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

Philip Bartelt
Philip Bartelt
11/29/19

The Church is Hidden, the Saints Concealed

Instead of defining the true church in the way of the law, Augustine approaches the issue pastorally in the way of the gospel.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
11/28/19

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart... How Hard Can It Be?

Thanksgiving is a day set aside for tragi-comic sinners to come together and give thanks for the deliciousness of God's grace in the good news of Jesus Christ.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
11/28/19

Thanksgiving with Capon

We long for the Great Thanksgiving that hasn’t happened yet.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/28/19

A Hebrew Twist on Thanksgiving

Any day of thanksgiving is a confessional day—a day of expressing a short creed that sums up our entire existence: God gives, we receive. Thanksgiving as a day of confession becomes very obvious when we look at it from a Hebrew perspective.
Kyle G. Jones
Kyle G. Jones
11/27/19

Give Us This Day Our Daily Thanksgiving

To pray that God’s name is hallowed among us is to pray for the continual proclamation of the gospel in truth and purity that we would hear the word about Christ crucified for sinners.
John T. Pless
John T. Pless
11/25/19

Revisiting an Overlooked Classic: Franzmann on the Gospel According to Matthew

Franzmann walks alongside of readers of the Gospel according to Matthew like a sharp-eyed and knowledgeable tour guide pointing out features of the evangelical landscape which invite and provoke deeper reflection and, in turn, cannot but help make preaching more interesting and robust.
Jeffrey Pulse
Jeffrey Pulse
11/25/19

Old Testament: Isaiah 2:1-5 (Advent 1: Series A)

Isaiah 2:1-5... is a beautiful eschatological prophecy focusing on the era of peace that comes along with the coming of the LORD.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
11/21/19

Dodging Freight Trains

When we look to Jesus nailed up on that cross, that's God's final goodbye to our sin-blasted survival methods. No more unanswered questions. No more long goodbyes.
Philip Bartelt
Philip Bartelt
11/20/19

Is Absolution a Sacrament?

If someone confesses their sins into my ears, I have no options but to forgive them in the name of Christ.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
11/20/19

God's Humility For You

Here is truly illustrated the truth that no one comes to Christ except the Father draw him; and with what power, what delicious sweetness, the Father allures!
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/20/19

The Preaching Thief on the Cross

The kingdom of God is not a place, a thing, a concept, a philosophy, a spiritual force, or a state of being. The kingdom of God is a person.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
11/19/19

As Real as it Gets

When we ask ourselves, "My God, how did I get so lost," he answers, "I am the God who comes to seek and save the lost in the power of my resurrection.
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