In 2011, mikeduran.com had its highest traffic numbers ever. We’ve had some tough, interesting, thought-provoking discussions here, and I want to thank you for helping make that possible. But what was everybody reading? These ten posts generated the most traffic on deCOMPOSE in 2011.
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10.) White Men, Black Women, and Fictional Stereotypes — Is it safe to assume that when an author does not specify a character’s ethnicity, that character is the author’s ethnicity? In my case, the answer is “no.”
9.) On Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain — If we reduce taking God’s name in vain to simply a string of words, not only are we missing the larger point of the commandment, we are potentially promoting superstition.
8.) Is It Dishonest to Not Label “Christian Fiction”? — Is Christian fiction unfairly judged by some Amazon reviewers?
7.) Did Flannery O’Connor Write Christian Fiction? — O’Connor is undoubtedly a believer with a clear evangelical aim. But by current standards, her work could not be considered Christian fiction. Which is a shame.
6.) What Grabs Readers and What Keeps Them — No amount of action can sustain a poorly written book, with uninteresting characters, that is going nowhere.
5.) The New Demographic: Christians Who Don’t Like Christian Fiction — The Christian fiction market targets a fairly small, deeply conservative, demographic of readers, which leaves many of us out in the cold.
4.) “Redeeming Love” — A Review — Wherein I get shellacked for daring to critique a “Christian classic.”
3.) Is There a Conspiracy Against Christian Art? — Is the secular marketplace really out to silence Christians, or have we shot ourselves in the “artistic” foot?
2.) Should I Tiptoe Around the “Christian Fiction” Label? — The dilemma one faces in publishing a book aimed at Christian audiences.
1,) Why Christians Can’t Agree About Christian Fiction — The reasons Christians can’t agree about what Christian fiction should be is because they don’t agree about what Christianity is and what its followers should be.
Looking forward to more post like this next year, Mike. Have a Happy New Year!! 😀
I have never read O’Conner, but am aware of her legacy. Many people who know of her “evangelical aim” would probably be surprised she was Roman Catholic. Many in the Protestant world don’t know that there are evangelical Catholics. Sometimes we get lost in our denominational bubbles.
Enjoyed reading over your Francine Rivers review (in which you got shellacked!). I was surprised the Kat Hegenbach post on magic didn’t make the list, with its vigorous comments! So glad I’ve found this blog–enjoy kicking thoughts around on the paranormal w/others. Here’s looking at a great new year for all of us!
Heather, the response to Kat’s post was great. This list is compiled simply from my Wordpress stats, which is based on traffic. I’d thought about doing the Top 25 because there’s a lot of other good posts, like Kats, not included. Anyway, glad you found the blog and enjoy it. Hope you have a blessed 2012.