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.
Behold the Lamb
Bradley Gray
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
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.

All Articles

Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
02/22/21

What to do When Life Goes to Pieces

The Bible is a book for the desperate. That is its target audience. Recognizing our desperation readies us to hear the consolation that only God’s Word can offer.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
02/16/21

How to Be Human Again

Jesus Christ is our peace because he doesn't criticize us. He declares us freed from our perceptions to accept the truth about ourselves.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
02/08/21

God's Résumé of Faithfulness

God’s plans and purposes for this world aren’t dependent upon us. They’re dependent upon him. This means our faith is liberated.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
02/02/21

A Christian is Pulled Between Two Extremes

Our anxiety about the future is a consequence of our old self’s attempts to achieve freedom for himself apart from Christ Jesus.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
01/22/21

The First Love of God

Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking God's love is like the love we experience in human relationships. But human love is a derivative of God's love. It is lesser.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
01/21/21

His Face Shines On Us

For God to shine his face upon us is the same as saying, “Christ Jesus is with us.”
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
01/15/21

Of Works And Grace

The kingdom of Christ consists in finding all our praise and boast in grace. Other works should be free, not to be urged, nor should we wish by them to become Christians, but condescend with them to our neighbor.
Gretchen Ronnevik
Gretchen Ronnevik
01/14/21

The Secret to Growing Your Faith

In our transactional view of our faith - “If I don’t… then God won’t.” “I need to, so God can” - we are seriously underestimating who we are dealing with.
Bror Erickson
Bror Erickson
01/08/21

When Salt Loses it's Taste

Good works do not give us a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. Rather, good works result from righteousness given by the good work of the Righteous One on the cross.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
01/01/21

Our Sufficiency is From God

Any good work we perform among you; any doctrine we write upon your heart – that is God’s own work.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
12/30/20

Inspiration from Mr. Rogers about Coping with a Pandemic

Fred Rogers did not teach children how to live through a pandemic, but he had many profound things to say about loving our neighbors and finding our identity in that calling.
Katie Koplin
Katie Koplin
12/10/20

Waiting Like Sarah

It turns out the family trait of not being able to wait runs deep and wide in the family of God. We do foolish things while we wait for promises to be fulfilled.
1517 is a Christian non-profit (501(c)3) multi-media organization. Our mission is to declare and defend the Good News that we are forgiven and free on account of the death and resurrection of Jesus alone.
1517.org
Search
Academy
Donate

1517 grants permission for our free online resources to be printed, photocopied, and otherwise used freely for private and church use. We require that authorship and source (1517.org) are referenced and maintained. These resources may not be sold or included in any publications for sale.