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

Russ Lackey
Russ Lackey |
Mark Mattes
Mark Mattes
01/08/26

The Future of Lutheranism Belongs to Builders

The crisis is not merely that people are leaving. The crisis is that we have relinquished what is uniquely Lutheran and deeply needed.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
01/07/26

A Psalm for the Desperate

The ethos of the church’s worship is found in poor, needy, and desperate sinners finding solace and relief in the God of their salvation.
Russ Lackey
Russ Lackey
01/05/26

Wake Up Dead Man: A Word Worth Saving for Lent

Wake Up Dead Man is not ultimately a story about mystery, exposure, or even justice. It is a story about what happens when mercy speaks to death—and death listens.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
01/01/26

The Doctrine of God at Christmas

Christmas is not only about a cradle in Bethlehem, it’s also about a cross outside Jerusalem where salvation was won for us.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
12/23/25

A Christmas Message for the Post-Christian

Lewis once pointed out that Christianity does not begin by telling us how to behave, but by telling us what is wrong.
Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
12/15/25

Be Kind...But Why?

Christ did not merely urge humanity to be kind. He embodied perfect kindness by giving his life for those who neither earned nor expected such a gift.
Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
12/03/25

Did the Church Replace Israel?

The unity of God’s people is grounded not in lineage nor land but in the promise of the coming Christ.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
11/24/25

Psalm 10: Why Do You Hide Yourself, O Lord?

Why would David write this psalm for all to read when he was no longer God’s greatest king, but rather God’s greatest sinner?
Russ Lackey
Russ Lackey
11/17/25

The Word That Will Not Shut Down

Every age has its emergencies, and the church must never ignore them. Yet, our response cannot be one of panic or propaganda.
Luke Kjolhaug
Luke Kjolhaug
11/11/25

Seamless Fig Leaves

When we fail, our first impulse is the same as that of our spiritual ancestors: to sprint headlong into the bushes.
Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
10/23/25

When Faith Becomes Blind: The Problem with Fideism

When faith seeks understanding—when belief is grounded in revelation and open to the light of reason—truth can travel.
Scott Keith
Scott Keith
10/14/25

An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will: In Bondage to Sin

This is the third installment in our article series, “An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will,” written to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will.
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