The most popular Century articles of the year
Here are the Century magazine articles that were most popular online this year. Thanks for reading.
- "You can't make this up: The limits of self-made religion," by Lillian Daniel: "If we got all these spiritual-not-religious people together, they might
find out that most of America agrees with them. But getting them
together would be way too much like church." - "Normal Mormons: A 'model minority' blends in," by Jana Riess: "Mormons are in the familiar situation of being on the
defensive theologically and politically. But they are also
in terra incognita: they are viewed as
leading the way in preserving family values." - "Loose connections: What's happening to church membership?" by Amy Frykholm: "Most churches still
approach membership the way they did in the 1960s. But if new modes of affiliation are
appearing, churches will need new ways of thinking about membership." - "Voice lessons: Learning to preach," by William H. Willimon: "King George was terrified to be in front of a microphone. That's nothing compared to going
head to head with the average North American congregation with nothing but three points and a poem." - "Why do men stay away?" by Thomas G. Long: "Men and the church are often at odds. Sadly, many of the reasons
researchers give for this are as insulting as they are misguided." - "Same-sex complementarity: A theology of marriage," by Eugene F. Rogers Jr.: "Marriage is a means by which God draws a couple close by turning their limits to their good. And no
conservative I know has seriously argued that same-sex couples need
sanctification any less than opposite-sex couples do." - "New harmonies: Music and identity at four congregations," by Steve Thorngate: "Some post-worship-war churches revel in musical eclecticism. Others have a singular approach and sound, rendering the terms traditional and contemporary irrelevant."
- "And Jesus sang," by Barbara Brown Taylor: "After Jesus shared his last supper with his friends, they sang a hymn
together. There is every reason to believe it was the Hallel, Psalms 113
through 118. How have I missed this before?" - "Why sermons bore us," by Thomas G. Long: "Much of the snickering about boring sermons comes not
because we expect so little but because we have hoped for so much. A hunger persists for a word from the
Lord—without which we are left to our boring selves." - "Advice and consent: Monogamy in the age of Dan Savage," by Benjamin J. Dueholm: "While Dan Savage, an atheist, wouldn't put it this way, the popular sex
columnist exegetes rules about relationships with the precision of a
rabbi or canon lawyer. Pastors should pay attention."