The Original Sin of Preaching: The Constant Craving for a Useful God in Pulpit and Pew
By Magnus Persson
03/25/26
12mins

The Original Sin of Preaching: The Constant Craving for a Useful God in Pulpit and Pew

God is not a tool in our hands. He does not exist to serve our goals, our metrics, or our platforms.
Even Chuck Norris Needed a Savior
Russ Lackey
Russ Lackey
03/23/26

Even Chuck Norris Needed a Savior

The gospel isn’t for the strong but people who know they aren’t.
Post-Denominational Lutheranism
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
03/20/26

Post-Denominational Lutheranism

One great thing about our post-denominational age is that it has opened up opportunities to make common cause with other Lutherans who, despite their differences and eccentricities, can agree on some of the most important things.

All Articles

Chad Bird
Chad Bird
01/23/16

The Religion of Regret

As with so many things, regret can begin as something natural, even beneficial, as you struggle to recover from a wound in your past. But over time, regret can devolve from a sadness to a sickness.
Craig Donofrio
Craig Donofrio
01/21/16

Finding God's Promise in His Law

So what's the back side? What's the promise? We shall not have other gods, but we do have the one, true God—the promise of a God for us.
Bonnie Petroschuk
Bonnie Petroschuk
01/20/16

Let's Be Honest, It's Not About Us and Our Faithfulness

There are so many reasons why the Good News is such good news; but, for me, one near the top of the list is the relief of being able to tell the truth. It is so refreshing to be given permission to ‘call a spade a spade.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
01/11/16

The Gospel in Hebrew: How Ten Hebrew Words Preach Christ and His Work

These words sum up the whole person and work of our Messiah. Here is the Gospel in Hebrew.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
01/06/16

Today is the Birthday of Light

A star appears in the East. A spotlight over its Creator. A single constellation bows over that Light of Light from whom darkness flees.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
01/05/16

The River of Life and Death

The manna God provides is never tasty enough. God never lives up to your expectations. So silently or audibly you wish for an easier way.
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson
01/05/16

Stop Serving the Lord this Year

Ah, the New Year. It’s the stuff of resolutions. To be better. Do better. Live more healthful. And yet, year after year, we never quite change as much as we hope. Entropy is still a scientific fact.
Steve Byrnes
Steve Byrnes
12/30/15

Reflections on a Cold Silent Night

There are so many paradoxes that we can appreciate as we seek to grasp more of the meaning of the miracle of Christmas.
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
12/25/15

And the Darkness Has Not Overcome It….

It had just been a few weeks in my friend’s life since he had been converted to the Christian faith. He was very much still learning the ropes of what it meant to be a Christian.
Bonnie Petroschuk
Bonnie Petroschuk
12/21/15

Upside-Down Kingdom

On that night in Bethlehem so long ago, not even your mother who held you in her arms understood that you had come to turn the world upside down in a through-the-looking-glass sort of way.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/18/15

Two Pregnancies, One Hope

The mother of this prophet is visited by the Mother of God. In the coming together of these two pregnant women, we see the coming together of the old and the new.
Paul Dunk
Paul Dunk
12/17/15

Minimizing Our Healing

700 years before the first Noel, the prophet Isaiah prophesied that Christ would bear our grief and deliver us in grace. Scholars often refer to Isaiah 52:13-53:12 as the "fifth gospel" because it describes both that Christ was crucified and why Christ was crucified with incredible detail.
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