In 2013 The Aquila Report posted over 2,900 stories. At the end of each year we feature the top 50 stories that were read. The top story this year had over 20,890 hits.

We average 8 new stories each day, with a variety of subjects – all of which we trust are of interest to the readers of The Aquila Report. As a web magazine we are an aggregator of news and information that we believe will provide articles that will inform the church of current trends and movements within the church and culture.

In keeping with the journalistic tradition of looking back at the recent past, we present the top 50 stories of the year. That’s easy for us to determine – we just count the hits! We will present the 50 stories in groups of 10 to run and the five lists on consecutive days. Here are numbers 31-40.

40. Al Mohler’s Literal Six-Day Young-Earth Creationism and the State of the Question

It is not only possible but desirable that advocates of LSDYEC (Literal Six Day Young Earth Creationism), Day-Agers, Framework proponents, and Analogical Day advocates join together in their common affirmation of the full authority of Scripture and discuss the merits and problems of the various positions—without anathemas and ad hominem arguments, and with the recognition that Scripture tells us what we need to know, and not necessarily everything that contemporary cultural pressures might cause us to want to know.

39. A Message from L’Abri on the Passing of Edith Schaeffer

Our Heavenly Father has taken dear Edith Schaeffer to himself. She passed away quietly in her sleep last night in Gryon, Switzerland where she has been living with her family. We cannot express how deep is our gratitude for her life and we thank the Lord that she is enjoying the Hope that she has so longed for.

38. Final SJC Decision on the Leithart Case

The Standing Judicial Commission (SJC) of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has announced its decision on the case known as RE Gerald Hedman v. Pacific Northwest Presbytery (Case 2012-05) to the parties, which now makes the decision public. The SJC decided to deny the complaint which means that the action of Pacific Northwest Presbytery that found TE Leithart not guilty of all charges has been affirmed. The vote of the SJC was 15 concurring, 2 dissenting.

37. Why Do You Call Me “Homophobic” Because I Disagree With “Gay Marriage”?

The label homophobic doesn’t really mean what it says. By calling me homophobic I am being accused of ignorantly or hatefully opposing homosexuality. The label is applied in pejorative way to paint me as having an illogical or irrational disagreement with homosexual practice. Of course, I do disagree with homosexual practice (or any pre/extra marital sexual practice), but I maintain a logical and rational reason for my opposition (the subject for another different time).

36. Updated: Committee Actions on Overtures Presented to the 41st PCA General Assembly

Both the Administrative Committee (AC) and the Overture Committee (OC) have met and completed their recommendations on the overtures referred to them. The AC recommended answering Overtures 7 and 11 in the affirmative and Overture 1 in the negative. The OC answered Overtures 12, 13, and 15 in the affirmative, Overtures 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 14, 16, 17, 18 in the negative, and referred Overtures 2,3, and 8 either to MNA or back to the presbytery. The OC also recommended that the moderator rule both Overture 19 and 23 (Leithart and Meyers’ cases) out of order. Minority reports will be submitted on both of those.

35. ‘Largest Massacre of Christians in Syria’ Ignored

The worst Christian massacre—complete with mass graves, tortured-to-death women and children, and destroyed churches—recently took place in Syria, at the hands of the U.S.-supported jihadi “rebels”; and the U.S. government and its “mainstream media” mouthpiece are, as usual, silent

34. PCA Nominating Committee Votes to Replace All Three Teaching Elder Seeking Reelection to the SJC

With less than 60% of the 80 Presbyteries in the PCA represented at the annual Spring meeting of the Nominating Committee, held at an Atlanta Airport area hotel on Saturday, March 16, a major change in the membership of the denominations ‘Supreme Court’ has been recommended to the 41st General Assembly.

33. “Abba” is not “Daddy”

It isn’t quite right to say that the Aramaic “abba” means “daddy.” In other words, to call the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob “daddy” at the outset of our prayers is a bit too casual and irreverent.

32. The Problem with Praise Teams

In each case (performing choir and overly-loud organ) my concern was the same: congregational praise is a commanded duty that can be audibly discerned; we should hear congregational praise when it is sung, and nothing else (choir, organ, marching band, bagpipe) should be permitted to obscure the thing that is commanded.

31. An Infidelity Scandal Just Shuttered a Major ‘Biblical Patriarchy’ Organization

It is difficult to overstate how fundamentally an extramarital affair damaged Phillips’s reputation in the short term. That’s because Vision Forum’s work centered around the “restoration of the Christian household.” In short, the organization enforced what it would argue is a Biblically-based family structure where the husband serves as the spiritual and practical head of the household. His wife and children, especially any daughters not yet of marrying age, live under his dominion.