Baptist News Global’s Top 15 list of opinion pieces represents the range of weighty and controversial issues that faced the church and nation in 2022, with columns on race, gender and sexual identity running neck and neck with those about biblical and theological interpretation, Russia’s detention and release of Brittney Griner and Samford University’s treatment of LGBTQ students and alumni.
But a few pieces written in 2020 and 2021 continued to hold sway into this year, demonstrating that discourse on biblical interpretations of race, gender and sexuality have staying power with BNG readers.
Presented here is BNG’s Top 15 list of most-read opinion pieces in 2022:
- “It’s Time to Stop the Insanity that Is Killing Public Education,” by Mark Wingfield, Feb. 7, 2022 — The loud minority of parents who want entire school systems to conform to their narrow worldview must be opposed, the author contends.
- “What Christians Singing on an Airplane and a Coach Praying on the 50-Yard Line Have in Common,” by Mark Wingfield, April 26, 2022 — Christian nationalism and ego were at the root of a coach’s demand for government-sanctioned public prayer and personal glory, this column contends.
- “My Quest to Find the Word ‘Homosexual’ in the Bible,” by Ed Oxford, Aug. 10, 2020 — Too many lives have been lost, and too much damage done, over a word that didn’t appear in any Bible until 1946, says Oxford. This column was published two and a half years ago but still ranks among the most-read pieces on BNG’s site every month.
- “Why Aren’t We Defending Brittney Griner?” by Rodney Kennedy, Aug. 4, 2022 — The vitriol against Griner emanated not from one woman’s protest but from the racial and gender prejudices of her audience, Kennedy says.
- “When Christianity Becomes Toxic ‘Christianism,’” by David Gushee, July 29, 2022 — The Reagan-era Christian conservatives bore no resemblance to the debased evangelical right-wingers who wrap themselves in the American flag and the banner of Christ, the Christian ethicist writes.
- “Five Takeaways from the Report on Christian Nationalism and January 6,” by Corey Fields, Feb. 24, 2022 — The author urgently calls for a nonviolent, Jesus-centered movement to counter the evil that now operates in full daylight, drawing upon a report produced by BJC and its allies in the fight against Christian nationalism.
- “Why I’m a Pro-Choice Christian and Believe You Should Be too,” by Laura Ellis, May 6, 2022 — The church must not turn away from women who will be trampled by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, according to Ellis.
- “Shame on You, Pastor Greg Locke, for Saying Autism Is Demon Possession,” by Lydia Joy Launderville, Jan. 31, 2022 — Even God does not accuse children afflicted with mental illnesses of being possessed by the devil, and nor should anyone else, the authors says in calling out the Tennessee pastor known for controversy.
- “I Knew the Truth about Women in the Bible, and I Stayed Silent,” by Beth Allison Barr, April 7, 2021 — The church has abandoned the freedom found in Christ for Roman patriarchy and the ancient oppression of women, Barr wrote in an excerpt from her book The Making of Biblical Womanhood.
- “What Transactional Sexuality Could Teach Us about Matt Chandler’s Odd Leave of Absence and Confession,” by Mallory Challis, Sept. 6, 2022 — BNG’s Clemons Fellow writes about how a high-profile pastor’s mixed-gender friendship violates the boundaries of purity culture ideology.
- “Tony Evans Misses the Mark and Misrepresents History with His Kingdom Race Theology,” by Wendell Griffen, Oct. 11, 2021 — Christian nationalist views of the founding of the United States foment racial disharmony and conflict and dishonor the teachings of Jesus, Griffen says.
- “How Should Christians Respond to Rising Gas Prices in America Today?” by Ellis Orozco, March 10, 2022 — God’s power through Jesus Christ can provide the strength to endure the “suffering” of paying more for gas and driving less, Orozco contends.
- “We Don’t Talk about Brittney,” by Greg Garrett, Nov. 21, 2022 — Convictions that Griner got what “she deserves” would likely falter if she were a white male athlete, the Baylor professor says.
- “How John MacArthur Loves the Bible but Not His Neighbor,” by Rick Pidcock, July 28, 2020 — Love of self, God and neighbor is the counter to the theology of eternal torment that numbs both the seer and the seen, according to Pidcock. This was one of his first columns written for BNG two and a half years ago and remains his most-read.
- “Samford, How Long Will You Remain Silent?” by Mark Wingfield, Sept. 14, 2022 — Wingfield chides the university for remaining silent despite alumni threats of returned diplomas and erosion of ecumenical goodwill after a policy change to exclude ministry partners that affirm same-sex marriage.