Less than two years ago, we at Southeastern Seminary’s Intersect Project embarked on a journey to give you daily insights to help you connect faith with the rest of your life. Yesterday, we celebrated the publication of our 500th post by giving away Bruce and Lauren Ashford’s new e-book.
For today’s #FaithandCulture Reading, we’d like to share with you the 10 most-read Intersect articles of all time. They deal with important topics like abortion, same-sex attraction, money, socialism, virtual reality and white supremacy.
1. What Would Really Happen if We Defunded Planned Parenthood and Ended Abortion?
Many of us talk about ending abortion and defunding Planned Parenthood. But what would happened if we succeeded? Would the church be ready to serve? Ashley Gorman asks these questions and more in this pointed yet powerful piece.
If we protest for a baby’s life, it will cost us ours. It will cost us our time, our energy, our resources, our lifestyle, our preferences, our daily routines, our guest bedrooms, our extra money, our lives. It will cost us everything. And that’s a good thing…
2. “Homosexuality Is a Sin to Be Mortified, Not a Behavior to Be Modified”: Rosaria Butterfield on Sexual Orientation
In an increasingly confused culture, many of us want to know how to think about issues of sexuality from a Christian perspective. Few people address this issue as winsomely as Rosaria Butterfield, and thousands of you watched and shared her videos (including “Counting the Costs: Rosaria Butterfield’s Journey from Lesbian Feminist to Christ Follower“). Butterfield says,
Everyone loses when we define ourselves using categories that God does not. People who identify as heterosexual and homosexual have much to lose by defining themselves according to the category of sexual orientation.
![Giovanni Lanfranco [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://cfc.sebts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Giovanni-Lanfranco-Miracle-of-the-Bread-and-Fish-WGA12454.jpg)
3. What Did Jesus Really Teach about Wealth and Poverty?
What did Jesus think about money? Many of us wrestle with this question, because we so often hear competing perspectives. David W. Jones addresses this question with clarity and objectivity. He writes,
The answer to this question matters because it gets to the very heart of who Jesus is — and what the Bible as a whole teaches about wealth and poverty. So let’s examine Christ’s life and ministry in the Gospels and seek to find an answer.
4. Was Jesus Rich or Poor — and Why Does It Matter?
Whereas David W. Jones’ previous article dealt with Jesus’ teaching on wealth and poverty, this article addresses his own financial state. So… was Jesus rich or poor, and why should we care? He writes,
When it comes to wealth and poverty, ‘What would Jesus do?’ Perhaps a better question would be, ‘What did Jesus do?’ What was the example of our Savior as he lived in the material world, as he interacted with the things and people who fill it?
5. From Youth Pastor to American Ninja Warrior
Matt Atwell is husband, father, youth pastor, employee at a furniture store and an assistant at his local Baptist association office. This Spring, he added one more role — he competed in American Ninja Warrior. In our conversation, Atwell said,
One of the things I tried to prepare for ahead of time was how I would respond — whether I hit the buzzer in victory or fell off the platform at the first obstacle. When you watch interviews after sporting events, you often hear the winners give God glory. It seems like nobody ever thinks to give God glory after they lose.
![Christopher Michel [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://cfc.sebts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Cuba-marxist-socialism.jpg)
6. The Problems With Marxist Socialism
Socialism has returned to the national dialogue in recent years. In this article, Bruce Ashford explains Marxist socialism and identifies its core problems. He writes,
Did Marx diagnose some of the ills of capitalist societies? Absolutely. But his remedies are worse than the social illness he diagnosed. His remedy leads to a loss of liberty (via the abolishment of private property), an impulse toward authoritarianism, and a disincentivizing of work. Marx may have had good intentions, but Marxism proliferates problems rather than solving them.
7. A Pro-Life Ethic: Miscarriages and Misconceptions
In this important piece, Laura Thigpen connects our pro-life ethic with how we address miscarriage within the church. She writes,
To see firsthand the deep sense of grief miscarriage brings, even at five weeks in the womb, can testify to the genuine belief that these babies have inherent value. Whether facing abortion or the unfortunate peril of miscarriage, every human life is valuable.
8. Parents, Stop Idolizing Your Children
We should celebrate our children. But elevating family to a god is dangerous, explains Jeremy Bell. He writes,
Our culture tempts us to believe that our children are in a state of perfection. American parents may not say it outright, but we often act like our children are incapable of messing up, sinning or doing wrong. When our children do wrong, we parents may try to shift the blame to another source.
9. Virtual Reality: Should Christians Adopt or Avoid It?
Virtual reality is here, but many of us haven’t thought through the ethical issues surrounding it. Should we reject it? Embrace it? Or something in between? Clint Little writes:
Before leading a conversation about how to use this new technology, we need to know some things about it and think through the benefits and dangers we have discussed. We should all strive as Christians to be experts on how to apply the gospel to sinful hearts and a fallen world, and VR is just one other area to practice that skill.
10 (Tie). Blessing the World by Brewing Coffee: Tracy McKenzie on Back Alley Coffee Roasters
Dr. Tracy McKenzie is both a professor at Southeastern Seminary and an entrepreneur. In this interview, he tells us about Back Alley Coffee Roasters, work, faith and more. He say,
We said from the beginning we didn’t want to produce mediocre coffee. We didn’t want to make average coffee. We want to treat this particular piece of God’s creation in a way that honors the creator.
10 (Tie). The White Supremacy Within Us
This article only published a few weeks ago, and it already cracked our top 10. In it, Lemanuel Williams reflects on the pervasiveness of white supremacy in this heavy (but important) article. He writes,
Allow me to confess: I am guilty of being a white supremacist, and I’m black. I am often guilty of uplifting the white culture and race as superior to the black race and culture, even though I’m black.
Which article was your favorite, and why? Tell us about it in the comments.
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