From the personal to the institutional, members of the religious press look back at the year that was.
From Christian News Journal:
They lived lives of preaching, ministry, writing, music and service — these are some of those who had a left a mark on our culture and world for Christ.
Read Full story: http://christiannewsjournal.com/2016-year-in-review-notable-deaths/
From UCObserver:
Jeffrey Simpson, the excellent but now retired columnist for The Globe and Mail would write at year’s end about what he got right — and where he had been wrong. This will be my 20th blog post of 2016 for The Observer.
Read Full story: http://www.ucobserver.org/common_good/2016/12/year_that_was/
From Experimental Theology:
As has been my tradition, every New Year I look back over the blog to gather up posts that summarize my year of writing and reflection on the blog.
Read Full story: http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2017/01/experimental-theology-2016-year-in.html
From The Presbyterian Outlook:
When my friend Jake shared privately this past February that he and his wife were expecting their second child, I paused for a second. It was a brief second. Barely an eye’s flutter. But I paused anyway.
Read Full story: https://pres-outlook.org/2016/12/faces-friends-god-work-2016/
From UCC God is Still Speaking:
Was 2016 the year the year that the environmental justice movement reached its peak? Or, was it just the beginning? To make this determination, consider the remarkable events that started and ended the year.
Read Full story: http://bit.ly/2j1Qx9f
From Religion News Service:
My nominee for 2016 person/deity of the year is Satan (aka Lucifer, Beelzebub, and the Devil). Sure, there were other more important religion and politics stories this year. But never before has Satan been as visible–or as successful–in politics.
Read Full story: http://religionnews.com/2016/11/22/2016-the-year-of-lucifer/
From Intermountain Catholic:
During 2016, Catholics were affected by events large and small in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, the United States, and the world. Following are a few of those events that were reported throughout the year in the Intermountain Catholic.
Read Full story: http://www.icatholic.org/article/2016-year-in-review-1459565
From National Catholic Register:
In a decisive electoral victory over Democratic favorite Hillary Clinton, Republican businessman Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States. Trump used a populist message — exemplified by his famous campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” — to appeal to voters disaffected by governmental overreach and inertia, poor economic prospects and grave diplomatic missteps.
Read Full story: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/a-tumultuous-2016
From Breaking Christian News:
[Charisma News-Posted April 9th] There are some Believers who falsely believe that if they have a lot of faith they will not undergo any suffering, severe tests or satanic attacks. Nothing could be further from the truth! Actually, the opposite is true.
Read Full story: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=20122
From Charisma News:
“A short while ago I turned away from 20 years as a professing Christian. I had a good job with a church organization, a house provided by the church, a large social circle of likeminded people, a career in gospel music, a worldwide fan base, a respected reputation & status within Christian and non Christian circles,” Jahaziel wrote on Facebook.
Read Full story: http://www.charismanews.com/culture/54193-christian-rapper-renounces-his-faith-in-jesus-as-great-falling-away-continues
From Christian Today:
As a student, I had the habit of turning in test papers without reviewing my answers. As a result, I would often miss out a few questions or answer them incorrectly due to carelessness. Whenever I would get my results back and miss a point just because I calculated 1+1=1, it would eat me up on the inside.
Read Full story: http://bit.ly/2iGw8tV
From Prophecy News Watch:
President Barack Obama sprang his much-anticipated “December surprise” on Israel at the United Nations, capping off 2016 with a bang as it relates to the Gregorian calendar year’s major events surrounding the Jewish state.
Read Full story: http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=918
From CBA – The Association for Christian Retail:
As we turn the calendar to 2017, here’s a snapshot of some of the events that impacted the Christian retail marketplace in the past year.
Read Full story: http://cbaonline.org/2016-year-review/
From Religico:
A contentious presidential race that reshuffled political coalitions put religion in the national spotlight in 2016. Many religious voters, feeling ostracized in a changing national landscape, chose to support Donald Trump—a candidate who hardly seemed to exemplify Christian morality, but who nevertheless promised to “make America great again.”
Read Full story: http://religico.co/2016/12/year-in-review-religion-and-politics/
From Amazing Facts:
Turbulent is an adjective often used to describe the stormy events our world experienced in 2016.
Read Full story: http://www.amazingfacts.org/news-and-features/af-blog/article/id/14961/t/2016a-year-of-unrest
From CCHeadliner.com:
Former Sheriff Joey Kyle was sentenced Feb. 25 at U.S. District Court in accordance with the terms of the May 20, 2015, plea agreement — a year and a day of incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release, with restitution and forfeiture to the tune of $71,640; $50,290 of that will go back to Christian County.
Read Full story: http://ccheadliner.com/news/year-in-review-county-officials-ozark-school-in-hot-seat/article_c3718c04-cd20-11e6-8f67-7b908e82c478.html
From Religion & Ethics Newsweekly:
For our annual special program looking back at the top religion and ethics news stories of 2016, host Bob Abernethy talks with managing editor Kim Lawton, Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, and Jerome Socolovsky, editor-in-chief of Religion News Service.
