2013 has been a great year on davidould.net. I’ve had more visitors than ever and we’ve tackled some pretty big stories as well as the usual fluff that keeps me entertained.

It’s interesting to see what the top posts have been, at least the most read. Some are obvious, but others really took me by surprise. So without further ado, the top 10 most-read posts of 2013 on davidould.net:

10 David on Channel 10′s “The Project” Next Wednesday. The post where I announced my appearance on Channel 10’s The Project. Related posts include my brief summary of the day and a compilation of the various posts and media about it.

9 Why the “Rudd as Theologian” Affair Is So Important. And so Dangerous. Further reflections on former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s foray into theological comment and particularly his modelling of arrogant dismissal of Biblical Christianity and Christians.

8 about David. Interestingly, many people still go to my “about” page to find out who is writing all this stuff. Go have a look at tell me what other information you want there.

7 And They’re Off… The Race Begins for Archbishop of Sydney. This year’s election of a new Archbishop for Sydney was always going to garner a lot of interest. In this post I cover the initial announcement by the Glenn Davies team and also introduce the other potential nominee. (The post announcing Davies’ eventual election came in at #11 for the year).

6 The Authoritarian Dan Savage – “Compulsory Abortion for 30 Years”. Dan Savage appeared on Australian discussion program Q&A and kicked off a storm of controversy suggesting that a good solution to over-population was compulsory abortion.

5 Grafton Appointment Exposes Massive Differences in the Anglican Church in Australia. The follow-up story on the appointment of Rev Dr Sarah Macneil as diocesan of Grafton. This story is getting constant interest and is certain to pick up again in the New Year as we get closer and closer to the consecration.

4 Vaughan Roberts, “Same-Sex Attraction – A Battle I Face” – a model of a godly response. Amazingly this is a piece from September 2012 but it contines to get steady interest, mostly because it got picked up at The Gospel Coalition. So popular was this post that if you google “Vaughan Roberts” the top hit is my site. Since then Vaughan has been involved in the wonderful Living Out.

3 Why Rick. – Another Candidate for Archbishop of Sydney. Part of the campaign to promote Rick Smith as a nominee for Archbishop of Sydney. This post became a focal point for much of the discussion and developed into an interesting debate over the relative merits of the candidates and the manner of the nomination and advocacy process.

The two top posts were clear standouts in terms of number of hits. These were by far the biggest initial drivers of traffic here this year.

2 Australia’s First Female Diocesan Bishop – we should ordain homosexuals and the Cross does not save. Interestingly, not the #1 post but not far off. Within a month I suspect this one will push #1 out of the way. I was given a tip-off that the documented theology of bishop-nominee Rev Dr Sarah Macneil was set against official Australian Anglican doctrine. I set out the case and it all kicked off from there. I still get emails every day over this one and I know that the contents of the post are being discussed in diocesan offices and council chambers all around Australia. Expect more from this story in the New Year.

but even that enormous story didn’t get quite as much interest as this one:

1 Mr Rudd, what exactly is the New Testament all about? Kevin Rudd’s blanket denial of the traditional Christian view on sexual ethics came bundled together with a number of complications; poor exegesis and hermeneutics being only the beginning. But the very biggest problem I saw with it was not the capitulation on sexual ethics but the appalling re-reading of the New Testament that Rudd put forward. In the 24 hours following on from the initial comments I saw nobody else making this point so I set out my case and it went viral on Facebook.

Some additional thoughts and comments:

It’s quite obvious that the twin topics of sexual ethics and the definition of the gospel were the key drivers for conversation on davidould.net this year. I’m pleased that the gospel has trumped over the homosexual issue in terms of what drove the conversation and I’m commited to keeping things that way in 2014. The debate over sexual ethics will continue apace in our culture and in the church (and I’ll be increasingly involved in that debate next year – watch this space) but the bigger issue is the gospel itself. In one sense, the question of sexual ethics simply derives from this greater question of who we are, what defines our ethics and morality more generally and what can be done about it? Contrary to the secularists and the liberal theologians (who, interestingly, consistently play on the same team over these issues), the answer is Jesus and in particular his death and Ressurection on our behalf. In 2014 I hope to keep the ultimate focus exactly there.

2014 will contain some interesting events. The Australian Anglican General Synod is on and I also have a few media things lined up. I hope you’ll continue to enjoy reading all about them and everything else right here.