By Andrea Guachalla
It is hard to believe it’s been two years already since COVID started spreading from China to the world, and yet that’s the case. Here we are, two years later, having gone through 2020 as you go through a fog, and now almost reaching the very end of 2021.
With probably no exception it’s been a couple of tough years for everybody, filled with uncertainty of what the future holds. It’s always been like that really, but the pandemic and especially the restrictions being imposed on the people were a constant reminder of the fact we are not in control of anything, though we can decide the attitude with which we’ll face troubles and be thankful for all the blessings God has given us despite the worldwide craziness.
Likewise, it’s been a year of uncertainties but also of blessings for Tasting the Ocean. For starters, I, the main editor, moved across the world back to my homeland in April, thousands of miles away from the place I got to call home for a while. Once in Bolivia I finally got to start working more closely with my talented young sister, Carla, who is now TTO’s graphic designer and social media manager, which allowed me to focus more on writing, managing content, and contacting guest writers. Working alongside her has been a huge blessing.
With so many things happening within 2021 (a cross-continent move, civil unrest in my home country, and nonsensical restrictions affecting people I love) the content we had planned to publish changed quite a bit during the second semester of the year (I wrote about it elsewhere). However, by the grace of God, we were able to stay consistent, have several guest writers on, and connect with some of our lovely readers.
So now without further ado, let us share the 5 most-read articles of the year with you:
5. An Introduction to the Purity Culture
This article was written by our sister Shantal Palacios. In it she explains what the purity culture is, how it started, its main representatives, and how it impacted teens and young adults both positively and negatively not only in the United States (where it originated) but also in Latinamerica. You can read it here.
4. The Freedom we Enjoy and Ignore
“The Freedom We Enjoy and Ignore” was written based on the censorship that targets and/or victimizes Christians around the world in places like China, North Korea, Afghanistan, and other countries, while Christians in other countries are free to share their faith with no repercussions and still don’t take the chance to do it. You can read this article here.
3. Confessions of an Ex-feminist
This article was published originally in Tasting The Ocean and was later re-published in The Rebelution. It narrates the reasoning I had in my years of being a feminist, and how feminism led me to hate women, men, and the nuclear family. The article also gives some insight into how I realized I was the villain of the story rather than the victim. You can read that one here and here.
2. What Abortion Really Is
Gabrielle Stafford, the author of this article, currently works doing sidewalk counseling outside abortion clinics in the United States where she offers prayer and help to women who are considering abortion. In this article, she explains what abortion is according to the Bible and how we, as Christians, ought to view it. You can read the article here. She also wrote 7 Ways the Youth Can Stand For Life encouraging young people to step up and defend both the life of the unborn babies and the pregnant mothers who need help, you can read it here.
1. Women’s Day Under the Burning Rage of Feminism
This article narrates some of the violent events that took place on March 8th known as International Women’s Day which illustrates perfectly how feminism seeks to destroy women despite the claims that it defends them. It also explains what the Bible says about women, and how contrary it is to what the world says we should be or do. You can read the article here.
Some other articles didn’t make it to the top 5, but you might find them interesting too. Some of the ones who almost got to the top 5 are:
- Daydreamers at Your Service (sort of)
- When Purity Leads you to Sin
- she/her ANNE HATHAWAY: “a new (gay) world will emerge”
Thank you to our readers for sticking with us this year. It is our prayer that the work we do leads you to know Christ more, see current events from a biblical worldview, and encourage you to use your God-given gifts, time, and resources for His glory. May the Lord be with you this coming year, strengthen you to be faithful when trials come, and give you tremendous joy at the privilege of serving Him and others.
