2017’s Top 10 Stream Originals
If years were cartoon characters, 2017 may just be the Roadrunner. It hit the ground running and never slowed down. As we approach 2017’s close, let’s look back at the top stories that you, Stream readers, read the most.
#10 — Why Didn’t God Heal Nabeel Qureshi? |
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How does a man facing his own premature death exude an uplifting combination of grace, love and truth? My friend Nabeel Qureshi, who has done that for more than a year, died at age 34 on Saturday. In case you don’t know, Nabeel was a former devout Muslim who became a powerful defender of Christianity. While it seems insensitive to ask this while we grieve, people are wondering why didn’t God heal Nabeel. After all, he was a brilliant and charismatic young man taken away from his wife Michelle and daughter Ayah far too early. Nabeel had so much more to give to his family and the Kingdom of God that his death seems senseless. So why didn’t God heal Nabeel? |
#9 — Today’s Progressive Christians are the Best Christians in History. Just Ask Them!
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I’ve often been puzzled when progressive Christians reject 2,000 years of biblical interpretation and apostolic tradition on crucial topics, and instead swallow whole the political, social and moral positions of fashionable secular elites. I used to conclude that those Christians had cut loose from binding Tradition and the clear sense of Scripture in order to curry favor with the powerful, score dates, avoid government harassment, and generally win friends and influence people. I couldn’t think of any other explanation. But there is one other possibility, which I’d never really considered. And it is worth taking seriously. Maybe, just maybe, progressive thinkers and activists are the best Christians in history. |
#8 — Black Pastors Defend Sen. Sessions, Urge Senate to Confirm Him as Attorney General
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Black pastors from Alabama and other states showed up to a Capitol Hill news conference Monday to support President-Elect Donald Trump’s Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.). The Frederick Douglass Foundation and Family Research Council’s Watchmen on the Wall coordinated efforts to urge the U.S. Senate to confirm Sen. Sessions in the Attorney General role as nominated. Rev. Dean Nelson, Director of African-American Outreach for Family Research Council’s Watchmen on the Wall said the charges of racism against Sessions are without merit and that Sessions has worked tirelessly in pursuit of justice. |
#7 — The Predator in the Fashion Magazine: Teen Vogue Coaches Teenagers in Sodomy
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(WARNING: Due to the nature of the Teen Vogue’s disturbing article, this response contains some graphic language.) In this case, the predator is the fashion magazine. Yes, predator. Teen Vogue is preying on teenagers, particularly teenage girls, since girls are their primary audience. In a recent article, |
#6 — Kathy Griffin, Cheap Grace, and the Mechanisms of Evil
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Surely you’ve seen Kathy Griffin’s wannabe ISIS photo. Maybe you’ve seen her hard-to-watch, traumatized video message of apology. Stunned by the backlash against her “let’s behead the president” photo stunt, Griffin seemed chastened and sorry. Not as sorry as Mel Gibson seemed after his drunken, anti-Semitic rant a decade ago. But sorry enough for some. Online commentators who’d given no sign of forgiving Gibson for an intoxicated outburst treated Griffin very differently. They demanded that the rest of us accept her apology and move on. Because, you know, hosting TV specials is a basic human right. Even when you’ve worked for weeks preparing an image that encourages the ISIS-style execution of a U.S. president. |
#5 — Milo Yiannopoulos’ Controversial Comments Reveal Hypocrisy Within LGBT Community
| I can understand why Milo Yiannopoulos’s words about pederasty strike readers as loathsome. They’ve already cost him an invitation to CPAC and apparently even his big book deal.
It is indeed shocking for someone to state (falsely) that a 13-year-old boy of exceptional maturity may be prepared for sex and might benefit from a relationship with a much older man, even though the age difference guarantees that such interaction would be unequal and probably exploitative. But — and this is a big but: what he said is quite common in gay subculture, almost banal, though both left and right tend to downplay or hide it when they discuss policy matters. |
#4 — Yes, Childhood Sexual Abuse Often Does Contribute to Homosexuality
| What do Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, George Takei and Milo Yiannopoulos have in common? They are all out and proud gay men, and they were all sexually abused as underage minors. Sadly, this is an extremely common occurrence, as there is frequently a connection between childhood sexual abuse and adult homosexuality.
To say such a thing, of course, is to invite a hailstorm of fierce criticism and ridicule: “You bigoted homophobe! These men were born gay, not made gay. Plus, there are plenty of gay men who were never abused and plenty of straight men who were abused as boys and never turned gay.” Putting the name-calling aside, there is some truth to these statements. |
#3 — Living Under a President You Didn’t Want: Four Words of Encouragement for Liberals
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Liberal Americans, may I speak to you for a moment? I have some words of encouragement for you. I know that today, Inauguration Day, is a rough day for you. Very rough. Actually from my perspective as a conservative it looks like you’re in a panic. As I write this, you’re planning protests all around the country. The ACLU is printing 10,000 leaflets on protestors’ rights, for use in Washington alone. At least one other legal group has laid plans to be ready to help you if you get arrested. It’s going to be a long day for you. I’m sure you see it as the start of a long four years. |
#2 — I’m Sorry, but Caitlyn Jenner is a Man Wearing a Dress
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I do not write these words lightly, and there is not an ounce of mockery or, God forbid, hatred in my heart when I say that Caitlyn Jenner is a man wearing a dress. I am simply speaking the plain and obvious truth, as politically incorrect as that truth might be right now. But with transgender issues dominating the news these days, and in light of Tucker Carlson’s epic takedown of Democratic leader Zac Petkanas on national TV last week (specifically, discussing gender-related questions), it appears that now is as good a time as ever to state some things clearly. So then, to avoid all ambiguity: No, you do not get to choose your gender. |
And the top, most read Stream original article of 2017 is…
#1 — Shame on the Silent Christian Leaders Who Refuse to Stand Against Government Tyranny
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There is only one thing more appalling than the Washington Supreme Court’s 9-0 ruling against religious liberty today. It is the silence of Christian leaders across America, leaders who choose convenience over confrontation, leaders who would rather be popular than prophetic, leaders who prefer the favor of people over the favor of God. Shame on these silent leaders. Today is a day to stand. Justices ruled unanimously against florist Barronelle Stutzman, claiming that she discriminated against a longtime gay customer (named Robert Ingersoll) when she told him she couldn’t make the floral arrangement for his upcoming gay “wedding,” despite the fact that she had served him for years and despite her recommending three other florists who could do the arrangements for his wedding. |
