Rick Warren’s personal appeal to Southern Baptists about his battle with the Southern Baptist Convention over church autonomy and women in ministry was the most-read Baptist News Global opinion piece in 2023.
The issue of patriarchy and women’s roles in the church appears throughout the Top 15 list, which also featured writings on revivals, the war between Israel and Hamas, how conservative megachurches treat LGBTQ people and equating mental illness with demon possession by fundamentalists.
Five pieces on the list were published prior to 2023, including a 2020 article about the writer’s quest to find the word “homosexual” in the Bible — an opinion piece that has been in the top tier every year since it was published.
Following is BNG’s Top 15 list of most-read 2023 opinion articles:
- “An open letter to all Southern Baptists,” by Rick Warren, June 2, 2023 — Warren explained that appealing the SBC Executive Committee ruling to expel Saddleback Church from the SBC due to ordaining women and allowing women to preach was necessary to preserve the very soul of the declining denomination. Despite his appeal, the vote to remove Saddleback was overwhelmingly affirmed.
- “Can pastors please stop salivating over women’s bodies in sermons? A response to Jonathan Pokluda’s objectification of the ‘perfect’ woman,” by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Feb. 24, 2023 — Pastors have a choice between treating women as whole people made in the image of God or, like much of the rest of the world, normalizing the objectification of women’s bodies, the author says, in response to a particular sermon illustration widely reported.
- “About the Asbury ‘revival’: Time will tell,” by Mark Wingfield, Feb. 16, 2023 — What remains to be seen is whether the revival experience produced anything more than an inward spiritual glow for its participants, he wrote.
- “‘Try That in A Sundown Town’,” by Justin Cox, July 24, 2023 — Singer Jason Aldean’s single “Try That in A Small Town” further divided the nation, with one side shouting approval and the other shouting outrage. The author explained why this was such a culturally defining moment.
- “Plagiarism is the least thing to worry about with Voddie Baucham, who is a threat to children, women and daughters,” by Rick Pidcock, March 7, 2022 — The author said Baucham needs to go to therapy for his promotion of violent male power over women and children and not be considered for denominational leadership.
- “My quest to find the word ‘homosexual’ in the Bible,” by Ed Oxford, Aug. 10, 2020 — The English word “homosexual” did not appear in the Bible until 1946, as documented by Ed Oxford and Kathy Baldock and now further highlighted in the documentary 1946.
- “I’m one of the female pastors on the SBC’s hit list,” by Carlisle Davidhizar, March 29, 2023 — Davidhizar didn’t realize how many Southern Baptist pastors, scholars and congregations considered her a threat until the list went public and her name was on it.
- “John MacArthur is wrong about so much more than keeping women in abusive marriages,” by Mark Wingfield, Feb. 14, 2023 — The author says MacArthur has been a danger to the gospel for years as the de facto bishop of a Calvinistic and conservative cult.
- “Drag queens reading books to children are not the problem,” by Susan M. Shaw, Sept. 14, 2022 — Conservatives use fears around gender and sexuality to attract new followers and to cover up their own misdeeds and scandals, the author contends.
- “Al Mohler vs. Andy Stanley: What’s really going on?” by Mark Wingfield, Sept. 19, 2023 — Calvinist complementarians accusing Stanley of liberalism assume they alone possess the standards of biblical truth. This column was written to explain the hullabaloo over the “Unconditional” conference for LBGTQ Christians and their families and ministers.
- “Tony Evans misses the mark and misrepresents history with his Kingdom Race Theology,” by Wendell Griffen, Oct. 11, 2021 — Evans’ “Kingdom Race Theology” denies the role of chattel slavery in U.S. history, supports Christian nationalism and dishonors Jesus and the gospel, Griffen says.
- “Jason Aldean and Tyler Childers and two visions of small-town community,” by Justin Cox, Aug. 2, 2023 — While Aldean actually prescribes the kind of people who should live in small towns, Childers invites his listeners to notice the diversity and previously unseen “others” living all around them, the author says.
- “A Christian response to the war in Israel/Palestine,” by Brandan Robertson, Oct. 15, 2023 — Christians must seek to imitate Christ and be “slow to speak and quick to listen” in this chaotic and traumatic time, the author advises.
- “Joshua Bassett’s baptism illustrates LGBTQ Christians’ bait-and-switch experiences,” by Brandan Robertson, Feb. 22, 2023 — Hip churches marked by cutting-edge worship and celebrity endorsements often cause physiological and spiritual harm to LGBTQ people by trying to make them change their identity, the author explains.
- “The cost of being comfortable is too high,” by Felicia Caid Smith, June 16, 2023 — While speaking up for the equality of women in church and family requires a little discomfort, remaining silent means being part of the problem, the author says.
Coming tomorrow: BNG’s most-read analysis pieces of 2023
Coming Friday: BNG’s most-read news pieces of 2023