2013 Year in Review Each Year, EFCA EQUIP Provides This Year in Review to Help Orient You with What Happened on the Streets and in the Churches in the U.S

Equipping missionaries to go the distance

2013 Year in Review Each year, EFCA EQUIP provides this Year in Review to help orient you with what happened on the streets and in the churches in the U.S. this past year. If you are not a missionary, we invite you to share this with missionary friends who are. Download this resource (and previous years’ reviews) here. Electronic versions of the Year in Review include links to source websites and a wealth of additional information.

News in the U.S. Church  Pope Francis is Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” .  Churches change bylaws after gay marriage ruling .  Hobby Lobby is n dispute over health care law and religious freedom .  Some churches say they’ll cut ties with Boy Scouts after organization lifts ban on gay scouts .  Notable deaths: George Beverly Shea , Edith Schaeffer , Howard Hendricks  , Paul Crouch  , C. Everett Koop , Matt Warren (Rick Warren’s son, whose suicide drew attention to mental health) , Chuck Smith , Harold Camping   List of best articles in 2013 from The Gospel Coalition  and The Leadership Journal   Christianity Today’s links to other religion journalism top story lists   Top 10 sermons from PreachingToday, including links to full texts of sermons   State of the U.S. Church in 2013, by Ed Stetzer, “It’s not dying”   Top 10 religion news stories chosen by U.S. religion news journalists 

Issues and Trends in the U.S. Church

 Colin Hansen’s top 10 theology stories, including Pope Francis, and Strange Fire (see “books” section under “Media”, p. 2)   5 things evangelicals must face in the next 10 years, including “a clear understanding of the gospel”   10 reasons our kids leave the church, including “You gave them hand-me-downs” and “They found better feelings”   Hispanics in the U.S. are leaving the Catholic Church for evangelical churches or to depart from all churches .  Growing influence of Reformed theology in U.S. churches   Ed Stetzer says multisite churches are the “new normal.”   Mark Driscoll is charged with plagiarizing parts of his book A Call to Resurgence .  A surprising number of U.S. evangelicals support immigration reform .  The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability reports increased giving from 2011 to 2012 .  A biblical perspective on Evangelicals’ frustration with the changes in U.S. culture   A year-end status of megachurches , “The Present State of the Church” and other research from the Hartford Institute 

P a g e 2 Year in Review 2013 Media Books  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck, by Greg Heffley, was the top-selling book across all formats .  Amazon.com top-selling book was StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath , and top-selling Kindle e-book was Inferno: A Novel, by Dan Brown .  Books of note: Strange Fire, by John MacArthur (critiques charismatic movement and argues for cessationism) ; The Myth of Persecution: How Early Church Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom, by Candida Moss ; Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside, by Greg Dutcher (Calvinist author warns Calvinists about loving their theology more than they do God) ; Resisting Gossip, by Matthew Mitchell, EFCA pastor   Best books according to The Gospel Coalition , Tim Challies , Barnes & Noble , and The New York Times 

Movies  The highest grossing movies in the U.S. were Iron Man 3, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and Despicable Me 2. You can view their trailers here .  Christianity Today reviews The Hunger Games: Catching Fire , Iron Man 3 , and Despicable Me 2 .  USA Today’s list of best reviewed movies is topped by Gravity .  RottenTomatoe’s list of the best movies reviewed by at least 40 reviewers, including Gravity and 12 Years a Slave   See movie reviews from a Christian perspective .

Other Media  Top Internet searches, including: Paul Walker, iPhone 5s, Cory Monteith, Harlem Shake, and the Boston Marathon   A list of items surprisingly not in the top-searched-for list, including Pope Francis and Edward Snowden   TV Guide’s most-watched TV shows, including NCIS, Sunday night football, and The Big Bang Theory   Most U.S. adults still get their news from TV .

