Kingdom People

Here they are! The top most-visited Kingdom People posts during my second year blogging.

1. Saddleback Civil Forum Video & Transcript
August 17, 2008
When I collected the YouTubes together of the Saddleback Forum, I had no idea that Google would push me up to the top of the heap on the Search Engine. Since August, more than 100,000 people have watched come to Kingdom People to watch the Forum.

2. Steven Curtis Chapman on Larry King Live
August 8, 2008
The Chapman family provides an incredible witness for the power of the gospel.

3. My First Interview with N.T. Wright (Transcript and Podcast)
November 19, 2007
Last November, I traveled to Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky in order to do a podcast interview with N.T. Wright about all sorts of topics that his readers / critics wonder about.

4. My Second Interview with N.T. Wright (about Surprised by Hope)
April 24, 2008
Last Spring, I had another opportunity to interview N.T. Wright. This time, we talked about his book, Surprised by Hope and some questions that his readers / critics have about the book.

5. The Peter Enns Controversy
March 29, 2008
Last Spring, professor Peter Enns was suspended from teaching at Westminster Theological Seminary. I tried to give a brief overview of the controversy in this post.

Since Kingdom People is turning 2 this week, I am “rerunning” links to the top 25 most visited posts from the previous year. We’re in the Top Ten now… some of these are posts that were published in other places.

6. Our Ears Still Itch
March 2008
My first article for Christianity Today. “That church down the street isn’t the only one pandering to the congregation.”

7. Finger-pointing, Divisions, and the Decline of the SBC
May 1, 2008
My post about the membership decline of the Southern Baptist Convention was picked up by Baptist Press.

8. Colson the Catechist: A Culture Warrior Sets Out to Explain Christianity’s Essential Doctrines
April 2008
My Christianity Today review of Chuck Colson’s new book, The Faith.

9. My Series on John Piper’s The Future of Justification
December 20, 2007
Who would have thought that an 18-part series on John Piper’s theological book The Future of Justification (in response to N.T. Wright) would be interesting to so many people?

10. Five Reasons the Emerging Church is Now Receding
February 5, 2008
“We’re seeing the receding of a movement that has served its purpose – reawakening evangelicals to the necessity of the Church and the importance of being the Church to the world.”

In celebration of Kingdom People’s second birthday, we’re recapping the previous year by listing the twenty-five most visited posts of the year.

11. Bedtime Prayers with our Children
August 12, 2008
A simple post laying out the reasons why it is good to pray with your kids every night. Also, a few practical tips to help you get started.

12. Joel Osteen’s Negative Message
January 28, 2008
“Like telling a clinically depressed person to “just snap out of it!,” Osteen is giving people burdened by sin, guilt and despair more reason to despair.”

13. American Idol – Shout to the Lord
April 10, 2008
The contestants of American Idol sang Hillsong’s “Shout to the Lord” twice last year. The first time, they changed the name “Jesus” to “Shepherd.” The discussion in the comments talked about the positive and negative aspects of singing a worship song on national TV.

14. McCain / Obama Debate Video and Transcript
September 27, 2008
This is the first time I have been in the United States during a presidential election season since 1996. Never do I remember there being so much talk and excitement about an election.

15. Bill Clinton Lashes Out at Pro-Lifers
February 21, 2008
A YouTube clip of Bill Clinton protesting some pro-lifers at a rally. “We will not see ultrasound legislation because for many politicians, losing the support of the abortion lobby is a greater tragedy than the loss of another generation through the slaughtering of the unborn.”

Kingdom People turns 2 this week. In celebration, I am counting down the 25 most visited Kingdom People posts of this year.

16. Book Review: Surprised by Hope
February 27, 2008
An important book from a prolific author. This is the highest-ranked book review on my blog.

17. Book Review: Pagan Christianity?
January 2, 2008
My review of George Barna and Frank Viola’s book stirred up some interesting conversation in the comments section.

18. Interview with Justin Taylor about the ESV Study Bible (Part 1, Part 2)
September 24 – 25, 2008
Just weeks before the release of the much-anticipated ESV Study Bible, I interviewed the general editor, Justin Taylor about how this Study Bible was put together.

19. Can You Read 100 Books This Year?
January 1, 2008
On New Year’s Day, I issued a challenge to my readers to set a goal for reading this year. I am working hard to read (and review) 100 books this year so as to meet the goal I set for myself.

20. Luther versus Zwingli Series
February 18, 2008
Many people thought my series laying out the differences between Luther and Zwingli’s debate about the Lord’s Supper was a helpful overview of the issues at stake.

Two years ago this week, I launched this blog. In the blogosphere, posts come quickly and disappear just as fast. For those of you who may be new subscribers to Kingdom People, I hope that this week will introduce you to some of the top posts from Kingdom People’s second year.

