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

Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/31/19

Church Trash, Cotton Candy Spiritualism, and God's Ongoing Reformation

All major and minor reformations happen not because people react but because God acts. He reforms. He looks down from heaven, has mercy upon his starving children, and ends the famine of the Word by sending the rain of the Gospel.
Bror Erickson
Bror Erickson
10/30/19

Halloween and Christian Freedom

We have the freedom to joyfully participate in neighborhood fun with the love of our neighbor in mind.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
10/28/19

Love Conquers All?

True love isn't a thing. We can't find true love in our souls, soul mates, or safe spaces. We can't marry true love, buy it, or create it from scratch.
Kyle G. Jones
Kyle G. Jones
10/28/19

On Freedom in Christ and the Parable of the Forgiving Father

Like the younger son, we can return to our Father every time our sinful hearts rebel against him. Like the older brother, we can complain and lament to our Father without fear of being destroyed.
David Schmitt
David Schmitt
10/28/19

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12 (All Saints Sunday: Series C)

On All Saints Day, the beatitudes remind us how God in Christ claims people, frail, humble, poor, mourning, and makes them His own.
Kyle G. Jones
Kyle G. Jones
10/25/19

Confessing the Father's Confession About the Son

When it comes to confessing the truth of the Christian faith, Christians are given the words. We don’t have to formulate them ourselves.
Ryan Couch
Ryan Couch
10/23/19

The Gospel of the Unabomber

It is incumbent upon the faithful preacher, looking to see sinners transformed into the image of Christ, to preach a naked gospel.
Steven A. Hein
Steven A. Hein
10/23/19

Am I Really Included?

Any conception that contends that Jesus only died for some sinners turns the gospel into an uncertain message for everyone.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
10/21/19

Remember Your Death

So long as we entrust death to Jesus, new life is ours. He has lunch ready and he is waiting for us in the power of his resurrection.
Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
10/21/19

Gospel: Luke 18:9-17 (Pentecost 20: Series C)

Faithful celebration of the Reformation is possible only for those who understand they have nothing. Whose incapability and insufficiency are obvious and owned. Who recognize their dependence on God for all things. In other words, Reformation is for children.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
10/16/19

When Bible Reading Becomes Boring.

If the gospel is promise that means it is essentially relational. It stands that the nature of any promise is that it's only as good as the one who issues it.
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
10/15/19

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God (and That’s Not Enough) 

God daily broadsides us with his abundant power and glory as we observe nature around us. And yet, as glorious as this book of nature is, it is not enough.
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.