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

Dan van Voorhis
Dan van Voorhis
07/03/19

On Reading Broadly

We can’t all afford to travel the world, but the more we read from outside our own context, the bigger we see the world.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
06/21/19

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Theology of the Cross

I’d like to offer a short reflection on the theme of “worldliness” as it appears in his later work and how that’s connected to an item of his Lutheran heritage: the theology of the cross.
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
06/20/19

Taste the Goodness

I love apologetics, the art, and science of defending the Christian faith. I love talking about all the philosophical arguments for the existence of God with my skeptical friends.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
06/18/19

Vice, Virtue & the Christian

Naturally each individual forgets the beam in his own eye and perceives only the mote in his neighbor’s. One will not bear with the faults of the other; each requires perfection of his fellow.
Dan van Voorhis
Dan van Voorhis
06/12/19

Do I Have To Go to Church?

The 'church' is neither your mega-complex nor is it you alone with your own private devotions.
Bror Erickson
Bror Erickson
06/06/19

Sunday Before Pentecost

The following is an excerpt from “A Year of Grace: Collected Sermons of Advent through Pentecost” written by Bo Giertz and translated by Bror Erickson (1517 Publishing, 2019).
Bror Erickson
Bror Erickson
05/31/19

Luther's Counsel on Persecution

While most of his letters were written as semi-private counsel and consolation, some, like the “Letter to the Christians of Miltenburg” were written openly for public consumption.
Gretchen Ronnevik
Gretchen Ronnevik
05/28/19

This Is My Body, Broken For You

My family fills a row of chairs in the sanctuary of our church. I always feel bad for the people who sit around my noisy family. Our pastor loves children and has told me once he struggles to preach on the Sundays when they are all whisked off to Children's Church after the music once a month because the sanctuary is too quiet.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
05/24/19

Luther's Counsel for the Bereaved

For Luther, Jesus does something much better for those who grieve than simply identify with them: He brings suffering and evil to an end in His own death.
Craig Donofrio
Craig Donofrio
05/20/19

For You

The words “for you” are what deliver burdened hearts into the glorious light of freedom, for they deliver the precious, life-giving cargo of God’s relentless grace to each of us.
Bror Erickson
Bror Erickson
05/13/19

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
Grant Klembara
Grant Klembara
05/01/19

Moving Beyond Your Personality Type

The truth is that no amount of self-awareness will ever be enough; in fact, the more we seek after ourselves, the more inwardly bent we become.
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