I have compiled a list of the most popular chapters of the Bible showing up in blogs. This first list is of the most popular chapters of the entire Bible determined by a search of blogs via Google blog search. There may be a few revisions as I do a bit more searching but I think this is pretty accurate. Feel free to do a little searching and refine/improve this list.
Top 15:
1 ) John 3 (36,269)
2) John 1 (27,154)
3) Rom 8 (24,442)
4) Mtt 5 (21,710)
5) John 14 (20,961)
6) Gen 1 (18,946)
7) Matt 6 (17,285)
8 ) Acts 2 (16,953)
9) John 2 (14,288)
10) 1 Cor 13 (14,209) (1 Corinthians + I Corinthians)
11) John 8 (13,322)
12) Mtt 7 (13,063)
13) Rom 1 (12,503)
14) Eph 2 (11,485)
15) Heb 11 (9,690)
Compare that to these passages:
Genesis 15 (2173) Covenant with Abraham
Exodus 20 (6319) Ten Commandments
1 Samuel 17 (1026) David and Goliath
Hosea 11 (403) God teaches Israel to walk
Jeremiah 31 (3239) New Covenant
Matthew 28 (8719) Great Commission
Revelation 21 (4,811) New Heaven and New Earth
There are a variety of reasons the breakdown happens the way that it does. Some are favorites. Some are key to making certain arguments or for certain major theological points/doctrines. Those are good things and we should stick to these texts and hold them dear to our hearts but that is not all God has to say to us through the Bible. The Bible is not flat. It is very diverse and has much to offer us. We need to be willing to tread into some deeper or unfamiliar water at times. One of the biggest places that is lacking is in the minor prophets. Very few of the minor prophets have more than 400 hits per chapter. It seems that the blogosphere also suffers from a canon within a canon. It is not just in our preaching and teaching but even in our discussion here. We need to aim wider and tackle more diverse texts and challenge ourselves and our readers to have a wider appreciation for biblical literature across the board and not just stick to our favorite texts.
Maybe we need to develop a blog lectionary.
See also –
24 Responses
Matt,
Very informative post.
Thanks I really like Romans 6-8 & Eph 6:10-ff.
Again, very informative and interesting post as always.
And not one of the top fifteen comes from Jesus’ Bible. Ugh.
Oops, just saw it. Genesis 1 comes in at #6. I revise my statement: Only one of the top fifteen comes from Jesus’ Bible.
I hope that this post can shake some people up a bit to start discussing things that have so much potential to change lives but tend to remain on the shelf in our discussions.
Frank,
That is really sad. I am going to make it more of a point to start addressing some of these passages that are left out.
What about Eph. 4 as in 19? that one didn’t make the list?
Ephesians 4 – 11,845
I will update this list soon. So if you have any suggestions, feel free.
Matt, you mentioned the lectionary. A few years ago, Tim Sensing (I think is was) published a really fine article in “Restoration Quarterly” about lectionary preaching. For preachers in the Churches of Christ who want to consider the lectionary, that article would be worth looking up.
I think lectionary preaching is a great idea, and have followed that path myself. What I discovered is that there are several really fine l. p. websites out there, not to mention all the stuff that’s in print. By the way, many preachers in the Churches of Christ might be surprised to find out that the Bible school curriculum that’s used where they preach . . . follows the common lectionary. “Faith Weaver” for example. Check it out. As I recall, the Faith Weaver website includes tips for preachers, and I found myself using the one for that week about half of the time. The introductions and illustrations were up-to-the-minute (news items from the current issue of “Time” for example).
I would challenge and encourage preachers to give lectionary preaching a several-months trial. One might even try to preach at least half of the sermons from the O.T. passage.
My preaching hobby is the OT, the grace and love of God in the OT, and just the overall significance of the Hebrew Bible.
We think the gospel is only what happened in the gospels: but
The gospel was preached to Abraham–Gen 3:8
The Ethipian was converted by an OT text
Timothy was taught OT scriptures that led to salvation
OT scriptures are harder to outline, narratives aren’t as easy to preach.
many object to God’s character/acts in OT, and have become polytheists by reject their view of a “violent” god in the OT compared to a soft lovey dovey Jesus in the NT. Even though the Bible doesn’t teach the God’s character changed after the Cross.
plus, poor Churches of Christ have even developed this nasty “New Testament” vocabulary
NT church
NT christian
NT whatever
thanks to old Alex Campbell’s sermon on the law, too many have ignored, neglected, forgotten all about God in the OT.
sad, that is my rant/sermon for the day….sorry
thanks for pointing this out
That is a good article. I have read it and once wrote a paper on the pros and cons of preaching from the lectionary. There are some really good points to it in that it gets us out of our comfort zones and into passages that we might normally skip right over.
frank – wasn’t it ReGENERATION quarterly?
Though even a lectionary is selective, lots of the Bible is missed out, skipped over or otherwise censored in every lectionary! How about a series like one I did recently on “Secret Bible: unpreached books of the Bible”. 😉
Tim,
That is an excellent idea and I think a few people who have read this are interested. I am certainly willing to blog more on the less mentioned scriptures. Thank you for doing that. It is greatly needed!
Mine was a sermon series, but there are bloggers covering the bits usually left out, Scott McKnight is currently doing a series of Song of Songs for example… Though maybe it’s an idea for my 5 Minute Bible podcasts…
😉 omitted!
I am working on a way to address this issue. I have started another blog to compile what all of you write (through your submissions) into a central location on various books/chapters/verses of the Bible. It is basically an online blog commentary although organized a little differently than a commentary. Feel free to submit your series and ideas or read those of others here:
bibleresources.wordpress.com
Interesting post – especially when you think about Paul’s words that “all scripture is God breathed.” When he penned these words, the NT wasn’t even out yet so he was referring to the OT.
I think the Church today is losing big time cause it doesn’t focus on the OT enough. And us bloggers are equally to blame.
Great post – dugg it at GospelShout
Interesting…