WHAT IS A LUTHERAN?
Simply said, a Lutheran is a Christian. That is, Lutherans profess Jesus Christ as the Risen Lord. But Lutherans also have a nuanced theology, are confessional Christians, profess a prescribed doctrine, follow the Western pattern of worship, strike a healthy balance between law and gospel, lift up vocation, encourage citizens to demonstrate their faith active in love, and emphasize God's free gift of grace.
Super-Lutheran and University of Chicago scholar Martin Marty (2007) explains it this way:
"Every Lutheran congregation or church body in the world will tell you that their church and theology are first of all Christian in the inclusive sense of being responsive most of all to the sacred Scriptures focused in the gospel of Jesus Christ and in worship of the Holy Trinity. Lutherans first called themselves 'evangelical,' because they preached the 'evangel,' or 'gospel.' Many present-day 'evangelicals' and other Protestants join with Lutherans in professing creeds that identify them with the 'one, holy, catholic, and apostolic' church. Each large bloc or cluster of churches, such as the Anglican/Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist, and more, however, will insist on certain interpretations of the Bible and stress special aspects of the faith, and Lutherans are usually listed as being more specific about these than many bodies.
"As for Lutheran theology, Lutherans have sometimes encountered beliefs and accusations that they worshiped or at least overly revered Martin Luther. This has never been the case. Luther defined his theology as he went along, sometimes correcting himself and often letting apparently contradictory assertions stand unexplained. Until he died in 1546, he argued with fellow Wittenberg theologians and others who signed the Lutheran Confessions, which were written between 1530 and 1580. Lutherans who suffered under oppression in Catholic-dominated lands or under authoritarian rule came up with different theological accents than did those 'born free,' where freedom and prosperity abounded. Still, through it all, Lutheran theology involves some consistencies that separate it from Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and most other Protestantism. Their historic Confessions are designed less to say, 'This you must believe!' and more to indicate, 'This is what we believe, this is who we are, this is your key to understanding us.'
"The main Lutheran accents involve attempts to be faithful to the Scriptures, accepting their full authority and drawing from them the central theme that God is a God of judgment and mercy who relates to humans through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that nothing in that relation is more important than 'faith' and grace.' Everything else flows from these themes. Lutheran theology is the interpretation of reality in the light of these commitments."
Marty, Martin. Lutheran Questions, Lutheran Answers: Exploring Christian Faith. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 2007.
Super-Lutheran and University of Chicago scholar Martin Marty (2007) explains it this way:
"Every Lutheran congregation or church body in the world will tell you that their church and theology are first of all Christian in the inclusive sense of being responsive most of all to the sacred Scriptures focused in the gospel of Jesus Christ and in worship of the Holy Trinity. Lutherans first called themselves 'evangelical,' because they preached the 'evangel,' or 'gospel.' Many present-day 'evangelicals' and other Protestants join with Lutherans in professing creeds that identify them with the 'one, holy, catholic, and apostolic' church. Each large bloc or cluster of churches, such as the Anglican/Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist, and more, however, will insist on certain interpretations of the Bible and stress special aspects of the faith, and Lutherans are usually listed as being more specific about these than many bodies.
"As for Lutheran theology, Lutherans have sometimes encountered beliefs and accusations that they worshiped or at least overly revered Martin Luther. This has never been the case. Luther defined his theology as he went along, sometimes correcting himself and often letting apparently contradictory assertions stand unexplained. Until he died in 1546, he argued with fellow Wittenberg theologians and others who signed the Lutheran Confessions, which were written between 1530 and 1580. Lutherans who suffered under oppression in Catholic-dominated lands or under authoritarian rule came up with different theological accents than did those 'born free,' where freedom and prosperity abounded. Still, through it all, Lutheran theology involves some consistencies that separate it from Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and most other Protestantism. Their historic Confessions are designed less to say, 'This you must believe!' and more to indicate, 'This is what we believe, this is who we are, this is your key to understanding us.'
"The main Lutheran accents involve attempts to be faithful to the Scriptures, accepting their full authority and drawing from them the central theme that God is a God of judgment and mercy who relates to humans through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that nothing in that relation is more important than 'faith' and grace.' Everything else flows from these themes. Lutheran theology is the interpretation of reality in the light of these commitments."
Marty, Martin. Lutheran Questions, Lutheran Answers: Exploring Christian Faith. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 2007.