Why I Needed a Church That Gives Jesus: On Rooted Faith and Real Absolution
By Michael Gibney
06/10/25
11mins

Why I Needed a Church That Gives Jesus: On Rooted Faith and Real Absolution

What I was missing—what so many are missing—is a Church that doesn’t just speak about Christ, but delivers him.
August Hermann Francke: A Practical Pietist
Sam Leanza Ortiz
Sam Leanza Ortiz
06/09/25

August Hermann Francke: A Practical Pietist

Though several generations removed from Luther’s generation, Francke came of age right on time for a new wave of spirituality to collide with the Reformation in the movement known as Pietism.
Pentecost and the Beautiful Mess of the Church
Ryan Couch
Ryan Couch
06/06/25

Pentecost and the Beautiful Mess of the Church

Every time someone is baptized, every time bread is broken and wine poured, every time a sinner hears, “Your sins are forgiven in Christ,” Pentecost happens again.

All Articles

Bonnie Petroschuk
Bonnie Petroschuk
10/13/16

Like a Frightened Dog

My husband and I just adopted Duke, a very cute beagle mix, from a nearby shelter. He is about three years old and was found wandering in a park several months ago.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
10/13/16

The Gardener's Blood, The Fruit of Brambles

They were incapable of covering their shame. They knew what they'd done was evil, but since they were only "like" God, there was no way for them to go back and replace evil with good.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/11/16

Some of the Best People Are Not Christians

Christians are Christians not because of anything that they have done but because of everything Christ has done for them.
Kathy Morales
Kathy Morales
10/11/16

Chosen

A significant election is quickly approaching. A candidate will be chosen to hold the highest office in our nation.
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
10/11/16

What's The Big Deal About The Liturgy? (Part 6: Good News)

Many Christians (including preachers) have succumbed to the idea that good preaching must be about practical living, and so most sermons are geared to scratch this pragmatic itch.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
10/10/16

Please, Sing to Me!

I once heard an old, retired Lutheran professor give in interview on a podcast. He was asked by the interviewer why people should bother going to church if they could just be saved through a personal relationship with Jesus?
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/07/16

Reading Life Backward: Why Hebrew is the Language of the Cross

Read your life like a Hebrew, from the end to the beginning, and you will see that the last is first. The dead are alive, the cursed are blessed, the humble are exalted.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/06/16

Mr. Ritual and Ms. Grace: The Ideal Marriage

We who fall within the Protestant camp of Christianity have longstanding issues with ritual. I get that. Ritual is often abused. Idolatrized. It can easily devolve into a hollow act of religious farce.
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
10/04/16

The Other Criminal’s Demand: “Save Us!”

There was another criminal next to Christ the day he died. He was aware of who Jesus was, and why he was there.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/29/16

The Secret Weapon Angels (and Pastors) Carry to Protect Us

We need pastors who carry that same concealed weapon in their mouths, who are outfitted with the same word the angels have: the word steeped in divine blood, shed for you. That is all we need, for the word does it all.
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
09/28/16

The Criminal’s Prayer: “Remember Me!”

I'm afraid of dying. I am a Christian and I am horribly afraid of falling bridges, crashing planes, turned over cars and anything else that you can think of that would include my body being mangled into a mess of bones and flesh.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/27/16

My Favorite Dirty Word in Church

You became, for a time, ritually unclean. Not sinful. Not immoral. To be unclean meant you bore in your own body the effects of a creation in bondage to decay.
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