This is an excerpt from Chapter 6 in Sinner Saint: A Surprising Primer to the Christian Life (1517 Publishing, 2025). Sinner Saint is available today from 1517 Publishing.
On its journey from Byzantium to Constantinople to Istanbul, this special place helps us understand the broader arc of Christian history, which goes on until Christ's return.
We needn’t fear statistics and studies as palm readings into a certain future. God is God, and his Spirit is alive through his Word.

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The only one rightful heir of the kingdom of God, inherits from us, our cross, and descends into the kingdom of the damned.
While baptism is a “once and for all” event that should not be repeated in the Christian’s life, the effects of baptism continue throughout the life of the believer.
Jesus did not come because we had our act together. He came because we couldn’t get our act together.
The Holy Spirit is sent, not to talk about himself, but to point us to Jesus.
The Apostle Peter’s monumental sermon on Pentecost declares the Kingdom purposes and divine saving work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which culminates in the new world order with Christ in charge.
Just as the grave could not hold the Lord of Life, neither could the calendar contain Easter to just one Sunday.
God loves you no matter what. Loves you no matter how many times you have screwed up. Loves you to death, he does.
Jesus lives to intercede. So we needn’t bring him our feigned righteousness or our faux rehabilitation.
The Church has traditionally understood Baptism as a naming Sacrament. It reminds us of our new baptismal identity.
Different groups within Christianity disagree as to whether Jesus should be depicted in icons, crucifixes, paintings, or other visual media. In this article, Chad Bird approaches the question from the angle of both the commandments and the incarnation.
The forgiveness of your sins and your reconciliation with God the Father courtesy of Christ’s cross and blood is gifted to you, for you.
Salvation is not simply transactional; it is fundamentally relational. Not anemic, but full-blooded. Not disembodied, but bodied.