Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a movement within Christianity that began with the theological insights of Martin Luther in the 16th century. Luther's writings launched the Protestant Reformation. This attempt to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church led to the separation between a large number of Christians and the Roman Catholic tradition.^[1] Today nearly seventy million Christians belong to Lutheran churches worldwide,^[2] with many of the four hundred million Protestant Christians^[3] tracing their history back to Luther's reforming work.

History

Lutheranism as a movement traces its origin to the work of Martin Luther, a German monk, priest, and theologian who sought to reform the practices of the Catholic Church in the 16th century. The symbolic beginning of the Reformation occurred on October 31, 1517 when Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg. Luther's ideas are generally held to have been a major foundation of the Protestant movement.

Doctrine

Central doctrines

The material principle of Lutheranism is the Lutheran doctrine of Justification: salvation by God's grace alone (Sola Gratia), through faith alone (Sola Fide) for the sake of Christ's merit alone (Solus Christus). Lutherans believe that God made the world, including humanity, perfect, holy, and sinless. However, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, trusting in their own strength, knowledge, and wisdom. Because of this Original Sin—the sin from which all other sins come—all descendents of Adam and Eve (thus, all humans) are born in sin and are sinners. For Lutherans, original sin could be characterized as the "chief sin, a root and fountainhead of all actual sins" (Formula of Concord).

Lutherans teach that sinners cannot do anything (i.e. "good works") to satisfy God's justice. Every human thought and deed is colored by sin and sinful motives. God has intervened in this world because He loves sinners and does not want them to be eternally damned. By His grace, a person is forgiven, adopted as a child of God, and given eternal salvation.

For this reason, Lutherans teach that salvation is possible only because of the eternal sacrifice made manifest in the birth, perfect life of obedience, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the person of Jesus Christ, Lutherans believe God and Man meet. Because He is God, He is sinless and so a worthy sacrifice, without spot or blemish. Because He is a man, He could die. In His death, death is destroyed (in an ultimate sense), our debt paid, and our sins forgiven.

Lutherans believe that individuals receive this gift of salvation through faith alone—a full and complete trust in God's promises to forgive and to save. Even faith itself is seen as a gift of God, created in the hearts of Christians by the work of the Holy Spirit through the means of God's grace, the Word and the Sacraments. It is important to note the words - through faith, not by faith. Faith is seen as an instrument that receives the gift of salvation. Faith is not something that causes salvation, together the grace of God. Lutherans reject so-called decision theology which is common among evangelicals.

Traditionally, Lutherans have rejected synergism, and the doctrine that man has a free will concerning spiritual matters. They have also believed that there is a predestination to salvation. Properly understood, the doctrine of predestination is merely another way of expressing the doctrine of salvation by grace alone. Here Lutherans have sided with Calvinism. Unlike some in Calvinism, however, Lutherans do not believe in a predestination to damnation.

Lutherans generally speak of only two sacraments: Holy Baptism and the Sacrament of the Altar, the Lord's Supper. They teach that Holy Baptism is a work of God, founded on the word and promise of Christ^[4]. Thus it is administered to both infants and adults. Children born to practicing Lutheran families are usually baptized shortly after birth. This tradition of infant baptism distinguishes Lutheranism culturally and doctrinally from some other forms of Christianity.

Lutherans believe that the true body and blood of Christ are "in, with and under" the bread and wine (1 Cor 10:16, 11:27).

Lutherans believe that all who trust in Jesus alone can be sure of their salvation, for it is in Christ's work and his promises in which their surety lies. They teach that, at death, Christians are immediately taken into the presence of God in Heaven, where they await the resurrection of the body at the second coming of Christ. Lutherans do not believe in any sort of millennial kingdom of Christ either before, or after, his second coming on the last day.

Although Lutherans believe that good works do not satisfy God's justice, this is not to say that they hold good works to play no role in the Christian life. Good works are the fruit of saving faith, and always and in every instance spring spontaneously from true faith; and have their true origin in God, not in the fallen human heart or in human striving; their complete absence would demonstrate that faith, too, is absent.

The Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions

The formal principle of Lutheranism is the Bible. Lutherans believe the Bible is divinely inspired and is the final authority for all matters of faith and doctrine. Lutherans also hold that Holy Scripture is explained and interpreted faithfully by Scripture itself. This teaching is expanded upon in the Book of Concord, a series of Confessions of faith composed by Lutherans in the 16th Century. Traditionally, Lutheran pastors, congregations, and church bodies agree to teach in harmony with the Lutheran Confessions. Some Lutheran church bodies require this pledge to be unconditional, while others allow their congregations to do so "in so far as" the Confessions are in agreement with the Bible. Historically, Lutherans have regarded the Bible as inerrant. In contrast to this view, some modern Lutheran denominations see the Bible as an essentially human document and therefore capable of error, particularly in historical and scientific matters.

