Happy First Anniversary to Activist Faith!

One year ago today, this Activist Faith blog launched as a dream to integrate faith and action on the issues that matter most. In the past 366 days, we’ve blogged about the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, tornadoes in the US, Japan’s tsunami, Pakistan’s floods, ending modern slavery, providing clean water, feeding the poor, clothing those in need, serving the homeless, and much, much more.

What I’ve enjoyed most over the past year have been the stories of God at work in the lives of ordinary, everyday people impact others in transforming ways. God repeatedly uses the least expected and most ill-prepared individuals (myself included) to make the deepest impact in our world. To celebrate, here are my Top 10 posts of the past year (based on comments and traffic/not including social media shares):

Lessons learned? Here are a few:

1. People comment most on what matters most to them personally: From your views on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to frustrations about the secularization of Christmas to religious freedom, every person has an area that drives emotions to a level that leads to a response. My goal for the next year? Be more personal in sharing some of what matters in my life and yours to help foster even more meaningful community.

2. Many Christians are really making a lasting impact: Yes, church attendance stats show decline and the media frequently choose the loudest voices to represent the faith, yet there are many, many Christians serving those in need with limited resources, time, and support, and doing it well. Japan’s tsunami victims will live different because of many Christians who helped; as is also true of Joplin’s tornado victims, storm victims in the Southeast, flood victims in Pakistan, those in famine in the Horn of Africa, those in Haiti, and children around the world sponsored each month by Christians in the US and Canada who have commented here.

3. Much more work must be done: Evangelical Christians seem to just be getting started in many issues of social justice. As Christians rediscover the teachings of Jesus related to helping “the least of these,” more and more are getting involved where they live. Whether building friendships with Muslims or building homes in Honduras, adopting a child or sponsoring a child, Christians are becoming more “activist” every day. For the small role I get to play in the process, all I can say is, “Thank you, God.”

And a big thank you to every person who has read, shared, posted, contributed, and live out the posts of past year. “I thank my God every time I remember you” (Philippians 1:3).

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DILLON BURROUGHS is an author, activist, and co-founder of Activist Faith. Dillon served in Haiti following the epic 2010 earthquake and has investigated modern slavery in the US and internationally. His books include Thirst No More, Undefending Christianity, and Not in My Town (with Charles J. Powell). Discover more at ActivistFaith.org.

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