The Top Ten Articles of 2010 (So Far)

Just for fun I spent some time rooting around the statistics software that tracks my site and dug up the most popular pages on this blog through 2010 (so far). To this point there have been nearly 2.5 million visits to the site, so there is quite a large amount of data to sort through. Here, for your interest or amusement, are the top-ten pages since January 1, 2010:

10. iPad: The Greatest Disappointment in Human History [2] - Just making it to the list at the #10 spot is this post which laid out my initial thoughts on Apple’s iPad, penned immediately after it was unveiled (but before it was available). I still agree with a lot of what I wrote there, though obviously I was being deliberately hyperbolic.

9. The Problem with Pastor as Rock Star [3] - This one was actually a guest post written by Ed Stetzer and posted to the blog while I was on vacation. Ed took the time to pen a substantial article and motivated a small army of social media users to read it. The results? #9 on the list.

8. Crazy Love by Francis Chan [4] - Chan’s book continues to sell, recently surpassing its 1,000,000th copy in print. And as it continues to sell, people continue to want to know if it’s worth reading. My thoughts on the book are somewhat mixed, but overall I think it’s a worthwhile read.

7. A New Kind of Christianity [5] - This is a review of Brian McLaren’s most recent book and this review compares McLaren and his book to a prostitute described by George Orwell. This is probably my favorite bit of writing all year: “Here McLaren turns up the light and we see what his faith, what his Christianity, really is. We see it in all its toothless, caked-on horror. This new kind of Christianity is simply paganism behind a thick coating of false humility and biblical language. It is an expression of rebellion against God far more than it is a pursuit of new intimacy with the Creator. And like Orwell's whore, many will go to this book seeking intimacy with God only to content themselves with rebellion against him. For each is satisfying in its own way.”

6. Book Review - 90 Minutes in Heaven [6] - Here is another book that just keeps selling despite it being near-complete nonsense. I read recently that 23 Minutes in Hell, one of this book’s many imitators, has just surpassed a million copies sold. I guess this shows that fiction remains the most popular Christian genre. Zing!

5. Book Review - The Secret [7] - Of course The Secret has sold more copies than the rest of the books (so far) put together. It’s New Age poppycock that teaches that all of the universe is governed by a mysterious law of attraction. Oprah and other big-name celebrities have made it a phenomenon.

4. Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookie? [8] - The inspiration for this bizarre post struck at my second favorite Thai restaurant. I guess it tickled a few funny bones. I simply listed a bunch of quotes and asked people to identify if they came from fortune cookies or from Joel Osteen. It is more difficult than you might think. Todd Friel subsequently did a version of it on his show [9].

3. Sexual Detox: The E-Book [8] - Sexual Detox is an e-book I released about a year ago and one that has been downloaded tens of thousands of times. It is just a few days away from being available in a much-improved version in paperback, e-book, and audio book.

2. Why John Piper Should Not Have Invited Rick Warren [10] - This post was my reaction to John Piper inviting Rick Warren to speak at this year’s Desiring God National Conference. I sought to provide a measured reaction which condemned neither man but expressed concern with allowing Rick Warren the platform Piper has offered him.

1. The Shack by William P. Young [11] - This will come as no surprise, I’m sure. Young’s book continues to sell (though it has started to fall off the bestseller’s list at long last) and Christians continue to grapple with it. I believe this was the most-read page in 2009 as well and won’t be too surprised if it continues its reign into 2011.