Ecumenism with other Christians

Historically, Lutherans have tended to remain apart from associations with other Churches in order to protect their unique doctrines. Liberal Lutherans believe in ecumenism, the idea that there is a single Christian church, and a single Christian faith.

Although the Lutheran World Federation has been in ecumenical dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church since shortly after Vatican II, it wasn't until 1999 that far-reaching ecumenical relations were established between the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church when they jointly issued a statement, the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, that declared commonality of the Roman Catholic and Lutheran doctrines on Justification.[1]. While some Lutheran theologians from some Lutheran traditions saw this as a sign the Roman Catholic Church was essentially adopting the Lutheran position other Lutheran theologians disagreed.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has been actively involved in ecumenical dialogues with several denominations (the ELCA is one of the members of the LWF that signed the JDDJ). Recently, the ELCA has established "full communion" with several American Churches: the Moravian Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ.

In another example, in 1944 the LCMS issued a document known as the "Doctrinal Affirmation," which adopted a definition of "prayer-fellowship" contrary to all its earlier pronouncements. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, another large controversy occurred with the participation of Rev. David Benke, President of the Atlantic District of the LCMS in the "Prayer for America" service held at Yankee Stadium where Sikhs and Hindus also participated.

Among the Evangelical Catholic Lutheran Churches, the Evangelical Community Church-Lutheran has adopted the ecumenical goal of visible, organic union with the Roman Catholic Church.

In the 1990's, influences from the megachurches of American evangelicalism (eg Hybels' "Becoming a Contagious Christian" from Willow Creek and Warren's "Purpose Driven Life" from Saddleback Church) have become common.

While the blendings of distinctively Lutheran doctrines with those of many other creeds have occurred in Lutheran churches throughout history, conservative Lutheran theologians typically reject these blendings.

Many confessional and conservative Lutherans reject the ecumenical movement. These Lutherans claim fellowship among Christians should be based on a doctrinal unity.

Ecumenism among Lutherans

The largest organizations of Lutheran churches around the world are the Lutheran World Federation, the International Lutheran Council, and the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference. These organizations together include the great majority of Lutheran denominations around the globe.

The perspective, held by Lutheran World Federation (LWF) aligned Lutherans, do not believe any one church to be singularly true in its teachings. This belief protrays Lutheranism as a reform movement rather than as a movement into doctrinal correctness. For that reason, a number of more doctrinally diverse Lutheran denominations, now largely separated from state control, are declaring fellowship and joint statements of agreement with other Lutheran or non-Lutheran Christian denominations.

However Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference and International Lutheran Council aligned Lutherans as well as members of non-body-affiliated churches such as the Church of the Lutheran Confession (CLC) maintain that that the orthodox confessional Lutherans are the only church with completely correct doctrine. They teach that while other Christian churches teach orthodox doctrine and have true Christians as members the doctrines of those churches contain errors. More conservative Lutherans strive to maintain historical distinctiveness while emphasizing doctrinal purity alongside Gospel motivated outreach. They state that the LWF Lutherans are practicing "false ecumenism" rather than true ecumenism by desiring church-fellowship outside of actual unity of teaching.

Religious practices

Many Lutherans place great emphasis on a liturgical approach to worship services; although there have always been substantial non-liturgical minorities (Hauge Lutherans from Norway, contemporary-worship oriented Lutherans today—see paragraph below). Music forms a large part of a traditional Lutheran service. Lutheran hymns are sometimes known as chorales, and Luther himself composed hymns and hymn tunes, perhaps the most famous of which is "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" ("Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott"). Lutheran hymnody is reputed for its doctrinal, didactic, and musical riches. Many Lutheran churches are active musically with choirs, hand-bell choirs, children's choirs, and sometimes carillon societies (to ring bells in a bell tower). Johann Sebastian Bach, a devout Lutheran, composed music for the Lutheran church.

Many Lutherans also preserve a liturgical approach to the Eucharist, considering Holy Communion (or the Lord's Supper) the central act of Christian worship. Lutherans believe that the bread and wine are actually Jesus' body and blood, not simply a symbol of His sacrifice. They confess in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession:

"...we do not abolish the Mass but religiously keep and defend it. Among us the Mass is celebrated every Lord's Day and on other festivals, when the Sacrament is made available to those who wish to partake of it, after they have been examined and absolved. We also keep traditional liturgical forms, such as the order of readings, prayers, vestments, and other similar things." (Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV.1)