All this week, I plan on counting down the 25 most visited Kingdom People posts since last October. These are not necessarily the posts I would choose as my favorites. Instead, these are the posts that have enjoyed the most “hits” over the past year.

I’ll post links to 5 archived posts each day. I hope you enjoy “The Best of Kingdom People.” (Note to my blogger friends: I’d love to see some other blogs do this too.)

If you would like to see the top posts of Kingdom People’s first year, you can access them here.

21. Funniest Campaign Moments of Election 2008
September 12, 2008
A collection of YouTube videos that show the funniest gaffes from the campaign trail this election season.

22. Southern Seminary and Calvinism
March 11, 2008
Last Spring, I spoke out against the myth that Southern Seminary’s student population and faculty is primarily 5-point Calvinist.

23. Top Ten Moments in Reformation History
October 31, 2008
In commemoration of the 491st anniversary of Martin Luther’s protest of the Roman Catholic Church, I listed ten important moments in Reformation history.

24. My Ten Favorite Reads of 2007
December 27, 2007
Every year, I list the ten books that I most enjoyed reading during that calendar year. Last year’s ten were good. I’m looking forward to choosing ten again in 2008.

25. Liberalism’s Impotency in Dealing with Guilt
February 17, 2008
This YouTube clip from an ER episode called “Atonement” shows how liberalism fails to give people solid answers when facing death.

Here they are! The top most-visited Kingdom People posts during my first year blogging. Enjoy the very best of Kingdom People!

#1. How “Saving Bellevue” is Destroying Bellevue

February 8, 2007

I’m sad to announce that the most visited post at Kingdom People in the past year was about the difficult circumstances at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis. After visiting the “Saving Bellevue” site, I felt compelled to offer some thoughts about how to handle church problems. Since February, more than 2500 have visited this post alone, most of them sidetracked in their search for the actual Saving Bellevue site. You can imagine the comments that this post generated – on both sides of the debate.

#2. How Well Do You Know the Words of Jesus?

January 18, 2007

Everyone likes a good quiz. If you haven’t taken this one, try it now. You know you want to.

#3. Is Rob Bell Going Soft on Homosexuality?

February 20, 2007

I used to listen to Rob Bell all the time. His current direction worries me. My post about his non-answer to the homosexuality echoes Ben Witherington’s concerns.

#4. Why “Saving Bellevue” Is Destroying Bellevue: Take 2

March 26, 2007

A month after first posting on the Bellevue discussion, I tried to redirect the discussion by asking the question: “What should one do if at odds with the church’s leadership?”

#5. Theron’s Story: Why I Left Evangelicalism for Eastern Orthodoxy

November 8, 2006

My first Kingdom People interview was with Theron Mathis, a former Southern Seminary student and recent convert to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Since Kingdom People is turning 1 this week, I’m taking a break from new posts and “rerunning” links to the top 25 most visited posts from the previous year. We’re in the Top Ten now… each of these are posts that created a lot of comments. Join in the discussion.

#6. Why “Limited” and “Unlimited” Atonement Debates Miss the Point

January 5, 2007

When asked on my Systematic Theology exam what I believed about the “extent” of the atonement, I answered by questioning the question itself. There’s no right answer, because it’s not the right question. Once my exam answer was posted on the blog, it elicited some good comments and feedback.

#7. Rethinking Our Vocabulary: Personal Relationship with Jesus

July 23, 2007

My earliest contribution to SaidatSouthern got people talking. Check out some good discussion about our Christian vocabulary.

#8. Paul Negrut Accused of Plagiarism

February 28, 2007

In late February, Corina and I were surfing a Romanian tabloid’s website and we found a news story accusing Romanian evangelical leader Paul Negrut of plagiarizing his Ethics course. I had taken the course in 2004 and knew the accusations were false. By telling the other side of the story, I managed to quell the furor that was soon to erupt once the ABP published the story.

#9. Newsflash! The Key to the 20Somethings is Not Musical Style

October 2, 2007

The most recent post to make the Top 25. My comments on the elusive 20somethings crowd quickly got linked all around the world by likeminded 20somethings (and some older Christians who were glad to see us speaking up).

#10. It Is Finished!

April 2, 2007

Some quiet and brief reflections on Jesus’ last words from the cross. Whoever said that only scandalous posts generate traffic? My thoughts on “It is Finished” remained in my Top Ten Post list for months.

CONTINUE READING: (Top Five Posts)

In celebration of Kingdom People’s first birthday, we’re recapping the previous year by listing the twenty-five most visited posts of the year.

#11. My Interview with Caedmon’s Call

July 3, 2007

I know I wasn’t the only person excited to see that Derek Webb had rejoined Caedmon’s Call for their new album, Overdressed – one of the best Caedmon’s albums in years. A couple months before the release, I interviewed band members Todd and Garrett about the album, the band, and the future.

