Here are the top ten stories of 2023. This year’s list is certainly more global, and 2023 was no year of sabbath from trials or temptations for the church.
Asbury Revival
The Asbury Revival captured national attention for the elongated worship service that lasted 16 days at the university chapel. Clumsy gospel presentations and hyperemotional music are the best characterizations of this event which captivated many. And the impact of the event has been stark ever since. Indeed, many charismatic “revival” type events have taken place since, but there is no set definition of a revival if one is to truly occur in this downtrodden civilization.
Dispensationalism Debate Amidst Israeli-Gaza War
The events of October 7, 2023, ignited a theological debate over modern Israel’s significance in the biblical end times. In a world where everyone is being pressured to take a side, many Christians reject the notion that either side is truly good. 2023 appears to be the year where Dispensationalism showcased its decline in theological prominence. October 7 was dispensationalism’s best day of 2023, but the old guard that adheres to Modern Israel’s prophetic significance has not won over the younger generations who explored other eschatologies and found their arguments more compelling. Moreover, it became increasingly obvious in 2023 that Zionism is a biblically untenable position to hold as America’s Greatest Ally has never lived up to the façade.
Andy Stanley’s Promotion of Homosexuality
Andy Stanley has been one of the most prominent false teachers of the 21st century. In 2012, Andy Stanley would openly affirm homosexuality in a sermon, but little was made of that at the time. Instead, multiple clips surfaced in early 2023 showcasing his compromise. Moreover, his church would host a massive gay-affirming conference in September. Most of Christian media ran cover or obfuscated Andy Stanley’s position, but even with this, Andy Stanley continued doubling down on sodomy. Perhaps Andy Stanley was butthurt that his apostasy had not received enough attention in recent years.
SBC Passes Mike Law Amendment
The Southern Baptist Convention passed the Mike Law Amendment on the floor of the convention. The amendment would signify that churches with female pastors are not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention and would lead to the Credentials Committee having grounds for their removal. Yet the past liberal SBC Presidents, Gaines, Greear, Litton, Lutor,& Merritt, devised a scheme to neuter the amendment by redefining “cooperation” so that their liberal allied churches could continue being Southern Baptist. The Mike Law Amendment faces a tough ratification battle in 2024 as it must also contend with the liberal Cooperation Committee now. The urge to purge may soon be realized in the SBC and may save the denomination from decline.
The Defeat of Rick Warren, Saddleback Church
Rick Warren has been among the most influential Southern Baptist pastors in the last 40 years. Yet his time with the SBC ended not with a bang but with a wheeze. Warren sounded tired and angry as he posited his fresh arguments for women pastors that fell on deaf ears. The biggest star alive in the SBC was ousted for leading his church astray, and you love to see that.
The Chosen Goes Gay
While The Chosen has always been a show about grown men talking about their feelings, being gay was a dot not connected because the Mormon question has loomed so large. Yet when The Chosen touted a gay flag in their promotional video, the backlash they received was immense. Dallas Jenkins responded by doubling down on sodomy promotion, claiming that The Chosen is not a ministry all while having used a non-profit ministry to crowdfund the production and marketing of his for-profit company. There is trouble in paradise with The Chosen, and people are waking up.
Death of Tim Keller
Tim Keller has been one of the most influential Evangelical figures in the last 40 years. And he was a wolf. And his ministry was clearly marked by getting worse over time. Liberal from the beginning, Keller promoted theistic evolution, Biologos, Social Justice, Side B Theology, and the effeminate witness showcased by The Gospel Coalition. The Gospel Coalition unveiled the Tim Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics which featured multiple Side B theology proponents. His subsequent death allows Christians to mark his legacy as the wolf he was all along.
Anglican Church Removes Church of England’s First Among Equal Status
To an American, it may seem ho-hum, but the Church of England being stripped of First Among Equal status in the Global Anglican Communion is a major victory in the battle for Anglicanism. The unprecedented maneuver was led by the Global South, mainly African bishops who reject British buggery.
Papists Go Gay
While gay priests have been a problem for the Catholic Church for quite some time, gay doctrine being explicitly sanctioned by the Pope himself is unprecedented. This year, The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century had a forward written by Pope Francis. The contents inside obfuscated verses on homosexuality, placate modern audiences. Following this up, the Pope sanctioned blessing gay couples in December. Indeed, the Roman Catholic Church may be the first prominent denomination to embrace sodomy before female pastors.
Christian Nationalism Rises
Christian Nationalism had many books and multiple conferences addressing the ancient theology under a new name. In 2023, the side that held the line against Critical Race Theory fractured as it became clear that not all who opposed Critical Race Theory did so on principle but rather to protect an earlier stage in liberalism. G3 Ministries became the embodiment of this split, and their credibility tanked with their preferred allies in atheists leading to their discrediting. The actual G3 conference was marred by Owen Strachan’s woke revert. The Christian news cycle was dominated by Christian Nationalism but each attack only made it get stronger. The Christian Nationalists piled up the Ws around the world in Uganda, Hungary, and some US states. The revitalized political theology is only getting started.
