The Turk at the Door: Luther, Islam, and the Fate of Christendom in the 16th Century
By Adam Francisco
06/19/26
12mins

The Turk at the Door: Luther, Islam, and the Fate of Christendom in the 16th Century

It is within this charged atmosphere that Luther’s writings take on their full significance. His responses to the Turkish threat were not merely reactions to military events; they were rooted in a deep theological reflection on the nature of God’s rule over the world, the responsibilities of Christian rulers, and the role of the Church in times of crisis.
AI Can't Save You
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
06/17/26

AI Can't Save You

Your God is not artificially intelligent, but the source of all intelligence (including yours).
No One Builds Alone: Why the Future of Lutheranism Must Be Built Together
Russ Lackey
Russ Lackey |
Mark Mattes
Mark Mattes
06/15/26

No One Builds Alone: Why the Future of Lutheranism Must Be Built Together

The church is not renewed when one pastor tries to do the work of the whole body. The church is renewed when Christ’s body begins to act like a body again.

All Articles

Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
01/05/16

Reconnecting Through My Father's Ghosts

I’m still piecing together fragments. I’ve spent my life collecting scraps of personal stories that will explain my father to me.
Rick Ritchie
Rick Ritchie
12/22/15

Have Yourself a Vulgar Little Christmas

People lamented that ancient paganism was dead, but the same people who profess that they would love an old pagan feast ignore Christmas, where the best of paganism has survived.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/16/15

Rusting Chariots Found at the Bottom of Baptismal Fonts

He has Israel right where he wants them: a body of water in front of them, their enemies behind them, and God above them, ready to save. Our Lord is always undoing us that he might redo us, killing us that he might enliven us.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
12/08/15

Power in the Blood

But I remember that that’s how it ended. Words. Wine. Blood. A sudden halt to the conversation.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/07/15

Shielded by Blood

Behold the seemingly foolish ways of our wise God. He bids us embrace what appears impossible: that blood alone is our defense, that blood alone saves us from destruction, that the blood of a lamb is more than enough.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/02/15

Violence and the Church Go Way Back

We are like the spoiled children of kings who spit in the face of paupers on the street. We have been given so much, yet we treasure so little.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/29/15

Preaching from a Wheelchair: Dan Chambers and the Unhandicapped Gospel

Dan reminded me—in his words, in his patient suffering, through his unwavering faith in Christ, by his confidence in his baptism—that Jesus Christ does not abandon his own. No matter where they are, no matter what they’re going through, He is there.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/27/15

Six Words to Inscribe onto Your Heart

There has only been one baptism in the history of the world: the baptism of Jesus. “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/25/15

The Best Time for a Pastor to Yawn During Worship

What if, while we were admitting all these serious infractions of the divine law, our pastor simply yawned?
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/18/15

A Sinning Church with a Preaching Problem

We are a sinning church with a preaching problem.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/17/15

From Hitler’s Wolves to Christ’s Lambs: The Chaplain to Nazi War Criminals

What makes this story remarkable is that this man, along with others hanged that day, was among the most hated men in human history. He was guilty of atrocities so horrific only words forged in hell could adequately describe them.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/13/15

The Door No One Can Walk Through

The water and blood that streamed forth from Christ, streams us back into him as we are buoyed up by the waves of baptism, through the wound, and into the body of God incarnate.
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