When Religion Becomes Obsolete, Christ Does Not

By Russ Lackey | Mark Mattes

01/20/26

19mins

When Religion Becomes Obsolete, Christ Does Not

American religion did not become optional because the gospel failed. It became optional because religion slowly redefined itself around usefulness.

Bradley Gray

01/19/26

Behold the Lamb

The Passover wasn’t just Israel’s story; it’s ours.

Psalm 12, Part 2: The Saint Fails, The Word Purifies

Steven Paulson

01/16/26

Psalm 12, Part 2: The Saint Fails, The Word Purifies

God makes us pure saints by planting us back in the earth we imagined we needed to escape.

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Bob Hiller

02/07/20

The Patience of Job

The following is an excerpt from "Finding Christ in the Straw," written by Robert M. Hiller (1517 Publishing, 2020).

Martin Luther

02/05/20

God's Description In Two Words

I venture to assert I have never read, in the entire Scriptures, words more beautifully expressive of the grace of God than these two children words.

Chad Bird

02/04/20

God Doesn't Love Everyone the Same

Whoever you are, your Father loves you differently than he loves other people. You are more than a grain of sand in the vast desert called humanity.

1517 Staff

02/03/20

Q&A for Faithless to Fearless

Neither the disciples nor Paul expected a resurrected Messiah, so something has to account for their dramatic transition from faithless to fearless in the days/years following Jesus’ crucifixion.

Bob Hiller

01/24/20

Good Gifts

The following is an excerpt from "Finding Christ in the Straw" written by Robert M. Hiller (1517 Publishing, 2020).

Bror Erickson

01/23/20

Third Sunday After Epiphany: John 4:27-42

The following is an excerpt from “A Year of Grace: Collected Sermons of Advent through Pentecost” written by Bo Giertz and translated by Bror Erickson (1517 Publishing, 2019).

Chad Bird

01/20/20

Friendship in the Old Testament: David and Jonathan

Jonathan saw in David a reflection of who he himself was. This recognition pulled him outside himself and bound him to another.

Haroldo Camacho

01/17/20

The Law and the Conscience: An Excerpt from Martin Luther's Commentary on Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians

Indeed, the law said, “You shall love the Lord your God,” but the law cannot give me such love, nor can it take my hand to grasp on to Christ.

1517 Staff

01/02/20

Very Human Disciples

The following is an excerpt from “Faithless to Fearless” written by David Andersen (1517 Publishing, 2019).

Valerie Thur

12/26/19

The End is in Sight

We think that if we are good enough, brave enough, or at least if we try hard enough, we will be someone who can be both fully known and fully loved.

Bror Erickson

12/12/19

Third Sunday in Advent: Matthew 11:2-11

The following is an excerpt from “A Year of Grace: Collected Sermons of Advent through Pentecost” written by Bo Giertz and translated by Bror Erickson (1517 Publishing, 2019).

Donavon Riley

11/28/19

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart... How Hard Can It Be?

Thanksgiving is a day set aside for tragi-comic sinners to come together and give thanks for the deliciousness of God's grace in the good news of Jesus Christ.

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