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

Scott Davis
Scott Davis
07/31/21

The Gospel and the Boy Who Cried Wolf

It isn’t that God struggles to believe our repeated cries of “wolf.” Rather, we struggle to believe God when he repeatedly comes to us with forgiveness and mercy on his lips.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
07/28/21

Luther versus Erasmus: Bound to Be Free (Part 1)

Luther’s allies and opponents also would not allow him to put off responding to Erasmus indefinitely. They badgered him constantly to write a response.
Scott Keith
Scott Keith
07/26/21

That's a Good Question: What Should we do When the Church Lets us Down?

The Church is where God has instituted the office of the preacher of the gospel. And if you are let-down, the gospel is what you need to hear.
Zack James Cole
Zack James Cole
07/02/21

The Chosen: A Review

Jesus did not come because we had our act together. He came because we couldn’t get our act together.
Haroldo Camacho
Haroldo Camacho
07/01/21

The Second Beatitude: From Tears to Joy

The giver of life, the source of joy, stands weeping together with the human family as they grieve under the curse of sin.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
06/27/21

First Principles of Preaching: The Verb Itself (Part 2)

The Christian sermon is Gospel preaching. We only preach the Gospel. Only the Gospel is the sermon, notwithstanding necessary admonishments of law and requisite exhortations toward sanctification.
Mark Mattes
Mark Mattes
06/23/21

A Guide to the Augsburg Confession

The reformers were compelled to confess the true faith and challenge corrupt practices—this is what the Augsburg Confession is about.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
06/21/21

Keeping the Law in its Place

Our certainty is of Christ, that mighty hero who overcame the Law, sin, death, and all evils.
1517 Publishing
1517 Publishing
06/18/21

Some Thoughts on Christian Hope

Christian hope means always hope in God and hope in Christ simultaneously without distinction.
Haroldo Camacho
Haroldo Camacho
06/17/21

The Scandalous Blessing of Makarios: An Introduction to the Beatitudes

The only one truly blessed of God, who in himself is God’s incarnate makarios, surrounds himself with a multitude of the accursed, the non-makarios.
Gretchen Ronnevik
Gretchen Ronnevik
06/15/21

The Christian Men of Jane Eyre

It is not her sacrifices that define Jane's faith, but her belief in the one who sacrificed for her.
1517 Publishing
1517 Publishing
06/14/21

I Have Put My Words in Your Mouth

This is an edited excerpt from “The Pastoral Prophet: Meditations on the Book of Jeremiah” written by Steve Kruschel (1517 Publishing, 2019).
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.
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