“Yes, but . . .”
It can be annoying to hear someone say “Yes, but . . .” to correct something you’re saying. It’s like when a parent says, “Yes, he was wrong to take your toy, but it was also wrong of you to hit him.” Yet the “Yes, but . . .” approach is fairly gentle, and it’s an approach Jesus used from time to time. For example, in paraphrase, Jesus taught, “Yes, you should listen to the teachers of the law, but you shouldn’t imitate what they do,” and, “Yes, you should practice the spiritual disciplines, but in secret, for God alone,” and “Yes, you should love your neighbor, but you should also love your enemy.”
Looking back over the top RENEW.org articles of 2024, it’s clear that readers appreciate “yes, but . . .” clarity when it comes to navigating tough topics. Here are examples you’ll see below: Yes, it’s good to study eschatology and have an opinion about how the end times will unfold, but let’s not forget the end-times essentials. Yes, it’s good to recognize that God sets aside some roles for qualified men (a posture RENEW.org calls “nuanced” or “soft” complementation, but we should also remember the extraordinary leadership tasks God has called women to throughout history. Yes, biblical ethics has political implications, but we do each other harm when we call each other cowardly or corrupt when someone doesn’t share our political views.
We hope you find the following review of 2024 helpful.
2024’s Most-Read Articles Published in 2024
#1 – “What the Bible Says About the End Times: 5 Essentials,” by Bobby Harrington & Anthony Walker
#2 – “Deborah and Jael: Unexpected Leaders,” by Carly Califf
#3 – “Review of Eric Metaxas’s Letter to the American Church the Movie,” by John Whittaker
#4 – “Who Was Deborah in the Bible?” by Carol Stine
#5 – “10 Bible Verses on Creativity,” by Daniel McCoy
#6 – “Who Was Eve in the Bible? Exploring Her Temptation, Disappointment, and Hope,” by Carol Stine
#7 – “10 Bible Verses About Marriage,” by Nicole Stine
#8 – “Summary of Philemon: Understanding the Basics of Philemon in the Bible,” by John Whittaker
#9 – “The Lion Is Better than the Elephant and Donkey. But in What Way?” by Bobby Harrington & Daniel McCoy
#10 – “An Editor’s Take on Megan Basham’s Shepherds for Sale,” by Daniel McCoy
2024’s Most-Read Articles Published before 2024
#1 – “Is Gambling a Sin? An Honest Exploration from a Christian Perspective,” by Daniel McCoy
#2 – “Christian Books Everyone Should Read ASAP—In This Order,” by Chad Harrington
#3 – “What Does the Bible Say About Death? 10 Truths About Death,” by Daniel McCoy
#4 – “Are There Generational Curses? What the Bible Teaches on the Subject,” by Daniel McCoy
#5 – “The Devil Comes to Steal, Kill, and Destroy—and What This Says about False Teaching,” by Daniel McCoy
