Top 23 Most Read Articles of 2023

As the year draws to a close, we at Christ Over All want to give thanks to God for the fruit produced through this ministry. Our aim is to help the church see Christ as Lord and everything else under his feet, and in God’s kindness, he has provided numerous men and women who share this same ambition. Below, you will find a list of our top 23 most read articles from 2023. These articles cover diverse topics, ranging from the roles of men and women in the church to vaccines to biblical and systematic theology. Such variety reflects our desire to see all of life lived in joyful submission to Jesus, and we are grateful to God for equipping each of our authors to apply the Bible in these manifold ways. As we look back on God’s grace reflected in the sampling below, we are both deeply encouraged and excited as we look forward to 2024!

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1. “Women and Head Coverings: Explaining and Applying 1 Corinthians 11:2–16” by Andy Naselli
   
   What do head coverings teach us about men and women? And how do we apply Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 11 in our culture today?
   
2. “Criteria for When a Woman Can Teach Among Christians” by Jonathan Leeman
   
   Does Scripture permit a woman to teach a Sunday School class? What about lead a small group? While Scripture clearly teaches complementary roles for men and women, applying this teaching to various ministry settings requires careful thought. So, what does a faithful and wise complementarianism look like in practice?
   
3. “Thou Shalt Be Vaccinated: When ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ Does Not Fulfill the Law” by Stephen Wellum
   
   Did “loving your neighbor” require getting vaccinated against Covid-19? What is most loving today in hindsight? And have we learned nothing from history?
   
4. “Encore: Is It Loving for a Faithful Christian to Go to a ‘Gay Wedding’?” by Robert Gagnon
   
   The answer is a clear, unflinching, biblical, “No!”—motivated by a love that far exceeds the love of every single wedding guest.
   
5. “What Is the Spectrum of Major Views on Political Theology? A Proposed Taxonomy of Seven Views on Religion and Government” by Andy Naselli
   
   Here is what we have all been waiting for: A taxonomy of views on religion and government that brings a long-sought-for clarity.
   
6. “Loving Those Caught in Gender Ideology: The Ethics and Metaphysics of Sexual Identity” by Ryan T. Anderson
   
   Don’t “intersex” conditions prove that gender is non-binary? And isn’t it unloving to call a “transgender woman” a man? And why are puberty blockers such a big deal anyway?
   
7. “Parenting 001” by Kevin DeYoung
   
   Parenting is certainly hard work, but have we maybe made it a little more complicated than it needs to be?
   
8. “Genesis 3:15 and the Bible’s Big Story” by Jim Hamilton
   
   The Bible is not a haphazard hodgepodge of stories, but a sweeping narrative proclaiming God’s glory in salvation. To understand this story rightly, we must start at the beginning.
   
9. “Poking Holes in the Egalitarian Beachball: Seven Arguments against Female Pastors” by Trent Hunter
   
   What do you say when your daughter turns to you and curiously asks, “So why can’t women be pastors?” Through seven different responses to current arguments, our answer boils down to this: “Because we trust our good and wise God.”
   
10. “The Hostility of Loving Your Neighbor” by Chase Davis
    
    What better way to enforce obedience than to dress up a command that is not in the Bible with language that is from the Bible? “Love your neighbor” indeed.
    
11. “The Egalitarian Beachball Is a Church Wrecking Ball” by David Schrock
    
    What looks colorful and playful . . . until it smashes into the household of God? It’s a wrecking ball disguised as the Egalitarian Beachball, and its coming for the Southern Baptist Convention.
    
12. “Dispensational and Covenant Theology” by Stephen Wellum
    
    Since Progressive Covenantalism charts a course between dispensational and covenant theology, understanding these two popular views clarifies Progressive Coventalism’s distinct contributions.
    
13. “Progressive Covenantalism and 1689 Federalism: Comparing Baptist Covenantal Theologies” by Richard Lucas
    
    How is Progressive Covenantalism different from 1689 Federalism? And do these Baptist covenantal theologies differ from reformed covenant theology?
    
14. “Encore: Rick Warren and Twelve Points of Manipulative Rhetoric in His ‘Open Letter to All Southern Baptists’” by Glenn LaRue
    
    Strong rhetoric sometimes masks weak arguments. Here are 12 points of manipulative rhetoric used by Rick Warren in the past which might very well show up in the future.
    
15. “Don’t Women Need Access to Abortion for Rape?” By Andy Naselli
    
    If a conception occurred through a heinous act of rape, should the child be aborted? Should Christians end all abortion except for cases of rape?
    
16. “What is Progressive Covenantalism? Part 1” by Stephen Wellum
    
    The ultimate storyline of the Bible finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, but how does this story develop and advance? It does so through the unfolding of various covenants which progressively reveal God’s redemptive plan for his people.
    
17. “Ethics through Covenant: A Primer on Progressive Covenantalism and Moral Theology (Part 1)” by Andrew Walker
    
    As Christians seek to apply Scripture to the ethical questions of daily life, progressive covenantalism provides an interpretive framework that helps produce a unified, comprehensive, and biblical morality.
    
18. “Penal Substitution and Other Atonement Theologies” by Stephen Wellum
    
    What did Jesus accomplish on the cross? While theories on the atonement abound, only penal substitutionary atonement grasps humanity’s central problem: our sin before a holy God.
    
19. “Paul’s Teaching on Women’s Roles in Titus 2:3–5” by Marny Köstenberger
    
    Although our culture has become confused regarding the roles of men and women, Scripture provides an unchanging guide for these issues. So what does the Bible have to say about God’s glorious purpose for women?
    
20. “The BioLogos Statement vs. The Frankfurt Declaration: Two Opposite Evangelical Responses to the State’s Power” by Jacob Reaume
    
    Commitment to Christ and commitment to government control ought not be conflated. Yet, some Evangelical responses to COVID-19 revealed the temptation to do just that.
    
21. “Neither Covenant Children, Nor Evangelism by Proxy: Recovering a Baptist Approach to Raising Children in the Lord” by David Schrock
    
    How do Baptist beliefs inform our parenting? We neither treat our children as automatic members of the covenant, nor do we neglect our holy responsibility to instruct them in the Lord.
    
22. “Encore: Evangelicalism in 2020 and Beyond” by Mark DeVine
    
    Encore: What has happened within Evangelicalism since 2020? And what has been the fallout from the brewing storm of the past years?
    
23. “The Creator’s Authorized Realistic Account of Creation: Interpretation of Genesis 1–3 Is Neither Literal Nor Figurative” by Ardel Caneday
    
    Instead of arguing whether to read Genesis 1–3 as “literal” or “figurative,” we ought read it as historically factual, as the Bible itself presents it.