Read Full story: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2016/12/22/look-back-2016/33839/
From Charisma Magazine:
But before we charge ahead to weigh prophetic mandates, directives and warnings for 2017, let’s take a minute to look back at the prophetic words declared over 2016. After all, you can’t always limit God’s words to a 12-month timeline.
Read Full story: http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/prophetic-insight/28431-did-2016-s-prophetic-words-ring-true
From BreakPoint:
In the wake of a historic election, it’s easy to forget that some of the biggest stories of 2016 came from overseas. WORLD magazine’s Mindy Belz joins us to review this whirlwind of a year.
Read Full story: http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/discourse/entry/15/30318
From The Tablet:
Two things – one political and the other ecclesiastical – tell the story of 2016. The election of Donald J. Trump as president of the United States and Pope Francis’ issuance of “Amoris Laetitia” were the signature moments of the year. Both point to revolutionary moments in the history of the country and the Church.
Read Full story: http://thetablet.org/president-elect-and-pope-are-the-significant-people-of-2016/
From Baptist Press:
NASHVILLE (BP) — It was a year of unexpected election outcomes, race-related violence, ongoing global terrorism and natural disasters. It also was another year of controversial comments and consequences.
Read Full story: http://www.bpnews.net/48109/2016–hatmaker-sbc-election-wildfires-among-bps-mostread-stories
From Unfundamentalist Christians:
It’s the first day of the new year. I’m sitting across from my wife, groggily sipping some necessarily strong coffee in a cozy and warm cafe.
Read Full story: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unfundamentalistchristians/2017/01/three-things-ive-learned-2016/
From Unfundamentalist Christians:
There’s no denying that a lot of bad stuff happened in 2016, but it’s also worth remembering that some really great things happened this past year. Here are ten of them:
Read Full story: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unfundamentalistchristians/2016/12/10-news-stories-prove-2016-wasnt-bad/
From Perry Noble:
To say 2016 was a year of change for me would be quite the understatement. However, as my great friends at Elevation Church have declared through song…Nothing Is Wasted.
Read Full story: https://perrynoble.com/blog/five-things-i-learned-in-2016
From Bible Gateway Blog:
Our 2016 Year in Review lets you explore how 2016’s 1,000 most-popular keyword searches in English have changed in popularity over the past three years.
Read Full story: http://bit.ly/2j2Nbmu
From Tony Morgan Live:
Every year at this time I like to look back and review the wins from the previous year. This is a timely retrospective for me as the leadership team for The Unstuck Group gathers in the coming days to refresh our vision and action plan for 2017 and beyond.
Read Full story: https://tonymorganlive.com/2017/01/03/celebrating-2016-unstuck/
From Eric Bryant:
Thank you for the part you play in what God is doing! Your generosity in giving financially, giving of your time, giving of your service, inviting your friends and family, and personally growing in your faith are all making a tremendous impact!
Read Full story: http://www.ericbryant.org/2016/12/20/gateway-south-2016-in-review/
From mnnews.today:
The Year in Review is designed to capture the key milestones and events of the year across parishes, chancery ministries, congregations, and agencies including Catholic schools, CatholicCare Social Services Hunter-Manning, St Nicholas Early Education and the Catholic Development Fund.
Read Full story: http://mnnews.today/local-church/2016/15269-diocese-releases-year-in-review-2016/
From Catholic News Service:
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis described 2016 as a “packed year,” one full of initiatives that helped Catholics “see and touch with their hands the fruits of the mercy of God.”
Read Full story: https://cnstopstories.com/2016/12/28/year-in-review-beyond-expectations-pope-sees-god-of-surprises-at-work-in-2016/
From National Catholic Reporter:
The dominant fact of our nation’s political life this year was the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. Still, I find myself walking down the street, reading the newspaper or scrolling through websites, and it hits me like a ton of bricks: This really happened. He really is going to be president. Other friends report similar experiences.
Read Full story: https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/year-review-americans-wanted-change-and-trump-they-got-it
From National Catholic Reporter:
In the life of the church, 2016 mostly coincided with the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which officially began in late 2015 and concluded on the feast of Christ the King last month. When I first heard that the Holy Father intended to call a Jubilee Year of Mercy, I confess I did not realize what a big event this would be. Yet, it shaped every aspect of the life of the Catholic church in 2016.
Read Full story: https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/year-review-mercy-shaped-life-church-2016
From St. Louis Review:
The year 2016 was filled with events both grand and everyday – the canonization of Mother Teresa, the anniversaries of the archdiocesan Latin America Apostolate and Pan y Amor program, door-to-door evangelization programs, evangelizing through Pokemon Go and stories of Catholics on fire for their faith.
Read Full story: http://stlouisreview.com/article/2016-12-22/2016-year-review
From Catholic League:
Twenty years ago, I wrote that “the most invidious form of anti-Catholicism is that which emanates from elite circles.” I also noted that “there is also a brand of anti-Catholicism that comes from less urbane quarters, from places that target the undereducated. And no one is better at doing this than Chick Publications.”
