It’s that time when, apparently, bloggers post ‘best-of’ lists from the year that’s past. So here we go. These are the top ten most viewed posts from Every Thought Captive in 2013.

10. A Breaking Bad Idea: I took some heat (some of it justified) for this rumination on whether or not Christians should watch shows like Breaking Bad. I’m glad it raised questions for people.

9. Depression and the Christian: A collection of resources for people dealing with (or helping those dealing with) this massive issue.

8. About Me: Yep, this one’s boring.

7. The Gospel and Who to Vote For, Part 1: Part one of a five-part series on how the gospel should shape the way we think about politics.

6. Census delivers few surprises on religion in New Zealand in 2013: An overview of the newly released data from December 2013, with some more subjective thoughts still to come (God willing, over the next few days).

5. When Prime Ministers Attack: Faith under (friendly) fire: On the eve of the Australian federal election, (then) PM Kevin Rudd threw his own Christian faith under the bus with some tired old criticisms of the Bible.

4. How to poison your relationships in one easy step: Always assume the worst: I wrote this one after seeing the issue come up over and over and over again in pastoral ministry (and in my own heart).

3. My Top Ten West Wing Episodes: I had a lot of fun putting this together one night back in March. Apparently there are a lot of people out there Googling ‘Top Ten West Wing Episodes’, ‘Best West Wing Episodes’, etc, and somehow my post made it onto page one of Google’s results.

2. Persevering in Evangelism: Reflections on a godly stranger: It’s amazing what a mention on Tim Challies’ blog and churchleaders.com can do for readership! I’m grateful that this little story came to mind many years after it happened, and that it proved an encouragement to many people.

1. ‘Same-sex marriage’: What I would have said: Easily the most read post on ETC this year. It’s an issue that won’t go away – one that every thoughtful Christian needs to consider, and one that need not scare us. With a bit of thoughtfulness, this issue offers a chance to engage with our friends and to challenge stereotypes, all without abandoning the life-giving teaching of the Bible. This post (written in response to the New Zealand Parliament’s decision to legalise ‘same-sex marriage’) was an attempt to show how we might do those things.

Thanks to all of you who’ve spent some time on ETC this year, and especially to those who’ve shared posts. I’m looking forward to what the new year brings, and hope I can continue to serve you via the blog in 2014.