News in U.S. Society in General  National Security Agency contractor, Edward Snowden, released information showing that the U.S. government is spying on its citizens and on foreign leaders    .  The Boston Marathon bombing in April was one of the top stories of the year   Same-sex marriage became legal in several states and received affirmation from the Supreme Court, which struck down parts of the 1996 Federal Defense of Marriage Act .  Shootings took place in a Navy ship yard, in schools, and in a mall .  Concussions at all levels of football were in focus as the NFL agreed to award $765 million to former players .  There was continued criticism of the government’s response to the attacks on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi in 2012 .  The U. S. Federal Government shut down for 16 days in October after a Congressional deadlock .  The Affordable Care Act, and the fiasco with its website, was the most significant health story of the year .  Record highs in the stock market 

Download previous years’ issues. P a g e 3 Year in Review 2013

News in U.S. Society in General (continued)  George Zimmerman’s acquittal of the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin stirred ethnic tension .  Top stories according to The Atlantic , CNN , and National Geographic , including division in the Republican party.  Top stories from ChristianPost.com , including Christian persecution in the Middle East.

Issues and Trends in U.S. Society  Barna Group’s trend report shows millennials trust institutions more than they do their elders, except when it comes to church.   The mindset of new college freshmen, for example, they’ve only known two U.S. presidents   The increased use of native advertisements (AKA “advertorials”) to generate income for companies (such as Buzzfeed and The Huffington Post) and the breakdown of the separation of advertising and reporting threatens unbiased journalism .  The term “evangelist” is used in business to refer to a promoter/champion of something, i.e. “a design evangelist”  .  Popular Science’s list of the best in many categories, including Google Glass in gadgets, and Neverware Juicebox in software   Time’s 54 top-ten lists on everything, including buzzwords, startups, marriage stories, quotes, and new species 

Technology  McAffee reported increasing attacks against Android software and difficulties related to the digital currency Bitcoin .  More companies allowing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) situations caused more use of geo-fencing to protect their data .  Candy Crush Saga was the most downloaded free mobile app game in the Apple store.   Techcrunch’s best apps for 2013, including BillGuard to help track finances and Duolingo to help learn a language   For the first time, an all-electric car, Tesla Model S, won Car of the Year at Motor Trend .  CNet says Apple tablets, with their Retina Display technology, are the best tablets .  Cnet’s choice for best computer games of 2013 were Grand Theft Auto 5 and The Last of Us .  The best gadgets according to PC World , Wired  , Engadget  , and Techcrunch , including Xbox One  Top tech stories according to CNN , Engadget , and Forbes , including the discovery of the Higgs Boson  Top 10 scams of 2013 according to the Better Business Bureau, including medical alert scams .

Home Assignment Travel  Top 10 travel news stories from Forbes, including the lift on the ban of using electronics during takeoff and landing   According to a 2012 survey, the top travel website rated on customer satisfaction was Booking.com .  Kelly Blue Book names the 10 best resale value car awards, including the 2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser as #1 .  Edmunds.com tells you about car values, and connects you to dealers in your area based on the model you want . They can also appraise your used car .

Housing  Trulia’s price and rent monitors are leading indicators of how asking prices and rents are trending .  Sites like Zillow.com let you type in a location to see rental rates in that place. 

Family  The 12 biggest news stories from Parents.com included the debate over gun safety, rates and criteria for autism diagnoses, and the work-life balance at U.S. companies. .  U.S. parenting roles are converging significantly compared to those in 1965 . See other social trend articles here .  U.S. households have never been more diverse, more surprising, nor more baffling as the definition of family changes .  12 compelling health stories in 2013, including scientists curing a viral disease for the first time 

Pop Culture

 10 pop culture stories, including Lorde’s single “Royals” and the drug “Molly” that caused deaths at several music festivals   Wired’s “Everything that happened in 2013 in one image” includes Lou Reed’s death, Beyonce at the Super Bowl, iPhone 5s/iOS7, vine videos, and Netflix shows .  Billboard’s Year in Review, including top album (The 20/20 Experience, by Justin Timberlake), top song (Thrift Shop, by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Waz), and top music story (Miley Cyrus)   The Forbes list of most powerful celebrities included Oprah, Lady Gaga, Steven Spielberg, Beyonce, and Madonna.   The Huffington Post’s biggest obsessions of the year included twerking, selfies, and grumpy cat. 

Your Review

What would your review of 2013 look like? What stories were memorable to you? What trends did you follow? What would you have included that we missed? Contact us at [email protected] and tell us! You can view previous issues here.

Better learning. Today.

The EQUIP team is : Dave Elsinger, Liza Fernandez, Ernie Manges, Mark and Julie Morgenstern, Bob Nelson, and Linda Sauke.

EFCA EQUIP is a ministry of ReachGlobal, the international mission of the EFCA. www.goreachglobal.org