By: Brian G. Chilton | December 31, 2019
It is amazing to consider that we are about to enter another decade. But it is mind-boggling to consider that we are entering the 2020s. I mean, that sounds like something off the Back to the Future movie series. With another year, comes another year of exciting new articles and topics. 2020 sees the introduction of regular contributors to our website. VT Clark is our newest contributor. We will introduce her on a future post. She comes to Bellator Christi along with Curtis Evelo, the newest cohost of the Bellator Christi Podcast, and Kevin Kroitor, and Jason Kline. As we enter a new decade of truth proclaiming and truth defending, let’s take a look at the top 15 posts of 2019. Unless otherwise mentioned, I authored the article. This will be even more exciting next year as we have more contributors.
15. “The Crimson Worm” (Curtis Evelo)
This article examines the comparison of Christ’s death to the crimson worm of Psalm 22. https://bellatorchristi.com/2019/04/16/the-crimson-worm/
14. “Who Wrote the Gospel of Matthew?”
This article, written in 2017, defends the traditional view that Matthew the disciple penned the First Gospel.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2017/06/07/who-wrote-gospel-of-matthew/
13. “Seven Reasons Why Prayer is Important.”
One of the older articles on the list, written in 2013, explores seven reasons why prayer is important to the life of the believer.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2013/06/24/seven-reasons-why-prayer-is-important/
12. “Who Wrote the Gospel of Mark?”
Another 2017 entry, this article defends the traditional view that John Mark penned the memoirs of Simon Peter.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2017/06/12/who-wrote-the-gospel-of-mark/
11. “Who Wrote the Gospel of Luke and Acts?”
The authorship for the Synoptic Gospels was popular this year. A third defense for the traditional view of authorship holds that the physician Luke authored both the Third Gospel and the book of Acts.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2017/06/19/who-wrote-the-gospel-of-luke-and-acts/
10. “God Created Extroverts and Introverts for a Reason”
One of the newer entries on the list, the topic of extraversion and introversion exploded this year as we explored the differences between extroverts and introverts and why both were designed by God for a reason.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2019/10/29/god-created-extroverts-and-introverts-for-a-reason/
9. “Voltaire’s Prediction, Home, and the Bible Society: Truth or Myth?” (Dan Merritt)
Dr. Dan Merritt, the Director of Missions for the Surry Baptist Association, found one of his works in the top ten. Here, Dr. Merritt explores the historical origins of Voltaire’s prediction that the Bible would be worthless in ten years, and how his home was ironically used for Bible publications years after his death. Is there any merit to the story or is it a fabricated Christian urban legend? Read the article and you decide.
8. “Top-10 Challenges Facing American Christianity in 2018.”
A few years back, I prognosticated as to which challenges the church would meet in the year ahead. My prognostication for 2018 gained traction in 2019. Was I right? Was I wrong? Read the article and then decide for yourself.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2018/01/03/top-10-challenges-facing-american-christianity-in-2018/
7. “Family is Your First Ministry.”
Many pastors hold that their families must be sacrificed at the altar of success when performing pastoral ministry. I defend my strong belief that a person’s ministry to one’s family must take first place in this article which was first published in March of 2019.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2019/03/11/family-is-your-first-ministry/
6. “3 Manifestations of God’s Love.”
From 2016, God’s love was the focus of this article as we explored the reality, the response, and the relationship of God’s manifested love.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2016/04/21/3-manifestations-of-gods-love/
5. “Various Forms of God’s Grace.”
How do we understand the various forms of God’s grace? What is prevenient grace and irresistible grace? Read this article from 2013 which made the top five to find out.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2013/11/05/various-forms-of-gods-grace/
4. “10 Reasons to Accept the Resurrection of Jesus as a Historical Fact.”
This article proved to be one that believers loved, and skeptics hated. I provide ten reasons to believe that Jesus’s resurrection was an event of history. What are the ten reasons? Read the article and discover them for yourself.
3. “When and What Time Was Jesus Born?”
Matthew Cleary is a young man at a church where I served as pastor. He asked a profound question about the time and place of Jesus’s birth. This article provided a response to his question. While the article was written in 2017, it exploded in 2019. This month, the article held close to 1,000 views in one day! So, what did I discover? When was Jesus born? Click the link below to see.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2017/12/19/when-and-what-time-was-jesus-born/
2. “Seven Aspects of Jesus’s Life that are Historically Certain.”
What can we historically know about Jesus’s life? This article, which was written in March of 2019, provides seven historical events in Jesus’s life that are known to have occurred with great certainty by most historians. Here again, this article received great response by the Christian community and great scorn by the secularist community.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2019/03/25/seven-aspects-of-jesuss-life-that-are-historically-certain/
1. “Ten Divine Attributes of the Messiah.”
The most viewed article of 2019 is another 2017 published article. The article explores the self-understanding of Jesus’s divine nature. In addition, it notes the revealed divine attributes of Jesus as seen in his life and in John’s revelatory vision. Check it out for yourself by clicking the link below.
https://bellatorchristi.com/2017/12/05/ten-divine-attributes-of-the-messiah/
Next year, we will have many more articles to come stemming from various voices on the Bellator Christi Ministry team. Which article will be the most viewed article of 2020? Whose writing will hold the most views? Check with us next year at the same time. Thank you for supporting Bellator Christi Ministries. Pray that God will continue to bless and keep this ministry as we advance the gospel to the world by taking up the sword of theology and the shield of apologetics.
About the Author
Brian G. Chilton is the founder of BellatorChristi.com, the host of The Bellator Christi Podcast, and the author of the Layman’s Manual on Christian Apologetics. He received his Master of Divinity in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); and received certification in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. Brian is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Theology and Apologetics at Liberty University and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Brian has been in the ministry for nearly 20 years and serves as the Senior Pastor of Westfield Baptist Church in northwestern North Carolina.
https://www.amazon.com/Laymans-Manual-Christian-Apologetics-Essentials/dp/1532697104
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