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

Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
05/26/19

Gospel: John 17:20-26 (Easter 7: Series C)

After teaching his disciples many things about himself, the world, and the things to come, Jesus concluded his last evening with his disciples in prayer to the Father. And he concluded his prayer with the words in this text. As the old saying goes, you can learn a lot about a man by listening in on his prayers.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
05/24/19

Luther's Counsel for the Bereaved

For Luther, Jesus does something much better for those who grieve than simply identify with them: He brings suffering and evil to an end in His own death.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
05/24/19

An Invitation to Join Our Company of Real, Great Sinners

I heartily sympathize with you and earnestly pray our Lord Jesus Christ to strengthen you and give you a cheerful heart. I should like to know, and am making diligent inquiries to find out, what your trouble may be or what has caused your breakdown.
Jessica Delgado
Jessica Delgado
05/21/19

Why We Die

Death is quite the undertaking. To die when one wants desperately to go on living is the most gruesome kind of labor any of us will ever know. It’s painful and bloody and empties our pockets of the fortune we think is ours. But we must do it.
Craig Donofrio
Craig Donofrio
05/20/19

For You

The words “for you” are what deliver burdened hearts into the glorious light of freedom, for they deliver the precious, life-giving cargo of God’s relentless grace to each of us.
Jared C. Wilson
Jared C. Wilson
05/20/19

The Shape of Gospel Astonishment

There is God. He existed before anything existed, for he has always existed and he will always exist. He created everything that exists outside of himself, and therefore he owns it all, including humankind.
Jason Lane
Jason Lane
05/19/19

Epistle: Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27 (Easter 6: Series C)

I know some of us get excited to show that faith and reason are like oil and water, and natural theology is the death of a theologian of the cross. But there’s a bit of nonsense in that. If we teach our people only to suffer (which they will do anyway), and to expect nothing more than suffering, we are sometimes unintentionally teaching them to want less. But Christ is more. His resurrection means there’s more.
Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
05/19/19

Gospel: John 16:23-33 (Easter 6: Series C)

When you are not experiencing this kind of tribulation, the promise of “you will” hardly seems comforting. But when you are in the midst of it—when the pressure of this world is bearing down on you—it is comforting to know it has not caught God unawares.
Ken Sundet Jones
Ken Sundet Jones
05/17/19

Luther's Counsel for the Sick and Dying

As usual, Luther took what he received and turned it inside-out, so that it shifted from a series of demands and became a bestowal of God’s gracious promise.
Brandon Hanson
Brandon Hanson
05/17/19

We Preach Christ Crucified

While the cross of Christ is a stumbling block to our self-righteousness and an offense to our rationalism, this is where God has chosen to reveal His power and wisdom.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
05/15/19

For the Baptized, this is How it Goes

We can take comfort in the knowledge that He kills the sinner so we can get a new shot at life and life eternal.
David Rufner
David Rufner
05/14/19

The American Story in Light of the Gospel

In these two stories - one ending and the other beginning just a day apart - we find many ingredients that are uniquely American. We find grit, determination, and conquest.
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