We’ve had one of our best years ever here at Mere-O. Here are the top 10 posts we wrote this year, as measured by pageviews.
1) When Webb Mastered Christianity. Of course, see also Andrew’s retraction and my followup thoughts.
2) Hipsters, Bohemians, and Jamie Smith: Brett McCracken wrote a book. Jamie Smith reviewed it. I responded. Follow that?
3) Why Jennifer Knapp Matters: Cate’s thoughtful reflections on Jennifer Knapp’s big announcement was one of the most talked-about pieces this year.
4) The Objectification of Jennifer Knapp: My basic point is that it seemed like Jennifer Knapp didn’t want to be an object lesson, so Christians shouldn’t turn her into one.
5) A New Book by…Me: The title has since changed and it’s available for preorder. Which is really all you need to know.
6) The Hipster Christian Controversy: I talked with Brett McCracken about his book and the subsequent controversy it sparked.
7) Elitism, Tea Parties, and the Evangelical Left: This one didn’t make many people happy, so make sure you see the followup post I wrote on it as well.
8) An Interview with Craig Carter: Andrew and Dr. Carter talk theology and politics.
9) Susan Sontag on Beauty and Gender: Jeremy Mann offered some thoughts on the superficiality of beauty. This is a “must read.”
10) Expecting to Change the World: I got invited to the American Enterprise Institute in June to respond to James Davison Hunter. This is what I said.
Thanks for reading in 2010. And here’s to an even more productive and thoughtful 2011.
As Matt knows, I’m a fellow contrarian. So, before the bottles of bubbly are opened to celebrate the top 10 posts for 2010, I’m going to throw a wet blanket on the party because, as much as I like Mere-O, some of these posts reflect a distressing pattern among Evangelicals: an all too American fixation on celebrities (Jennifer Knapp, Derek Webb) and trends (hipster Christianity). Thankfully, there are exceptions: Andrew’s interview with Craig Carter, Matt’s AEI speech, and Jeremy’s thoughts on beauty. Much better stuff has been written in the past year than reflected on this list, which only reinforces my opinion that page views and comment counts aren’t reliable measures of quality writing. I encourage Mere-O to deviate from the norm. Happy New Year!
Benson, don’t steal my thunder. Coming tomorrow, a post of my favorite ten posts from the non-top-10 list. : )
matt
Christopher, just FYI, I’ve spent all morning warding off an evil malware demon on my computer, which has put today’s posting in jeopardy. I’ll try to get it done this weekend.
matt
“evil malware demon”? This kind of spiritual warfare is best fought with Apple computers. ;-) Mere-O readers, should we start a fundraising campaign for Mr. Anderson’s technology?
Christopher, your words hurt me.
Hurt you? You must be kidding, or else you’re a die-hard PC fan. Apples rule!
My PC and I have a very happy relationship, Christopher. Even though we have the occasional squabbles, we do particularly enjoy life together.