In the 1970's, many Lutheran churches began holding "contemporary" worship services for the purpose of evangelical outreach. These services were in a variety of styles, depending on the preferences of the congregation. Often they were held alongside a traditional service, to cater to those who were not comfortable with the more liturgical forms. As the Lutheran church enters the 21st century, more Lutheran congregations are holding "Contemporary Worship" services as their sole form of worship. Outreach is no longer given as the primary motivation, rather this form of worship is seen as more in keeping with the desires of individual congregations. Because Luther contemporized the worship service for his community, these congregations see their position as in keeping with "Confessional Lutheranism". Principle examples of this in the ELCA include Family of God, Cape Coral FL., The Well, Charlotte NC, and Church of the Apostles, Seattle WA. Those who hold to traditional, more liturgical, styles of worship often view typical contemporary styles as straying from Luther's embrace of Christ-centered worship. Where traditional hymns frequently have God as the subject in the lyrics and rich theological subject material, contemporary hymns more often have I as the subject in the lyrics with very little theological content. They also believe that the Cross, the Word, and the Sacraments no longer serve as the focus in contemporary worship services.

Catechism, especially children's, is considered fundamental in most Lutheran churches. Almost all maintain Sunday Schools, and many host or maintain private nursery-schools, primary schools, regional high schools and universities.

Life-long catechesis, since Martin Luther's day, was intended for all ages so that the abuses of the Church of that day would not reoccur. Reference: prefaces to Luther's Large and Small Catechisms. With the emphasis on proper life-long catechesis, the Lutheran Church has a heritage rich in theology and doctrine.

Pastors usually teach in the common language of the parish. In the U.S., some congregations and synods traditionally taught in German, Finnish, or Norwegian, but this custom, which attracted unfavorable attention during World War I, has been in significant decline since the early/middle 20th century.

Pastors almost always have substantial theological educations, including Greek and Hebrew so that they can refer directly to the canonical Christian scriptures in the original language. Lutheran pastors may marry and have families.

Some groups of Lutherans do not believe that members of the church should also be members of Freemasonry. In a 1958 Lutheran Church report it states that, "Masonry is guilty of idolatry. Its worship and prayers are idol worship. The Masons may not with their hands have made an idol out of gold, silver, wood or stone, but they created one with their own mind and reason out of purely human thoughts and ideas. The latter is an idol no less than the former."^[5]

Lutheran Churches in the United States use a number of hymnals as well as electronic projection media. The most widely used are: Christian Worship (WELS), The Lutheran Book of Worship (ELCA and ELCIC), The Lutheran Hymnal (LCMS, WELS & CLC) and Lutheran Worship (LCMS). In 2006, The LCMS approved a new hymnal, Lutheran Service Book, which is now available. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has also approved a new hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, which became available in October 2006. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) has The Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary.

International bodies

The three largest international Lutheran bodies are the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), of which the ELCA and ELCIC are members; the International Lutheran Council (ILC), of which the LCMS and the LCC are members; and the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC), of which the WELS and ELS are members. The Lutheran World Federation supports the activities of Lutheran World Relief, a relief and development agency active in more than 50 countries.

These three communions together consist of about 200 church bodies in about 80 nations. Other members of these church bodies can be found listed in their respective articles.

Many Lutheran churches exist throughout the world which are not affiliated with the large LWF, ILC and CELC, such as those affiliated with Augsburg Lutheran Churches or Church of the Lutheran Confession which are especially active in Africa and India; and those affiliated with the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, which are especially active elsewhere in Asia.

Throughout the world

Lutheranism is present on all populated continents.

Print sources

ELCA Perspective: Braaten, Carl E., Principles of Lutheran Theology Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983.
LCMS Historical Perspective: Pieper, Franz. Christian Dogmatics. 3 Volumes. Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1950-1957.

Footnotes

^ MSN Encarta, s.v. "Lutheranism" by George Wolfgang Forell; Christian Cyclopedia, s.v. "Reformation, Lutheran" by Theore Hoyer.
^ Lutheran World Federation, "Slight Increase Pushes LWF Global Membership to 66.2 Million", The Lutheran World Federation, http://www.lutheranworld.org/ (accessed May 18, 2006).
^ "Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents," adherents.com http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity (accessed May 22, 2006).
^ Martin Luther, Small Catechism 4
^ Report of the Lutheran Church, The Northwestern Lutheran, page 281, August 31, 1988.

External links

Church Bodies

Other Links

[1] MSN Encarta, s.v. "Lutheranism" by George Wolfgang Forell; Christian Cyclopedia, s.v. "Reformation, Lutheran" by Theore Hoyer.

[2] Lutheran World Federation, "Slight Increase Pushes LWF Global Membership to 66.2 Million", The Lutheran World Federation, http://www.lutheranworld.org/ (accessed May 18, 2006).

[3] "Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents," adherents.com http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity (accessed May 22, 2006).

[4] Martin Luther, Small Catechism 4

[5] Report of the Lutheran Church, The Northwestern Lutheran, page 281, August 31, 1988.

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