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

Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
11/24/25

Psalm 10: Why Do You Hide Yourself, O Lord?

Why would David write this psalm for all to read when he was no longer God’s greatest king, but rather God’s greatest sinner?
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
11/13/25

Shattered Expectations and Steadfast Grace

It is by his perfect surrender that our true Exodus was accomplished.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
11/05/25

Mercy Runs Downstairs

The testimony of the Word assures us that God isn’t waiting for us at the top of the stairs, with arms folded and brows furrowed.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
10/16/25

An Introduction to The Bondage of the Will: The Preached and Unpreached God

This is the fifth installment in our article series, “An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will,” written to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will.
Caleb Keith
Caleb Keith
10/15/25

An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will: Election and the Word

This is the fourth installment in our article series, “An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will,” written to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
10/13/25

An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will: The Clarity of Scripture

This is the second installment in our article series, “An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will,” written to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
10/08/25

When Churches Are Abused by Their Pastors

When a congregation is abused by its pastor, it loses more than a shepherd. It loses its threshold place; that fragile seam between earth and heaven.
1517 Guest Contributor
1517 Guest Contributor
09/26/25

Yardwork and the Antichrist

The Antichrist offers another continual presence. It is every whisper that tempts us toward autonomy, that tells us to carry it alone, that insists suffering is meaningless.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
09/25/25

God's Sufficiency in the Face of Our Inadequacy

He is the God who always is, whose Word is true, and never fails. He is a God who acts and always does what he says he’s going to do.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
09/12/25

The Deliverer Who Doesn't Run Away

Nothing good happens when you get ahead of God and take matters into your own hands.
1517 Guest Contributor
1517 Guest Contributor
09/11/25

When Evil Roars, Christ Still Reigns

To confess Christ crucified and risen as the only hope in a world that has lost its mind to wickedness and rage.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/10/25

An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 86

The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s upcoming book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 191-192.
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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