#12. On Reading Widely

June 28, 2007

Chances are, I’m always near a book. When talking to some friends about the benefits of reading “widely” and not only in one Christian tradition, I was struck by the idea: This would be a great post. Apparently, other big bloggers thought so too, and “On Reading Widely” became one of the most popular posts of the year.

#13. Sola Scriptura: The Dividing Line between the Orthodox and Evangelicals

November 10, 2006

The third post in a series of interviews with converts from Eastern Orthodoxy to evangelicalism and vice versa. This is the post where I analyzed the interviews and discovered sola scriptura to be the major dividing line, or as Theron put it: “the whole house of cards.”

#14. John’s Story: Why I Left Eastern Orthodoxy for Evangelicalism

November 9, 2006

This was the second interview in my series on Eastern Orthodoxy and evangelicalism. I sat down with a Romanian convert from the Orthodox church who is now a Baptist.

#15. Mohler on Asking Jesus into Your Heart

August 23, 2007

I actually posted this at SaidatSouthern and then linked to it from Kingdom People. Mohler’s answer to the caller’s question is worth reading.

CONTINUE READING (Posts 6-10)

Kingdom People turns 1 this week. In celebration, I am counting down the 25 most visited Kingdom People posts.

#16. The Baptist Diocese

March 15, 2007

In this article, I asked some tough ecclesiological questions regarding the recent move of some mega-churches to multi-site campuses. Since publishing this article, I have spoken with respected church leaders about my concerns. The answers I have received have only caused me more concern regarding the direction of the multi-site movement.

#17. Bruchko: The Story of Bruce Olson

December 28, 2006

This is the first of a two-part review of Bruce Olson’s autobiography, a fascinating missionary story that took Olson into one of the most violent South American tribes.

#18. Derek Webb and the Gospel of the Kingdom

August 15, 2007

Tony Kummer and I had the privilege of doing a SaidatSouthern podcast with Derek Webb. Shortly after the release of Part 1, a controversy erupted over Webb’s definition of “the gospel.” I came to Webb’s defense by showing how the New Testament writers spoke of “the gospel” and pleading for grace, instead of nitpickiness (is that a word?).

#19. Don’t Tell Me N.T. Wright Denies Penal Substitution

April 24, 2007

This is one of the posts I put the most work into (because it was originally an essay for my Systematic Theology class). In it, I lay out the view of N.T. Wright regarding the penal substitutionary model of the atonement. I have said it before and I will say it again: My stampeding theoblogian friends, be cautious when attacking people. Read authors well before you start disagreeing with them.

#20. The True Scandal in Warren/Obama Controversy

December 22, 2006

Put the words “Warren,” “Obama,” “scandal” and “controversy” into one title, and you’re bound to bring in some traffic from search engines. That’s what I learned, anyway, when I posted this article on Rick Warren inviting Barack Obama to speak at a conference. What is the true scandal? You’ll have to read the post to find out!

CONTINUE (Posts 11-15)

One year ago this week, my old blog (Red Letters) morphed into the current one: Kingdom People. Since the switch, I have watched the audience for this blog grow. It is humbling to me (as well as a weighty responsibility!) to know that hundreds of people find this site worthy of their attention every day.

In the blog world, posts come quickly and disappear just as fast. For those of you who may be new subscribers to Kingdom People, I hope that this week will introduce you to some of the top posts from the previous year.

All this week, I plan on counting down the 25 most visited Kingdom People posts. These are not necessarily the posts I would choose as my very favorites. But they are however the posts that have enjoyed the most “hits” over the past year. 

I’ll post links to 5 archived posts each day. I hope you enjoy “The Best of Kingdom People.” (Note to my blogger friends: I’d love to see some other blogs do this too.)

#21. My Favorite Reads of 2006: Top Ten Books
December 26, 2006

In 2006, I managed to read 86 books covering a wide range of topics. At the end of the year, I posted my ten favorite “reads” of the year. (This is not a blanket endorsement of these books, only that I thoroughly enjoyed each of them and found them helpful.) Several other bloggers linked to his post. Those links and the traffic from search engines made this one of the more popular posts during the early months of 2007.

#22. John Piper on the Prosperity Gospel
June 16, 2007

This brief video clip of John Piper preaching against the “prosperity gospel” elicited some good feedback and became the starting point for an interesting discussion about the nature of gospel blessings.

#23. Baptist Press Article on Paul Negrut and Plagiarism

March 5, 2007

This post included the Baptist Press article that quoted me at length regarding the plagiarism charges leveled against Emanuel University president Paul Negrut.

#24. God is Jesus

March 1, 2007

A post with a provocative title, but one that brought me some good feedback.

#25. Amazing Version of O Holy Night 

December 3, 2006

This YouTube video features David Phelps in one of the most incredible vocal performances of “O Holy Night” that I’ve heard. Around Christmastime, this post was bringing in dozens of hits a day.

CONTINUE… (Posts 16-20)