My favorite (non-movie) pop culture of 2016!

7.) “Out of Sorts: Making Peace With an Evolving Faith” by Sarah Bessey, “How I Changed My Mind about Evolution” by BioLogos, and National Geographic’s “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman”

This was a year in which I re-thought a lot of things in regard to faith. It was a year in which I disassembled many things and re-examined them. In many ways, I’m still reassembling my faith and wrapping my brain around what I believe. I think that’s good and necessary; it’s something we should do every few years.

Much of the impetus for this re-examination came from writing about National Geographic’s miniseries “The Story of God” for this site. As part of the channel’s promotion for the broadcast, bloggers from throughout Patheos wrote about the views of their religion through the show (you can find the final one here, along with links to the rest). From there, I began re-thinking exactly where I stood on evolution and creation, and found the BioLogos organization to be an encouraging resource, particularly its latest book “How I Changed My Mind About Evolution,” which features essays from Christians who have had to address many of the same issues. And in the midst of all this upheaval, which only got more difficult after the election, Sarah Bessey’s “Out of Sorts” was a reminder that doubt is not to be run from but engaged, and that a shift if faith doesn’t mean an abandonment of the church.

It’s easy to let these doubts discourage us. But I finished 2016 with my faith feeling more vibrant and alive than before; I look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve in 2017.

“Out of Sorts” and “How I Changed My Mind About Evolution” are available for purchase. “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” is available to rent on a variety of digital services.