By Adam Francisco

09/15/26

15mins

Josephus on Jesus

Josephus does not tell us that Christianity is true, and Christians do not need Josephus to tell them that Christ is risen. But Christianity makes claims about things that happened in public history under identifiable rulers, priests, and governors. For that reason, testimony from outside the church matters.

Political Polarization and Cultural Christianity

John W. Hoyum

09/18/26

Political Polarization and Cultural Christianity

Today, the longing for cultural Christianity on both the left and the right hearkens back to an older version of Christendom that was a mixed blessing for the church in the western world. The cultural mediation of Christian views on created order has certainly benefitted the civilization we’ve inherited. But the gospel itself isn’t something that can be reduced to cultural mediation either. Instead, the gospel as a message stands apart from all human accomplishments and achievements, no matter how beneficial they might be.

Geography: How the “Where” Impacts the “Why” of the Biblical Story

Mark Duerr

09/16/26

Geography: How the “Where” Impacts the “Why” of the Biblical Story

The student of Scripture should always have a map open next to their Bible as they read. If possible, they should also travel to Israel, not to make a pilgrimage, but to see the context of the land in which these stories took place. These are not fairy tales made up about fictional fantasy lands; these are stories about real people in real places interacting with a real God.

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Ryan Matthias

02/18/26

Tattooed Death Dust

We can’t remove our crosses or the reality of our deaths. Only Jesus can.

Christopher J. Richmann

02/17/26

Wrath and Death

People everywhere, every day, feel God’s wrath—and not as merely an afterlife threat but as a present reality.

Ryan Couch

02/09/26

Fyodor Dostoevsky and the Human Soul

When Dostoevsky died on February 9, 1881, he left behind novels that refuse to flatter the reader or simplify the human condition.

Donavon Riley

01/28/26

Why Christian Tradition? Why Absolution and Mercy

This is the third in a series meant to let the Christian tradition speak for itself, the way it has carried Christians through long winters, confusion, and joy for centuries.

Heather Schulz

01/22/26

Is Faith Enough?

We can bring our troubles, griefs, sorrows, and sins to Jesus, who meets us smack dab in the middle of our messy mob.

Donavon Riley

01/21/26

Why Christian Tradition? Why Confession

Confession isn’t a detour in the liturgy. It’s the doorway.

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.

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?

Matthew L. Rubinstein

11/12/25

I Forgive You, Adam

Forgiveness is not ours to manufacture. It is ours to proclaim.

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.

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.

1517 Guest Contributor

10/09/25

Healing for Our Soul Wounds

Just like Peter, you don’t need to do anything to earn God’s forgiveness for your soul wounds.

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