When Religion Becomes Obsolete, Christ Does Not
By Russ Lackey | Mark Mattes
01/20/26
19mins

When Religion Becomes Obsolete, Christ Does Not

American religion did not become optional because the gospel failed. It became optional because religion slowly redefined itself around usefulness.
Behold the Lamb
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
01/19/26

Behold the Lamb

The Passover wasn’t just Israel’s story; it’s ours.
Psalm 12, Part 2: The Saint Fails, The Word Purifies
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
01/16/26

Psalm 12, Part 2: The Saint Fails, The Word Purifies

God makes us pure saints by planting us back in the earth we imagined we needed to escape.

All Articles

Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/27/16

Six Words That Make All the Difference in the World

In those waters we are nailed to his cross and washed out the door of his tomb. Within his wounds we safely hide.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/23/16

Why Is God Punishing Me?

It was Jesus who appeared to Hagar, comforted her, and gave her the promise of future blessings. It was Jesus who came to her when it seemed everything and everyone else had let her down.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/16/16

Showing Mercy to Former Ministers

I don’t care why you left the ministry—moral failure, congregational politics, burnout, whatever—the Christ whom you proclaimed has not left you.
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
11/16/16

The Alien Fashion Sense of Jesus

The redeemed are dressed in white robes.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
11/15/16

The True Prosperity Gospel

Every Christian is abundantly rich through baptism.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
11/14/16

The Righteous Revenant’s Revenge

As an avid movie-goer, one of the ways Scripture comes alive for me is to picture the stories as if they were scenes and beats from a live-action movie.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/06/16

Animals Teach Us How to Read the Bible

The church is God’s flock. Jesus is both a lion and a lamb. The zoo turns out to be as packed with theology as a seminary, if not more.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/31/16

The Hardest Thing to Believe

You matter so much to God that he would rather die than lose you. You matter so much to Jesus that no suffering was too much, no deprivation too burdensome, no punishment too severe for him to endure to have you as his own.
Joel Hess
Joel Hess
10/30/16

The Reformation Will Not Be Televised

The same can be said of the Reformation. I have often heard both Roman Catholic and Lutheran brothers and sisters bemoan the celebration of the Reformation.
Bob Hiller
Bob Hiller
10/28/16

Giving God A Nap

The Word of God wrecked the room. The wise and seasoned pastor along with the smart mouth vicar were all silenced in the fear and awe of a God who can seem so absent at times.
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
10/11/16

What's The Big Deal About The Liturgy? (Part 6: Good News)

Many Christians (including preachers) have succumbed to the idea that good preaching must be about practical living, and so most sermons are geared to scratch this pragmatic itch.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
10/10/16

Please, Sing to Me!

I once heard an old, retired Lutheran professor give in interview on a podcast. He was asked by the interviewer why people should bother going to church if they could just be saved through a personal relationship with Jesus?
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