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

Jeff Mallinson
Jeff Mallinson
09/22/17

Object Fixation and Christian Sexuality

By focusing intently on what one wants to avoid, we often crash right into the moral hazard we are trying to evade.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
09/19/17

God's Final Sentence and Judgment

We demand that our Creator defend His judgment and justification of sinners in a courtroom where we are judge, prosecuting attorney, and jury.
Scott Keith
Scott Keith
09/18/17

Gospeling Souls Right into Hell

The Law though it does many things—restrains, exhorts the Christian unto righteousness, punishes—always rightly accuses and condemns sinners of their sin before a righteous, holy, and just God.
Bob Hiller
Bob Hiller
09/15/17

The Ghosts of Sins Past

I hear voices in my head accusing me, telling me these sins will be there on the Day of Judgment unless I make atonement.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/14/17

Two Ways to Improve the Cross

There’s something very attractive about both the cross-ladder and the cross-crutches. In fact, there’s something about both of them that the woodworker within us finds eminently more appealing than the simple cross of Jesus.
Paul Dunk
Paul Dunk
09/13/17

Crisis of Faith and Sufficient Grace

I spend a lot of time talking to people in coffee shops. Some share my Christian faith, some are exploring and questioning faith and others have left the church, having had a crisis of faith.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/12/17

The Saddest Words Ever Spoken to a Sinner

When we say, “I’ve screwed up big time. I’ve betrayed my spouse, my family, my friends. I’ve hurt lots of people,” we don’t need to hear, “Yes, you have. You need to make that right, learn to walk the talk, and act like a Christian next time."
RJ Grunewald
RJ Grunewald
09/12/17

To the Crazy Ones

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
09/08/17

A Reformation Question: Can the Finite Bear the Infinite?

This emphasis in Luther also applied to his understanding of the sacraments, and particularly comes out in his writings on the Lord’s Supper in his Large Catechism.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
09/05/17

Not The What, But The Who...

Jesus is the "because" and "therefore" of our salvation because He died for our sin
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
08/31/17

God's Doing For Us That Gets Done

God's doing for us that gets done is Word and Sacrament stuff. Everything else flows from His speaking to us, baptizing us, bodying and bloodying us. Jesus sees our need.
Bob Hiller
Bob Hiller
08/30/17

Who’s Afraid of Statistics?

These studies can expose some very disturbing truths about Christianity in America.
1517 is a Christian non-profit (501(c)3) multi-media organization. Our mission is to declare and defend the Good News that we are forgiven and free on account of the death and resurrection of Jesus alone.
1517.org
Search
Academy
Donate

1517 grants permission for our free online resources to be printed, photocopied, and otherwise used freely for private and church use. We require that authorship and source (1517.org) are referenced and maintained. These resources may not be sold or included in any publications for sale.