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.

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

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.

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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.

Peter Nafzger

07/31/21

Gospel: John 6:35-51 (Pentecost 11: Series B)

Jesus promises more than a disembodied “spiritual” existence after death. He has promised to raise our perishable, mortal bodies to immortality.

Haroldo Camacho

07/29/21

The Sixth Beatitude: Makarios in a Crucible?

We are not saved by the success of our refining process. We are saved precisely because our impurities, no matter what the percentage, ruin the whole thing.

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.

Peter Nafzger

07/24/21

Gospel: John 6:22-35 (Pentecost 10: Series B)

In His grace, Jesus promises that all who come to Him in faith will live abundantly and eternally.

Uwe Siemon-Netto

07/23/21

Urchin at War: Introduction

This is an excerpt from the introduction of “Urchin at War: Volume 1” by Uwe Siemon-Netto (1517 Publishing, 2021).

David Schmitt

07/17/21

Gospel: Mark 6:45-56 (Pentecost 9: Series B)

When the One who created the world comes to you, there is reason for courage and never reason to fear.

Bradley Gray

07/13/21

A Kingdom of Sheathed Swords and Severed Ears

But Jesus didn’t see it that way. He saw his arrest not as the kingdom’s program being thwarted but as it being “fulfilled.”

Chad Bird

07/12/21

That's a Good Question: Once Saved, Always Saved?

The acquisition of salvation, the giving of salvation, and the keeping of salvation are entirely dependent upon the Savior himself.

David Schmitt

07/10/21

Gospel: Mark 6:30-44 (Pentecost 8: Series B)

Because Jesus turns desolate, dying places into holy landscapes of life.

John W. Hoyum

07/09/21

The Trinity and the Gospel

What Luther is doing in his Catechism is teaching how the gospel is an action of the whole Trinity, not just one of the persons.

David Schmitt

07/03/21

Gospel: Mark 6:14-29 (Pentecost 7: Series B)

I would understand if you were a bit offended. This looks more like Game of Thrones than the Kingdom of God.

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