=mereorth-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0830837167&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)
2. [Education for Human Flourishing: A Christian Perspective (Christian Worldview Integration Series)](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830828125?ie=UTF8&tag=mereorth-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0830828125&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)
3. [Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Cultural Liturgies)](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801035775?ie=UTF8&tag=mereorth-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0801035775&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)

Oliver O’Donovan continued to make his influence felt around here. While I never formally reviewed his book [*The Desire of the Nations,*](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521665167?ie=UTF8&tag=mereorth-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0521665167&ref=mereorthodoxy.com) it prompted a number of posts:

1. [O’Donovan Contra Liberalism](https://mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1864)
2. [The Politicization of Marriage](https://mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1867)
3. [Clarifying “Christendom”: A Brief Response to Christianity Today](https://mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1913)
4. [Political Fruit: Christendom in Proper Perspective](https://mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1924)
5. [What Kind of Culture is the Church](https://mereorthodoxy.com/?p=2039)

Two other gems deserve noting. First, Gary offered a series of insightful, informative, and [edifying reflections on the thought of Thomas Aquinas, all of which are worth reading.](https://mereorthodoxy.com/?cat=88) Second, [Cate MacDonald offered a deeply insightful post on fasting during Lent.](https://mereorthodoxy.com/?p=1776)

There were other highlights to the year, chief among them making friends with new blog neighbors and deepening other friendships.

In the latter category, three writers especially stand out: first, [John Dyer’s](http://www.donteatthefruit.com/?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) writing on technology is both profound and patient. I suspect his book on the topic will be the go-to resource for a long time to come. Second, when Mere-O grows up, I want it to be like [Milliner’s place](http://www.millinerd.com/?ref=mereorthodoxy.com). I want to read every word Matthew writes, a quality I wish I could say about my own work. Finally, [watch out for Owen Strachan](http://owenstrachan.com/?ref=mereorthodoxy.com). He’s sharp and insightful, and is carving out a fantastic niche as a leader of the young reformed crowd.

But there were old friends, as well. [Mark Roberts](http://www.markdroberts.com/?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) continues to dispense wisdom, and [Rhett continues to challenge me.](http://www.rhettsmith.com/?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) [Joe Carter has done a remarkable job at First Things](http://firstthings.com/?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), and [Justin Taylor’s presence at The Gospel Coalition has made it a “must-read.”](http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintay?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)

I’ll save the full taxonomy of everyone whom I wish I could be like for another time, as the list would be too long. But I should mention the many readers who have emailed me, offered me feedback, [friended me on Facebook](http://facebook.com/matthewleeanderson), and [followed me on Twitter](http://twitter.com/mattleeanderson?ref=mereorthodoxy.com). It is an enormous blessing, and I am so thankful for your interest in what we are trying to do here at Mere-O.

Stay tuned for our plans for 2010, which we will announce early next week when people return to their normal schedules. **I will simply say that the biggest announcement in Mere-O’s short history is coming on Monday, and I am bursting to make it.**

In the meantime, do two things for me:

1. [Sign up to get Mere-O by RSS or email if you haven’t yet](http://feeds.feedburner.com/mereorthodoxy?ref=mereorthodoxy.com).
2. Put a note in the comments letting me know what sort of things you want to see happen at Mere-O in 2010\. What do you want to see? More movies? Shorter posts? Anything is fair game.

Thanks again for making 2009 a fantastic blogging year. If it’s half as good as the half that’s been, here’s “hail!” to the rest of the road.