By Amy Mantravadi

11/04/26

19mins

W.H. Auden on Martin Luther

Auden understands Luther’s doctrine of justification by faith not as a mere theological platitude, a trick of biblical grammar, or a catchphrase for men to rally around.

Sam P. Schuldheisz

11/02/26

A Saintly Mosaic

Our Lord Jesus builds, forms, and fashions his church as an artist forms a mosaic.

Why the Reformation Still Matters in an Age of Virtue

Kelsi Klembara

10/30/26

Why the Reformation Still Matters in an Age of Virtue

Luther felt the reform of the church could not simply remain a matter of aesthetics and practice. Something much deeper needed to be rooted out.

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Steve Byrnes

02/23/26

When the Word Broke Free

The entire history of Protestantism is downstream of a goldsmith in Mainz figuring out how to cast identical pieces of lead type in less than a minute.

Mark Mattes

02/20/26

Preaching to Bound Wills

When we despair of ourselves, we repent of these self-justifying schemes and allow ourselves to be shaped by God, covered in Christ’s righteousness, and reborn with a new heart.

Jason Oakland

01/29/26

The Callings of Jesus

What do such callings look like? They are ordinary and everyday.

1517 Guest Contributor

01/14/26

Welcome to My House

Bringing your family to church to receive “the one thing needful” (Luke 10:42) in Word and Sacrament honors and pleases God.

Scott Keith

01/12/26

Christian Self-Defense Isn’t a Dirty Word

There’s a difference between refusing revenge and refusing responsibility.

Russ Lackey |

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.

1517 Staff

12/29/25

1517's Favorite Books from 2025

Below is a list of our favorite theological books - across all categories - from 2025. A special thanks to our contributors who submitted titles, wrote summaries and full reviews for these books and more throughout the year.

Bradley Gray

11/25/25

A Review of The Well That Washes What it Shows by Jonathan Linebaugh

“The well that washes what it shows” captures the essence of Linebaugh’s project, which aims to give the paradigmatic law-gospel hermeneutic a colloquial and visual language.

Amy Mantravadi

11/19/25

A Review of "The Quiet Ambition" by Ryan P. Tinetti

While Thoreau’s Walden is seen as a central text of that most American of virtues—self-reliance—quiet ambition as envisioned by Tinetti is exactly the opposite: dependence on God.

John W. Hoyum

10/13/25

An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will: The Clarity of Scripture

This is the second 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.

Donavon Riley

10/01/25

When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations

This article is the first part of a two-part series. The second part will take a look at when pastors abuse their congregations.

Steve Kruschel

09/08/25

When Your Children Ask

When your child asks about what we believe, and why we believe it…answer.

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