Read Full story: http://www.catholicleague.org/catholic-league-for-religious-and-civil-rights-2016-year-in-review/
From Arkansas Catholic:
For Catholics in Arkansas and worldwide, 2016 was a time to reflect on how God’s mercy enters into our lives — how we show it, accept it and make sure the message spreads.
Read Full story: http://www.arkansas-catholic.org/news/article/4979/Year-in-Review-2016-a-merciful-universal-Church
From The Catholic Register:
Over and over throughout 2016, Pope Francis spoke of walls and bridges. It is an apt metaphor for much of what transpired in the Catholic world in 2016.
Read Full story: http://www.catholicregister.org/features/featureseries/item/23944-2016-year-in-review-walls-and-bridges
From The Gospel Coalition:
Last week, The New York Times released its “Year in Pictures.” The collection is the Times’ annual attempt to survey the noteworthy moments of the year, and 2016’s month-by-month arrangement of images is, as always, evocative.
Read Full story: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-most-important-story-of-2016
From The BLB Blog:
As we near the end of 2016, I am reviewing the many letters we received from Blue Letter Bible users around the world this year. What a joy it is to get a glimpse of how God is using BLB to equip His saints. For your encouragement as a BLB partner, we have included some excerpts from a few of the letters we have received recently.
Read Full story: http://blogs.blueletterbible.org/blb/2016/12/21/a-look-inside-blue-letter-bible/#more-8229
From Christianity.com:
This is the time to recap the year that was. There are a number of ways to do it, many of which are interesting. You can look at a year in terms of notable deaths, viral events, political rises and falls…
Read Full story: http://www.christianity.com/blogs/dr-james-emery-white/the-year-2016-in-review.html
From The Blazing Center:
I’ve seen and heard a lot of this, this year, and I’ve felt it too. In some ways it feels like pieces of my childhood were progressively being buried with the passing of Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher).
Read Full story: http://theblazingcenter.com/2016/12/2016-wasnt-worst-year-ever-next-year-will-okay.html
From Standfirm:
On New Year’s Eve, I was sent an email from the Iraqi Christian Relief Council regarding its work in 2016. Since I know some Stand Firm readers have contributed to these efforts, I thought you’d like to know what the Lord has done through you and so many others this year…
Read Full story: http://www.standfirminfaith.com/?/sf/page/32265
From Barna:
2016 was a year for the history books, and throughout all of it Barna has been tracking the top trends and attempting to make sense of American public opinion.
Read Full story: https://www.barna.com/research/year-review-barnas-10-read-articles-2016/
From Answers in Genesis:
If you had to pick one word to sum up 2016, what would it be? Each year, Oxford Dictionaries chooses a word or expression to “reflect the passing year in language.”
Read Full story: https://answersingenesis.org/culture/2016-year-truth-was-irrelevant/
From Goodnews Florida:
Protesters, led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy, take over a wildlife refuge in Oregon and begin a weekslong standoff that ends with one dead and eight arrested.
Read Full story: https://goodnewsfl.org/2016-year-review/
From Lighthouse Trails Research:
Every year around this time, Lighthouse Trails presents its Year in Review. Over the next few days, we will be posting our top stories from different categories from 2016.
Read Full story: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=21951
From Premier Christianity:
With rising food costs and the death of many household names, many of us are happy to leave the year behind. But life in 2016 hasn’t been all bad. Here are seven positive developments you might have missed:
Read Full story: http://www.premierchristianity.com/Blog/2016-wasn-t-all-bad.-Here-s-7-great-things-which-happened-this-year
From The Bart Ehrman Blog:
The end is near! Or at least the end of 2016. For some of us this has been a nightmare year that we are glad to see behind us. For others it has been a year of unusual success, prosperity, and happiness, a utopian cornucopia.
Read Full story: https://ehrmanblog.org/looking-back-on-the-blog-2016/
From Gospel Relevance:
We had over 250,000+ people stop by the site in 2016. These people visited from 150+ different countries. The top five countries were the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and the Philippines.
Read Full story: http://gospelrelevance.com/2016/12/23/2016-year-review/
From Arabah Joy:
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with my friend and assistant, Rebekah, to review some end-of-year things here on the blog.
Read Full story: http://arabahjoy.com/year-in-review-top-10-posts-from-2016/
From Steve Laube:
It is time to take a look at our past year and reflect on all the things that have happened. It is a recitation of good things and not so good things. But all were under the sovereignty of God and as such we give all glory to Him.
Read Full story: https://stevelaube.com/2016-year-review/
From Cranach The Blog of Veith:
The month-by-month breakdown helps me remember and sort of relive the year that is ending. But it’s filtered through off-the-wall hilarity and on-target satire of all sides.
Read Full story: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2017/01/dave-barrys-2016-year-review/
From Deborah Haddix:
Recently, I have found myself being more intentional about the practice of self-reflection at the close of a year. The habit informs me as to the current health of my soul, it highlights strengths and needs, and lays a framework for the year to come.
Read Full story: http://www.deborahhaddix.com/2016/12/29/year-in-review-top-10-blog-posts-for-2016/