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

Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
08/13/24

Psalm 1: Blessedness to the Man

The one who delights in the law of the Lord learns to fear his own good works and trust God outside of them.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
07/24/24

Do the Ten Commandments Belong in Public?

Despite the fact that this could sound strange to modern ears, Luther has an important reason for saying what he does about the Commandments.
Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
07/19/24

Advice for Living in a Non-Christian World

The Christian must always remember that personal piety and liturgical uniformity are by no means the marks of true religion.
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
07/12/24

Erasmus and the Unintended Reformation

Erasmus and the Unintended Reformation
Philip Bartelt
Philip Bartelt
07/10/24

The Art of Dying

This great victory, the true defeat of death, I receive not by my thinking, willing, or working, but simply by believing.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
07/05/24

The Mystery of Divine Descent

It is Jesus himself who is the ladder by which sinners get to God, not by them climbing up but by God climbing down.
Daniel Emery Price
Daniel Emery Price
06/27/24

Rethinking the Robber

This is an excerpt from chapter 6 of Scandalous Stories by Daniel Emery Price and Erick Sorensen (1517 Publishing 2018).
John T. Pless
John T. Pless
06/21/24

Confession and Absolution

This is an excerpt from “Confession and Absolution” by John T. Pless in Common Places in Theology: A Curated Collection of Essays from Lutheran Quarterly, edited by Mark Mattes, (1517 Publishing 2023).
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
06/17/24

Johann Spangenberg on Living Well

This is a companion article to “Johann Spangenberg on Dying Well”
Nicholas Hopman
Nicholas Hopman
06/05/24

The Legacy of Strasbourg Hymnals

Strasbourg’s hymnals are especially relevant to American Lutherans because much of what we experience in our churches comes to us from Strasbourg.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
05/27/24

A Meal That Never Ends

We can do nothing to warrant entry into the kingdom of God nor are we getting in if we think a seat at God’s table is something to which we are entitled.
Nicholas Hopman
Nicholas Hopman
05/16/24

Martin Luther's Reformation Hymns

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of these early Lutheran hymns – and their physical availability in hymnals – in the piety of common people living in Lutheran towns and territories.
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