Who
Are Lutherans?
Lutherans Are
Sinners
. . . but
they are forgiven. Lutherans may identify themselves as students or
senators, Texans or Tanzanians, children or senior citizens. But when
they consider their religious beliefs, they will confess what you would
soon find out: they fall short of God's expectations.
They will go
on to tell that this same God, a loving God, forgives them. They believe
that it is God acting for and in them, and not their own acts, that
brings forgiveness. Lutherans call this "justification by grace through
faith." As a result they are new people who are not haunted by guilt or
bothered by worry. They trust God who comes to them in the person and
work of Jesus Christ.
Lutherans Are
Evangelical
. . . and as
forgiven people reach out to share the message of God's grace.
Evangelical refers to the good news, or gospel, of Jesus Christ. As
sinners Lutherans sometimes get caught up in themselves as much as
everyone else does. But they try to look beyond themselves to bring the
gospel to community life with people of other faiths and those of no
faith. They welcome others to worship and work with them.
Lutherans Are
Born Again Christians
. . . with
their own understanding of what it means to be "born again." Lutherans,
like other catholic Christians, baptize infants, believing that God
works grace in them. In fact, they believe that every day and in every
act of serious return to God they are returning to their baptism. They
come forth as new people, which means that they are born again--and
again and again.
Lutherans Are
Worshipers
. . . who
think of worship not as a pastor's performance but as the people's
service. They are sacramental. Along with Baptism they celebrate the
Eucharist (or Lord's Supper or Holy Communion) frequently, in many
churches weekly. They believe that Jesus Christ is truly present when
they gather in faith for this sacred meal.
Theirs is a
singing church, and Lutherans have contributed and still contribute much
to Christian music. These songs are not always on the Christian Hit
Parade, but it does not take long to learn them and to appreciate the
way they focus thoughts on a gracious God. Lutheran worship includes
song and prayer from many Christian traditions.
Lutherans
place special emphasis on the word of God. Lutheran worship stresses
preaching in the form of a sermon that addresses the needs of sinners
and announces the loving activity of God. God is present when humans
speak the divine word, so Lutherans gather to hear it together.
They believe
God speaks to people through the Scriptures, and so Lutherans revere
personal Bible reading in addition to personal prayer. They are serious
about their devotion to God but do not prescribe special postures or
mannerisms.
Lutherans Are
Stewards
. . . which
means they believe that all of life and health, all possessions and
capabilities are, in a sense, on loan from God the Creator. So they keep
on learning--never rapidly enough, or profoundly enough--how to return
on God's investment in them.
Lutherans
Want to Make a Difference
. . . as
people who do well when God works through them. Lutherans take the
divine law with utter seriousness, but they are not legalists. They do
not think they can please God by following laws nor can they come to
perfection. Remember, the first thing to be said about them is that they
are sinners who are forgiven. But they believe that they are to make
faith active in love. Where there is no love, no generosity, no service
to others, they suspect that faith is weak or absent.
Through
organized groups and individual action Lutherans are part of public
life. They want to work for justice, as biblical prophets and New
Testament believers did.
Lutherans
also participate in works of mercy and healing, as the name "Lutheran"
on so many hospitals, social service agencies, and relief projects makes
clear. These efforts involve non-Lutheran partners.
Lutherans Are
Churchly
. . . and
learning to be more so. This means they are ecumenical--they want the
church to be as united as Christ prayed it would be. Yet they confess
their faith through creeds and statements designed to set forth
distinctive Lutheran understanding about a gracious God. As sinners,
they do not think of themselves as better than others. As confessors,
they do believe all Christians should speak clearly of their
understandings of faith.
Lutherans Are
Protestants
. . . who are
also catholic. As Protestants, they continue the reformation begun in
European churches in the 15th century. Being catholic they believe that
Christ's church is universal, and that they are connected with Roman
Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and other Christians who stress
their ties to Christ's church everywhere and through the ages.
Lutheran
Protestants would not have chosen the name Lutheran; it was acquired
accidentally, often from early enemies. The name refers to Martin
Luther, a German monk and an Old Testament professor, who came to
renewed understanding of the good news almost 500 years ago. Lutherans
do not worship Martin Luther, but they do celebrate what God worked
through him. Luther's writings called for church reform and led to
protests--now known as the Protestant Reformation. His statement on
justification by grace through faith, for example, remains a central,
distinct characteristic of Lutheran understanding today.
Lutherans
Come From Somewhere
. . . and
would like to be everywhere. Lutherans originated as people who were
involved with church reform in Scandinavia and Germany. They moved from
northern Europe first and chiefly to northern North America, which
seemed to be a second natural habitat. However, they believe that their
message of a God who forgives sinners is for everyone, so Lutherans have
moved south from Europe and northern America into all the world.
Most
Lutherans believe that the Christian good news knows no racial, ethnic,
economic, national, or gender-related boundaries. The Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America is organized to give emphasis to its desire
that men and women, white and black, Hispanic and Asian and others,
share equally in the benefits and tasks that go with Christian life.
Lutherans Are
Congregational
. . . but do
not limit their activities to local or regional arenas. Most of the time
their neighbors know Lutherans through the local churches which bear
their names. And Lutherans put most of their energies into these local
congregations. There they baptize, commune, speak the word of God, reach
out with acts of love, become friends, receive challenges, pray for
others, and test their responsibilities.
Lutheran
congregations are connected by synods and by church bodies like the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which has over five million
members. They pool resources so that together these congregations can
better reach out to people in need everywhere.
Together they
educate leaders. Lutherans stress learned ministries and cherish skilled
professional workers. For this they need jointly supported seminaries
and colleges. But their stress on leadership, made possible by the
larger church, does not make Lutheranism a priestly movement. Lay
Christians as well as ordained ministers make up what Martin Luther
called "a priesthood of all believers." All are ministers. Lay people,
in teamwork with pastors, take initiatives to help see that Christ is
represented among them and in their communities.
Lutherans Are
Unfinished Products
. . . though
their forgiveness is complete. Aware of human weakness, imperfection,
and mixed-up priorities, Lutherans are hopeful people. They respond to
God's love by reaching out to others to tell and to demonstrate the good
news of Jesus Christ. They believe that with God, anything is possible.
They invite others who are not now active in Christian communions to
join them in the challenges which a trouble-filled world presents, and
to rejoice with them in the promises with which a loving God greets
them.
Who are Lutherans?
by Martin E. Marty copyright (c) 1989 Augsburg Fortress. All rights
reserved. Posted on this website by permission of Augsburg Fortress.
www.augsburgfortress.org
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