This is our blogs’ ninth year, and we are grateful for all of our readers. We hope our posts continue to be helpful and edifying, and are thankful that so many people subscribe and make a habit of reading. It is always humbling to hear from people who use our blog as a regular part of their spiritual-life.
With that in mind, here are our most read Cripplegate posts of 2019. This list was tabulated by unique IP addresses to view a post in this past calendar year, and done by averaging the stats from WordPress and Google:
When the One who Led you to Christ Walks Away: Jordan wrote about the apostasy of Joshua Harris, who pastored a church in the DC area. His fall from the truth was predictable, and speaks to the low standards some in the evangelical movement have had for pastors. It serves as a warning about the “famous Christian” elevated in ministry. But it was also heartbreaking for those that knew him, and who were impacted by his ministry. It was to those that Jordan addressed this post.
The Difference between Jesus’ Raising of Lazarus and Lukau’s Raising of Elliot. Back in February, Africa was consumed with news that a South African Bishop had raised a man from the dead. The event happened in front of a massive crowd, and was widely reported. Eric takes a closer look at the news and video, and helpfully compares that event with the biblical raising of Lazarus.
Can the Roman Catholic Gospel Get you into Heaven? There are no shortages of blogs posts, books, and articles showing how the Roman Catholic concept of the gospel is fundamentally different than the good news proclaimed by Protestants. Eric takes a different approach in this post, and quotes entirely from Roman Catholic sources to illustrate that their so-called gospel is, by their own words, powerless to save.
The Tragedy of Notre-Dame de Paris: In April, the wold watched on live-TV as fire destroy one of the most famous religious buildings in the world, the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. Eric, who grew up spending time in France, takes our readers on a tour of the Cathedral to show us what was lost, and what the main elements of it symbolized. The building presents its visitors with a veritable tour of Catholic theology, and this blog post is our guide.
A New Kind of Pharisee. It is no secret that social media can be a toxic place. But 2019 saw this toxicity rampant in certain elements of Christianity, put forward by people who preach mercy, but are quick to condemn. They are blind, unteachable, and uncharitable, believing the worst about their “opponents”–a phrase used to describe people who don’t agree with them on social justice. This post shows how often this form of Christian is really only a new form of an old religion.
50 Pastors with 50 Lessons from 50 Years of John MacArthur’s Ministry: 2019 marked John MacArthur’s 50th year as pastor of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles. Jordan tracked down 50 different pastors who each shared what impact the legacy of MacArthur’s ministry has had on them. 50 pastors, 50 years, and 50 lesson comes in as our 5th most read post of the year (score five points for gematria!)
A Simple Method to Strengthen your Prayer Life: Jesse takes Dick Eastman’s Hour that Changes the World, and tweaks it, then applies it a daily devotional prayer time. This approach to prayer breaks an hour up into 12 five-minute blocks, and helps you pray with specific intent. If you feel like your prayer life needs structure, read this post.
TMS Grad Preaches the Gospel at a Kanye West Event: Who had “Kanye West gets saved” on their 2019 bingo card? Not only did West make a public profession of conversion this year, but he began a series of evangelistic events, many of which featured Adam Tyson–a TMS grad–preaching the gospel. Here Eric gives a summary of Tyson’s sermon at the event in Detroit.
Five Incredible Revelations from this Week’s Abortion Hearing in California: It was four years ago (2015) when journalist David Daleiden released undercover videos he made of Planned Parenthood employees breaking Federal law. It took a while, but the state of California finally brought criminal charges based on the tapes–only they charged Daleiden for violating the rights of Planned Parenthood! His trial began this year, and the preliminary hearings contained shocking revelations about why he was charged. This story was not reported on by the national media, but don’t worry–The Cripplegate has you covered!
Farewell Francis: When Jordan went to The Master’s Seminary, he was deeply affected by the preaching of Francis Chan, who was one of the most respected graduates of TMS. But this year Chan surprised the evangelical world when he linked up with prosperity gospel preachers for evangelistic outreaches. Jordan’s summary of what happened, and how it affected him, was our most read post of 2019.
By the way, here are our lists from 2018, from 2017, from 2016, from 2015, from 2014, from 2013, from 2012, and from our first year, 2011.
Did you have a favorite post from this year? Is there anything you’d like to see us write on in the new year?