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

Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
05/15/25

Why We Worship

“The fear of the Lord” is our heart’s awakening to and recognition of God’s outrageous goodness.
Joel Hess
Joel Hess
04/25/25

The Resurrection Should be Terrifying

It's one thing to hope for a new reality; it's quite another to stand before it, no matter how wonderful.
Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
04/18/25

From Eden to Easter: The Garden, the Tomb, and the Resurrection

This is the final installment in our series, From Eden to Easter: Life and Death in the Garden. Each day throughout Holy Week, we will take a special look at the gardens and wildernesses of Scripture, and in particular, these scenes' connections to Christ's redemption won for us on the cross.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
04/17/25

From Eden to Easter: Suffering in Gethsemane

This is the fourth installment in our series, From Eden to Easter: Life and Death in the Garden. Each day throughout Holy Week, we will take a special look at the gardens and wildernesses of Scripture, and in particular, these scenes' connections to Christ's redemption won for us on the cross.
1517 Staff
1517 Staff
04/09/25

Lenten Love Songs

Three Lenten songs express the same astonishing wonder of a Lord who willingly suffers and dies.
Zack James Cole
Zack James Cole
04/04/25

A Georgia Boy’s Lament: Val Kilmer, Doc Holliday, and the Friend of Sinners

News of Kilmer's death hit me like a freight train because his Doc Holliday stirred something in me about friendship—both the earthly kind and the divine.
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
03/26/25

A Review of Unloved: The Rejected Saints God Calls Beloved

Sometimes the old story is the one we need to hear again and again.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
03/11/25

The Wound and the Well

The great lie of addiction is that suffering must be fled, must be numbed, must be drowned out by any means necessary.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
03/03/25

Rehabilitating Happiness

To be happy is to be the object of God’s love in Christ and to love God and others with the love of Christ.
Jason Oakland
Jason Oakland
02/17/25

A Remnant Chosen By Grace

In grace, God chooses to love his people.
Mark Mattes
Mark Mattes
02/13/25

The New Birth as Passive: An Excerpt from Ditching the Checklist

This is an excerpt from Ditching the Checklist: Assurance of Salvation for Evangelicals (and Other Sinners) by Mark Mattes (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 5-7.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
02/12/25

Encountering Christ Through the Liturgy

In the liturgy, Christ is present, self-giving, and ever-addressing his people.
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.
1517.org
Search
Academy
Donate

1517 grants permission for our free online resources to be printed, photocopied, and otherwise used freely for private and church use. We require that authorship and source (1517.org) are referenced and maintained. These resources may not be sold or included in any publications for sale.