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

Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
08/18/21

Never Tell Me the Odds: On the Implausible and Improbable Deliverance of God

God picks the unexpected and the unlikely, and goes to the unforeseen places, stacking the odds against himself, in order that age after age might stand in open-mouthed wonder at his sovereignty in and over all things.
Gretchen Ronnevik
Gretchen Ronnevik
08/17/21

What God Created, God Will Grow

What God created, God will grow. We don’t add a few stitches onto his creation.
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
08/16/21

That's a Good Question: Can We Know When Jesus Will Return?

The grace of God does not save us at the beginning only in order to keep ourselves in his good graces by our good enough readiness.
Pete Lange
Pete Lange
08/15/21

The Color Green

Green is the color for “ordinary time” in the liturgical church year. It's the regular time of year that always gets overshadowed by other seasons such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
08/14/21

Post-Pentecost Preaching Horizon

The new life Christ opened for us in His justifying resurrection, the new life into which we were baptized is a life of faith.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther |
Haroldo Camacho
Haroldo Camacho
08/12/21

The Eighth Beatitude: The Persecution of the Gospel

As long as the church teaches the gospel, it will suffer persecution.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
08/09/21

That's a Good Question: When is Baptism Not Valid

Baptism is always valid because no unrighteousness or faithlessness on our part could ify God’s faithfulness.
Uwe Siemon-Netto
Uwe Siemon-Netto
08/06/21

Theology 101, Under Bombs

I am cognizant of the powerful lessons for life I owe to those nights in the air-raid shelter.
Cindy Koch
Cindy Koch
08/04/21

Eat and Drink

God will give you more than you can handle. But he doesn’t leave you alone. Not at all.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
08/02/21

That's a Good Question: Are We All Predestined to Either Heaven or Hell?

The reason the mind is endlessly troubled about God predestining everything is the vague generalization. Generalizations are cold as ice, without the warm Christ.
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.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
07/30/21

The Rock of Truth in the Storm of Fake News

The Psalms aren’t the clandestine successes of a faithful soul, but are the journaled hopes of a desperate soul — of one teetering on the edge of oblivion.
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