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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Morons though we all have been, there is nothing we need that Christ hasn’t given us.
Though it may feel to us like the darkness is winning, God’s Word reveals the darkness is waning. The Light of the world has come.
The sign of the cross, according to the earliest centuries of Christians, is “the sign of the Lord,” and every baptized Christian was “marked” with it.
When all the people had been baptized, when all the people had washed the filth of their sins into the water, Jesus went into the water to draw their sins unto Himself.
The usual acclamation when one becomes King is: “Long live the King!” But this King of kings, this son of David, has come to die.
Because we could never intuitively figure it out, God reveals Christ to us.
For almost three years, I have produced a weekly video in the series “Reading the Gospels through Hebrew Eyes.” Here is an index of all the Gospel readings covered so far, with links to their YouTube videos.
It makes perfect sense that the day honoring Jesus' birth would be observed in a decidedly less than refined manner.
He is given His name so you could call on it. He is called Jesus, so you can call on Jesus and be saved.
The eternal Word of God became a mortal human being, but not in some far-off heavenly realm. No, He took up residence among us.
If Jesus shows up and you are a sinner, ‘tis more blessed to receive than to give
Hains offers a novel yet simple contention: Luther is most catholic where he is boldest.