The Original Sin of Preaching: The Constant Craving for a Useful God in Pulpit and Pew
By Magnus Persson
03/25/26
12mins

The Original Sin of Preaching: The Constant Craving for a Useful God in Pulpit and Pew

God is not a tool in our hands. He does not exist to serve our goals, our metrics, or our platforms.
Even Chuck Norris Needed a Savior
Russ Lackey
Russ Lackey
03/23/26

Even Chuck Norris Needed a Savior

The gospel isn’t for the strong but people who know they aren’t.
Post-Denominational Lutheranism
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
03/20/26

Post-Denominational Lutheranism

One great thing about our post-denominational age is that it has opened up opportunities to make common cause with other Lutherans who, despite their differences and eccentricities, can agree on some of the most important things.

All Articles

Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
08/01/24

When The I AM Moves in Our Direction

The gospel is his weapon that beats back the darkness — “I AM the Resurrection and the Life. Bow your head, bend the knee when I walk by.”
Christopher J. Richmann
Christopher J. Richmann
07/23/24

The Fate of American Revivalism

When the historical importance of revivalism is understood, one can appreciate that the question, “Could America experience another revival?” is also a question about the fate of Christianity in America.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
07/11/24

What Makes the Church Fundamentally Unique?

This week, when you go to church, take a moment to reflect that you are being summoned by a loving Father, hands full of gifts he wants to give.
Michael Berg
Michael Berg
07/08/24

The Church Year

This is an edited excerpt from Addendum A, “The Church Year,” On Any Given Sunday: The Story of Christ in the Divine Service, written by Michael Berg (1517 Publishing, 2023), pgs. 113-120.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
06/24/24

Unshakable Hope

If your faith is rooted in the gospel of Zion, in the good news of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection on your behalf, you are already a member of the “heavenly Jerusalem”
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
06/18/24

The Weird Time Is About to Happen

With the Spirit we will get lost in the world. We are on a new track.
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.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
05/28/24

The Mega of Megachurches

This is an excerpt from Chapter 7 of Your God is Too Glorious: Finding God in the Most Unexpected Places by Chad Bird (1517 Publishing, 2023).
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.
Gage Jordan
Gage Jordan
05/14/24

In The Wild: Church for Those People

The gospel is for sinners – both the tax collector and Pharisee, both in need of the Great Physician.
1517 Staff
1517 Staff
04/22/24

Resurrection Community

This article is written by guest contributor, Christopher J. Richmann.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
03/31/24

Preaching the Gospel When Cities Burn

You are the baptized, for in Christ we are all wet. The demographic dividers are washed away.
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