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
07/14/15

When Rumpelstiltskin Teaches Bible Class

This golden age, recorded in this genealogy, is anything but straw. It is a treasure trove of grace, faith, hope, and love.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/08/15

On Mount Moriah You Can See the Whole Bible

Jesus was not killed in Bethlehem as a baby, or in Galilee or Samaria as an adult. He couldn’t be, for it was necessary for him to die in Jerusalem, where Moriah is.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/07/15

Your Future Is Behind You

In front of us, in the past, is the hill upon which God has already defeated every foe we might face. On that bloody beam the heel of Christ crushed the head of the lying serpent.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/30/15

When the Pulpit Apes the World

The more law-centered a church becomes, the more it and the world become kissing cousins.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/23/15

Families in Turmoil

You may not believe it; you may even scoff at the claim, but here’s the truth: God hears your roar of pain on the other side of your silence. He counts every tear you let escape, or refuse to let go, from the ocean of anguish inside you.
Sam P. Schuldheisz
Sam P. Schuldheisz
06/11/15

Hobbits and Evangelism: Friendship

I have found that Gandalf’s words above ring true, not only in Middle-earth, but in our world as well.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/09/15

What Is the Theology of the Cross?

His glory is made known precisely in the cross, His strength in weakness, His wisdom in folly, His exaltation in humiliation.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/06/15

Sodom and Gomorrah and St. Louis

And there was heard, all round the world, the boom of a pounding hammer. And there resounded, all around the world, the cry of a righteous man who prayed for an unrighteous world.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/02/15

The Sermon Written on the Bottom of Your Pastor’s Feet

The soles of the holy feet of God traverse the soil of the holy land of promise.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
05/22/15

Jesus Is Our Peace

The kind of peace Jesus points to can't be achieved with words.
Sam P. Schuldheisz
Sam P. Schuldheisz
05/14/15

Does The Resurrection Even Make Sense?

In reality, Easter equals good news for you. And our world needs some good news. Maybe we’re not even sure what’s wrong, but we know this world is broken.
Jessica Thompson
Jessica Thompson
05/13/15

When Parenting by Grace Doesn't Lead to Change

A twelve-year-old girl stomped out of the room and slammed her bedroom door. Her two parents sat at the table completely befuddled. They had been trying to lead her to grace, to forgiveness, to a remembering that she was loved.
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