| Lutherans are Christians
who accept the teachings of Martin Luther (1483 – 1546). Luther was a
German theologian who realized that there were significant differences
between what he read in the Bible and the practices of the Roman
Catholic church at that time. On October 31, 1517, he posted a
challenge on the door of Wittenberg University, titled “95 Theses” (to
debate 95 theological issues). His hope was that the church would
reform its practice and preaching to be more consistent with the Word
of God as contained in the Bible.
What started as an academic debate escalated into a distinct
separation between the Roman Catholic church of the time and those who
accepted Luther’s suggested reforms. "Lutheran" became the name of the
group that agreed with Luther’s convictions.
Today, nearly five centuries later, Lutherans still celebrate the
Reformation on October 31 and still hold to the basic principles of
Luther’s theological teachings, such as Grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone. These comprise the very essence of Lutheranism:
- We are saved by the grace of God alone -- not by anything we do;
- Our salvation is through faith alone -- we only need to trust God made known in Christ who promises us forgiveness, life and salvation; and
- The Bible is the norm for faith and life -- the true standard by which teachings and doctrines are to be judged.
Over the years, different Lutheran church bodies have been
established and organized to meet the needs of Lutherans in communities
and nations all over the world. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America is the largest Lutheran group in North America, founded in 1988
when three North American Lutheran church bodies united: The American
Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and
the Lutheran Church in America.
Lutherans are part of a reforming movement within the whole
Christian church; as a part of practicing their faith, the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America and its predecessors have engaged in
ecumenical dialogue with other church bodies for decades. In fact, the
ELCA has entered into cooperative "full communion" agreements (sharing
common convictions about theology, mission and worship) with several
other Protestant denominations, including
- the Moravian Church
- The Episcopal Church
- the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
- the Reformed Church in America
- the United Church of Christ
The ELCA has an ongoing dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church, and
in 1999, representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman
Catholic Church signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification. This represented a historic consensus on key issues of
faith and called for further dialogue and study together.
To learn more about these ecumenical relationships, visit Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations.
Lutheranism is a faith tradition that is open to all, regardless of
background. The ELCA alone is almost five million members strong, with
nearly 10,500 congregations across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands. We welcome you to learn more about our church and find out how we can help you along life’s path.
[from the ELCA Website]
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