the Lutheran Church

¶ … Lutheran Church

The movement of Lutheranism traces its origin to the work of Martin Luther, a 16th century religious scholar who sought to reform the practices of the Roman Catholic Church (Lutheranism pp). What began as an academic debate soon evolved into a religious war, fueled by the political environment of the Holy Roman Empire and by the strong personalities on both sides (Lutheranism pp).

As a derogatory label, those who followed Martin Luther were called 'Lutherans' by their enemies, however followers quickly adapted the name as a badge of pride (Lutherans pp).

Luther, a theologian, professor and pastor, began the Protestant Reformation with the publication of his Ninety-Five Theses (Martin pp). In the Theses, Luther attacked the Church's sale of indulgences and advocated a theology that rested on God's gracious activity in Jesus Christ rather than in human works (Martin pp). Luther had always understood the passage in Romans where Paul says, "the righteousness of God" to mean that God was a righteous judge that demanded human righteousness, however, he came to understand that righteousness is a gift of God's grace (Martin pp). Luther had discovered or recovered the doctrine of justification by grace alone (Martin pp).

October 31, 1517, the day Martin Luther posted the Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church causing a chain reaction of change in Western Christendom, is often listed as the 'Birthday of the Reformation' (Snyder pp). However, the Lutheran Church really began to take form with the presentation of the Agusburg Confession on June 25, 1530, for from this time on, it was apparent that there was little hope of reconciliation (Lutheran pp).

By the late 1500's the Reformation had spread throughout Europe, and Lutheran beliefs became widespread, especially in Germany and the Scandinavian countries, and later spreading throughout the world (Roots pp). The first permanent colony of Lutherans in the Americas was in the West Indies, and by the 1620's there were settlements of Lutherans along the Hudson River (Roots pp).

There are several Lutheran denominations throughout the world, however all Lutheran churches base their doctrine on the confessional writings contained in the Book of Concord (Lutheranism pp). Lutheran beliefs are generally summarized by the motto, "Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scirptura" (Lutheranism pp).

Sola gratia: "Grace Alone" - Lutherans believe that salvation occurs only by the grace of God, not by actions that we may take.

Sola fide: "Faith Alone" - Lutherans believe that justification is through faith alone, that is, having faith makes sinners just and righteous

Sola scriptura: "Scripture Alone" - Lutherans believe that the Bible is the only standard by which teachings and doctrines can be judged" (Lutheranism pp)

Sola gratia and Sola fide are usually opposed with 'works salvation' which states that by men repay the debt of sin that they have incurred before God by doing good works (Lutheranism pp). To the contrary, Lutherans believe that sinners cannot be saved by good works because they are bound to their sinful and evil nature" (Lutheranism pp).. Lutherans believe that it is only through grace and faith in Christ as the one true savior that one can be saved (Lutheranism pp). The Lutheran view of salvation can be summarized by saying:

All humanity is sinful.

Humanity is incapable of rising out of its sinful state on its own.

All who sin are under the wrath of God and are subject to His just and righteous punishment.

God's gift of grace is the establishment of faith in Jesus Christ.

God elects the faithful, declaring them just and righteous and forgiving their sins" (Lutheranism pp).

Great emphasis on a liturgical approach to worship services, along with music forms a large part of a traditional Lutheran service (Lutheranism pp). Lutheran churches have active music ministries, including choirs, hand-bell choirs, children's choirs, and sometimes carillon societies (Lutheranism pp). Johann Sebastian Bach was a devout Lutheran and composed music for the Church (Lutheranism pp).

Children's ministries are fundamental and most churches maintain Sunday Schools, private nurseries, primary schools, regional high schools and universities, while pastors and staff are continually reminded that evangelism occurs within the church with children (Lutheranism pp). Moreover, Lutheran pastors may marry and have families (Lutheranism pp).

Lutherans believe that there should be a single Christian church and a single Christian faith (Lutheranism pp). This belief is ingrained in the Lutheran confession and reflects the history of Lutheranism as a reform movement rather than a separatist movement, therefore a number of modern Lutheran denominations, now largely separated from state control, are reaching out to other Lutheran denominations and to other Christian denominations as well (Lutheranism pp).