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

Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
08/05/19

Gospel: Luke 12:22-34 (Pentecost 9: Series C)

The Father knows our needs because he knows everything. This is a comforting thought, but only if He is gracious.
Grant Klembara
Grant Klembara
08/05/19

Killing Our Hero, Martin Luther

Martin Luther is not–or, at least should not–be the object of our affection.
Zack James Cole
Zack James Cole
08/02/19

The Lord's Funeral

One area where my theology was completely backward was the Lord's Supper. Growing up I remember that it felt more like the Lord's Funeral.
Wade Johnston
Wade Johnston
08/02/19

Let the Bird Fly

The following is an excerpt from “Let the Bird Fly” written by Wade Johnston (1517 Publishing, 2019).
Dan van Voorhis
Dan van Voorhis
07/31/19

The Birth of the NASB, Translation Soup, and The Only English Translation You’ll Ever Need

These new texts and manuscripts, while not altering the message of the text, can give us better insight into particular historical and grammatical issues.
Bob Hiller
Bob Hiller
07/29/19

Protected from Baptism

The real problem with the way we talk about Baptism in particular, and the sacraments at all, is that we are simply afraid of letting God’s Word get us.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
07/28/19

Epistle: Colossians 3:1-11 (Pentecost 8: Series C)

Indeed, baptism is life because resurrection is life. Nothing short of regeneration—renewal of life—is accomplished by God through sheer grace because of Christ Jesus.
Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
07/28/19

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21 (Pentecost 8: Series C)

Jesus names what life does not consist of, and in doing so he gets to something near and dear to our hearts as Americans—our possessions.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/27/19

Three Hidden Hebrew Treasures in Psalm 23

These treasures show us that, no matter how well we think we know this poem, there’s always more layers to uncover.
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson
07/26/19

When to Pass on a Baptism Candidate

Everything was perfectly teed up to move the needle on the baptism metric, but I just couldn’t do it. I told her she shouldn't get baptized.
Cindy Koch
Cindy Koch
07/25/19

America the Free?

Where American freedom shouts for individual rights and liberties, freedom in Christ binds neighbors together because our blessings are for each other.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/24/19

The iChisel: Defaced Images and the Human-Faced God

It’s no wonder we’re so attached to images; we are one. We are human hyphens between the celestial and the terrestrial.
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