The Ten Most Popular Posts of 2012

Yes, yes, I know, its probably self-publicising but it was an idea that was suggested so I thought it would be fun. 2012 has been by far and away the biggest year on my blog. I've been blogging for almost three years now, its been great fun, and you can read my personal highlights of 2010, 2011, and 2012 (at the times of writing!). This is a roundup of the year; trying to distill the 220-odd posts into 10 is fun! But, anyway, based on the number of views, here in reverse order are the most popular posts of 2012 on this blog.

10) Coming in at Number 10, in terms of page views, is a post from the busiest months of the year (and all time for my blog), when I was blogging about the Gay Marriage debate in the UK. This particular post was on the difference in marriage that a survey of UK Evangelicals demonstrated, and is  thus entitled "Marriage: A Better Way?".

9) Just about scraping into 9th place is one of two Guest Posts on this list, this one being that of a story of a woman struggling with the tension of a call to ministry and her desire to be obedient to God's Word. "Guest Post: Laura's Story" is well worth reading, even and especially if you might disagree with her theology or decisions, because thinking around and about these issues is vital.

8) Continuing the slightly controversial tone of posts that have been popular, coming in at number 8 is one of the current hot potatoes. My post "Christianity and Homosexuality: A New Approach" represents my position, and I'd recommend listening/watching the linked talks from John Wright.

7) Almost without breathing, in at number 7 comes another post on a controversial topic, this time that of women in leadership. In a church divided, trying to reach out to a culture that doesn't understand what all the fuss is about, I wrote this post, "On the Women Bishops Vote". I hope that it makes sense - some people seemed to like it!

6) Coming in at number 6 is a more social issue, something thats been in the news increasingly. My post, in support of the 'Safetynet' Campaign, was wittily (not) titled "The Porn Problem". Its kind of self-explanatory, but relevant due to the destructive influence that Porn can have on individuals, relationships and communities.

5) Returning again to the Marriage theme, the post at number 5 is a positive defence of traditional, biblical marriage. In "Marriage - Constant Core in Changing Cultural Contexts", I looked at the very essence of what marriage is, and how that relates to and might inform the current debate.

4) At number 4 we have a post that is relevant once again, as the story develops. Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was imprisoned - his lawyer has now been arrested - and has reportedly been detained again, but was dramatically freed. In "#Nadarkhani" I looked at the story, and went on to write a (less-read!) post about the challenge his story poses us.

3) Coming in at number 3 is the first of two posts on BBC 3's recent 'documentary' about Creationism. One of the participants, by marriage, is one of my cousins and a good friend. In the post "BBC's Creation: The Interview" he answered some questions about his expectations before the trip.

2) Echoing number 3, the 2nd most popular post of 2012 was my personal response to the programme that aired as a result of the trip that Sam and a few other creationists took to America. "BBC's Creation: One Christian Response" sparked off lots of comment, and a few other posts.

1) The most popular post on my blog this year - by a huge margin - and currently the most popular post of all time on this blog, was another superb guest post. "Guest Post: Freedom" is a great post, read it!

And thats that! The most popular posts, by pageviews, from this blog for the year of 2012. Running close to 10th place were a range of things; "Gender: Whither Now?", my now wife's "Guest Post: Our Wedding Prayers", a brief personal favourite "Calvin on Prayer", and "On Lad Culture".