Irreverin
Dear Friends and citizens of the internet,
I know I’m not alone in feeling that the year has been a heavy one. From acts of terror on the global stage to police brutality and toxic racism at home; from an increasingly grotesque scene on the political stage to the growing effects of climate change (December is freaking me out, y’all, with the blizzards in Texas and flooding in Missouri while it is 75-degrees in Kentucky…); from rising and vocal Islamaphobia to the continued decline of the mainline church; from rape culture on college campuses and beyond to the politics of poor shaming… And let’s not forget the guns, and the well-funded machine that protects them at any cost to human life and liberty. 
When I looked at my top 10 posts of the year I saw many of these topics in the headlines. But the main trend that I saw is a more subtle theme: the search for a better story.
On this site I see people engaging each other on matters of great cultural and spiritual significance; I see a community shaping the good news for its time and place; I see comments suggesting that a more just and peaceful narrative is possible, and that you are willing to work to make it so. Of course, there are trolls, too… much of what I write is troll bait, not just because of the content but because I am a GIRL who says things. But anyway… Thank you, is what I’m saying, for giving me hope; for sharing what you do in your own communities to create a higher ground for discourse; for giving feedback and encouragement; for asking hard questions and pushing back when you disagree; thank you for stretching boundaries; thank you for sharing the journey with me, and other Patheos writers as we help “host the conversation” about faith and culture. It matters.
Here’s a quick review… It is not, by any means an extensive recap of the year’s topics; but it is a glimpse of the things that resonated the most, out there in the world.
1. The ‘biggest’ post of the year was related to the allegations of sexual abuse against popular evangelical leader Josh Duggar. This story was not just about that family, but about the cost of fundamentalism.
2. “What Faith and Freedom Demand” is a response to the xenophobia and Islamaphobia that is causing many of our leaders to turn away Syrian refugees. Many of you agreed that it is both un-American, and distinctly un-Christian, to close our borders to those fleeing terror.
3. In “The New Art of Poor Shaming,” we follow the growing trend of politicians who cut welfare benefit for political gain; and television shows that use the challenges of poverty as ratings material.
4. “Red Cup Blues…” I really wish this had not even been a story. I’m kind of sorry that I helped MAKE it a story. Because, as it turns out, the fundamentalist voices raising a “war on Christmas” cry against Starbucks turned out to be one crazy guy from Phoenix…who would not even have been any kind of public figure without the platform of blogs like mine that wrote a response. Seriously, I think Starbucks probably paid that guy (and if not they should) for the free advertising.
5. If I recall, I wrote “10 Ways to Spot a Fundamentalist” as a follow-up piece to the Duggar story. Many readers pushed back against my characterization of that family, and I wanted to clarify that not all conservative Christians are fundamentalist–and that not all fundamentalists are Christians (or even conservative).
6. “Beyond Pink Carnations” is a conversation about why I don’t make a big deal about Mother’s Day in the context of worship.
7. We reacted to simultaneously trending stories about the Missouri legislature and a Kentucky high school in The Naked Truth About Dress Codes. And the trolls proved, yet again, that lots of mean angry people are genuinely freaked out by both women’s bodies, and girls who have a platform on the internet. (Hopefully I deleted the most toxic of those responses, but feel free to peruse for yourself. Let me know if I need to break out the blacklist feature.)
8. After a week or so of nothing-but-Caitlyn in the newsfeed, many folks were sick of hearing about it. But this was a big moment in history that was about far more than one celebrity, as I pointed out in A Post Not About Caitlyn Jenner.
9. Survival guides for clergy always go over well…probably because we are always trying to survive. (Maybe another post about that later this year). This “10 Life Hacks for Clergy” to make it through Holy Week was no exception.
And, ok, a confession. One of the top posts of this year was a mean dig at Kim Davis, which I later took down. Not because I warmed up to her personally… but because the media was making a pawn of her and, by extension, other women from that part of the world (which is also my part of the world). I didn’t want to be part of that circus any more. So for #10, I’m going to have to just share a personal favorite kind of deal…
10. The refugee crisis is very much on my mind and heart as we move into a new year of ministry. And life as decent human beings. Those pictures of families fleeing with what little they could carry; of that little boy facedown on a Turkish beach; and of the desperate conditions in survival camps along the border; those are iconic images for this moment in history. In the hopes that 2016 will offer some equally powerful responses to that suffering, I’m sharing “Room at the Table.” Let’s remember that welcoming the stranger is not just the right thing to do–that practice will also make our communities better places to live.
Here’s to another turning… May it bring us back around just a little better than we began.
Let us sing this song for the turning of the world
That we may turn as one
With every voice, with every song, we will move this world along
And our lives will feel the echo of our turning
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