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

Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
06/29/18

In Celebration of True Liberty

The reason the U.S. is blessed by God is that we are essentially a “good” nation. And this is the root of Bob’s problem (and that of all civil religion).
Joel Hess
Joel Hess
06/20/18

What To Tell People Who Already Know the Gospel

Jesus is in the business of proclaiming such a beautiful redundancy.
David Rufner
David Rufner
06/18/18

Community in the Worn and Used

And your life, weary and broken as it is, is hidden by God in Christ—tucked away in God’s enduring and eternally given Word, in Jesus.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
06/14/18

The Paradox of Pastoral Preaching

At times, evangelical Christianity can be a paradox. For as much as Protestants have spurned Roman Catholicism, they’re much more Catholic than they’d ever like to admit.
Daniel Emery Price
Daniel Emery Price
06/11/18

Grandma Joy and Psalm 139

My Grandmother recently lost a long battle with cancer. Her name was Joy, and a name has never been more fitting.
Scott Keith
Scott Keith
06/11/18

Preach Christ, Not About Christ

There is a difference between preaching about Christ and preaching Christ.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/10/18

False Guilt and the "What-If" Game We Parents Play

We need a God who can heal us of true guilt and false guilt. We need a Christ who not only removes the shame we feel for what we’ve done, but who washes away the shame that others have smeared upon us.
Bob Hiller
Bob Hiller
06/01/18

The Real Threat to Our Preaching

Many Christians are worried—perhaps legitimately—that the state is a short step away from turning the Law of God into hate speech and silencing the legal preaching of God’s Word.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
05/29/18

Two Theologies, One Way into God's Kingdom

Nicodemus, like us, does not really have phantoms and dragons in his head. He has just one demon, one virus, one malady: he lives in fear.
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
05/25/18

Woe is Me: A Different Kind of Spiritual Experience

That’s where a true encounter with God leaves you. Unable to point the finger at anyone else, all you can do is fall on your face, confess your sin, be absolved, and join the angels in singing, “Holy, holy, holy.”
Kyle G. Jones
Kyle G. Jones
05/23/18

Baptized With Fire

Few smells are as pervasive as the smell of smoke. Anyone who’s sat around a campfire can attest.
Cindy Koch
Cindy Koch
05/23/18

Prison of Prayer

What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with God? And what words, then, do I pray?
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