By Amy Whitfield

Every December as we close another year, we find ourselves inundated with rankings and lists, and assessments of who and what made the greatest impact over the previous twelve months. Whether it is TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year, LIFE Magazine’s Year in Pictures, or various news outlets’ Year in Review, there is something unique about the exercise of a collective look back at those moments and individuals that made a difference. For me (Amy), the one I always waited for was the Barbara Walters special unveiling the “10 Most Fascinating People” of the year, which ended its run in 2015. It became something of a game with me, starting each November. If I was waiting in traffic or standing in the grocery line, I would entertain myself by thinking about who might make the list. I would ask friends what they thought, and would keep score whenever the night arrived. If I had guessed at least five correctly, I counted that year a success.

Last year, I decided to start my own list for SBC This Week. And since it was my list… I got to make the rules. The goal was to think of a diverse group of individuals who touched our lives in unique ways. They may have made an impact within the convention, or they may have been an SBC church member who made an impact on the broader culture. I made a concerted effort to pull people from different walks of life— the church, the business world, politics, athletics, etc. They are in no particular ranked order, so they are arranged alphabetically by last name. This list isn’t about negative or positive opinions. There was only one requirement, and that is that they had to be someone we’d love to talk to and learn more about what they did this year. In other words, in 2018, they are fascinating. And I’d say these ten individuals are.