The Turk at the Door: Luther, Islam, and the Fate of Christendom in the 16th Century
By Adam Francisco
06/19/26
12mins

The Turk at the Door: Luther, Islam, and the Fate of Christendom in the 16th Century

It is within this charged atmosphere that Luther’s writings take on their full significance. His responses to the Turkish threat were not merely reactions to military events; they were rooted in a deep theological reflection on the nature of God’s rule over the world, the responsibilities of Christian rulers, and the role of the Church in times of crisis.
AI Can't Save You
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
06/17/26

AI Can't Save You

Your God is not artificially intelligent, but the source of all intelligence (including yours).
No One Builds Alone: Why the Future of Lutheranism Must Be Built Together
Russ Lackey
Russ Lackey |
Mark Mattes
Mark Mattes
06/15/26

No One Builds Alone: Why the Future of Lutheranism Must Be Built Together

The church is not renewed when one pastor tries to do the work of the whole body. The church is renewed when Christ’s body begins to act like a body again.

All Articles

Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/26/14

When Focus on the Family Becomes Idolatry

But what does it mean to love someone or something more than we love Jesus? It means that they who were formed as a gift we transform into a god.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/22/14

The Parable of Lazarus and the Poor Man

Seeing, we do not see. Our eyes are busy deceiving us 24/7, like two liars sunk into our faces, calling black white and white black. To see God's work in our world, our eyes must retire and our ears labor overtime.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/15/14

A Life Worth Living: A Tribute to My Father

From you, Dad, I learned that a man is truly a man when, as Ecclesiastes says, whatever his hand finds to do, he does it with all his might (9:10).
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/13/14

How to Reach Your Full Human Potential

How will they reach this magical moment, this milestone on the journey of life? Perhaps by chasing their dreams, pursuing their passions with a heart wholly devoted to the attainment of whatever goals they set for themselves in life?
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/09/14

A Conversation with Jesus About Genesis 1

In the beginning I was the Word, and I as Word was the Beginning. By me all things were created, both in the heavens and in the earth, visible and invisible. All things have been created by me and for me (Colossians 1:16). Therefore, already in the opening word of the Hebrew Bible, Bereshith, I am.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
06/03/14

I'll Teach You the Whole Law While Standing on One Foot

We have violated not that of which we are ignorant, but that of which we are fully aware. If you want proof, simply look at how well we attempt to cover up our evil deeds.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
05/15/14

Bows, Arrows, and Baptismal Fonts: The Significance of the Rainbow in the Bible

The instrument of execution has been changed into an emblem of peace--a hawk become a dove, a sword hammered into a plowshare. Now every time God sees His bow, He who never forgets will nevertheless remember His oath never to draw it again to punish the earth by a cosmopolitan flood.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
05/12/14

What's So Wrong with a Golden Calf? What Happens When We Make Our Own Ways to God

So the law was shattered, our icon was becoming urine and dung inside our guts, and lots of bloody corpses littered our camp. All this because we decided that it was okay for us to choose how we approach God.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
05/07/14

The Phone Number that Could Tell My Life's Story: A Mother's Day Reflection

Perhaps a phone number seems an odd thing to get sentimental about, but I can’t help myself. You see, if that number, and the phone connected to it, could speak, they would tell my life’s story.
Steve Byrnes
Steve Byrnes
05/05/14

Christian Drinking: Wine that Overflows

The wine of communion is a gift from God and the blood of Christ we receive at the rail an inebriant that encourages and frees us.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
05/01/14

The Blind, Demented Woman Who Introduced Me to Myself

As I peer back over the years between the me-then and the me-now, I see one striking similarity. I am always a man who forgets who he really is, because I’m always focused on becoming the man I want others to think I am.
05/01/14

More and Religious Liberty (Part 3)

Which makes the question of prudence worth asking again: given the recent and strong Catholic attempts to defend a broad religious liberty, why all the implicit and explicit swipes at their potential Protestant allies?
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