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

Joel Hess
Joel Hess
05/17/18

I Don’t Want To Be A Poor Widow

Our crucified Lord makes it clear that the widow’s worthless giving was far greater than a million dollars because she gave all she had.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
05/02/18

Ill-Conceived: Pinpointing When Our Lives Went Wrong

The little psychologist within us is often hard at work to pinpoint the origin of life’s problems.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
04/23/18

Six Bits of Advice for Men Staring at Divorce

We have to endure darkness before we’re ready for the light again. God is doing what he does best: he’s conforming us to his Son, to Jesus, who was buried in the darkness and rose again into the light on Easter.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
04/14/18

How Much Sleep Did You Lose Over the Syrian Children?

From the untouchable living on the streets of India to the millionaire in Manhattan; from the farmer in Germany to the escort in Vegas; from the missionary in Argentina to the bartender in Ireland—they are all in the love zone of the Lord. Every. Single. One.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
04/05/18

The Divine Portrait of Love

Whenever preachers get up to speak about the topic of love, they very often go to passages like 1 Corinthians 13, and they are very apt to do so — for there, under the Spirit’s design and influence, the apostle Paul gives, perhaps, the most complete view of love we’ve ever been given.
Valerie Thur
Valerie Thur
03/29/18

Seven Stanzas at Maundy Thursday

There is something about high art forms that touches the soul.
Sam P. Schuldheisz
Sam P. Schuldheisz
03/28/18

The Tolkien Option, Part 3: Escape

Jesus is the great Houdini of the grave for us. And through His death, He gives us the Great Escape from death that leads to the great joy of the Resurrection.
Valerie Thur
Valerie Thur
03/12/18

The Myth of Perfect Peace

The absence of a feeling is not the absence of Christ, but as emotional, rational, and spiritual beings, we cannot say that the presence of Christ necessitates the absence of emotion.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
03/10/18

The Size of Pancakes and the Meaning of Life

In God’s eyes, we cannot be too fat or ugly, mean or selfish, shamed or abused, corrupted or inadequate for him not to love us.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
03/03/18

Did You See That Gorilla in Church?

Give us eyes to see the face of Jesus in that little child wriggling in front of us, tugging at his mom’s sleeve, wanting a drink of water.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
02/17/18

Prayer Won't Stop School Shootings

A good place to start is to work hard at loving those no one else seems to love. I can’t think of a more Christ-like action.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
02/04/18

Give Us Religion Where the Good Things Run Wild

Jesus came to lay down his life for us. He didn’t come to slip 6’ leashes on the necks of his canine followers. He came to set us free.
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