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

Caleb Keith
Caleb Keith
02/06/20

The Need to Recapture Catechesis

It would do us well to expand what we mean when we say catechesis and consequently broaden the reach of theological education into daily life.
Martin Luther
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
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.
Craig Donofrio
Craig Donofrio
01/22/20

Let Us Sing Our Faith

We sing, and in so doing, we are blessed as we are instilled with the word of God in word and song.
Robert Kolb
Robert Kolb
01/20/20

Siegfried Sack’s Homiletics

Above all, pastors must aim their preaching at the people God has placed in the care of the pastor rather than airing pious ideas that did not speak to their situations.
Pete Lange
Pete Lange
01/15/20

Come and See

From all accounts, everyone in Nazareth would have just thought of Jesus as a very good boy who obeyed his parents and worked hard with his father as a tekton’s apprentice in the family trade.
Kyle G. Jones
Kyle G. Jones
01/03/20

The Pastor’s Office as a Life-Giving Tomb: A Case For Private Absolution

It is the words the pastor speaks that send the dead out alive.
Michael Berg
Michael Berg
12/31/19

"The Name of Jesus" and New Years Day

Christians are given a new name at baptism. We are given the Triune name of Father, Son, and Spirit.
Valerie Thur
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.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
12/23/19

Where All Men Are At Home

Christmas is, therefore, the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry, even while he awaits a number of years to gather his disciples and inaugurate his preaching of the kingdom.
Ken Sundet Jones
Ken Sundet Jones
12/19/19

In Memory of Katharina von Bora, Part 2

In some measure, if Luther had any success during his last two decades, it happened because of the woman who’d insisted on him as her bridegroom.
Ken Sundet Jones
Ken Sundet Jones
12/13/19

In Memory of Katharina von Bora, Part 1

Her importance goes beyond simply managing the reformer’s household.
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.