Lutheranism

Lutherans are a sometimes neglected group of evangelicals, since they lie somewhere in between Arminianism and Calvinism in their view of divine sovereignty, and embrace neither dispensationalism nor covenant theology in their understanding how the Old and New Testaments relate to one another. Their liturgical worship and their understanding of baptism and the Lord's Supper bear some resemblance to Catholic practice, but their doctrine of salvation is emphatically Protestant. Ultimately, Lutheranism is best understood on its own terms rather than by comparison to other systems.

True Lutherans confess the true faith of the Holy catholic (universal) and apostolic church that has always existed whether it was called Israel or Christian (first at Antioch).

These roots mean that Lutherans are Liturgical. They follow an orderly and ancient pattern in our worship. With our hymns, Scripture readings, sermons, and the Lord's Supper, we also sing songs and chants from the worship of the Old and New Testament churches. On any Sunday, literally millions of Lutherans around the world may, in their own languages, be singing and praying the very same thing. It binds together a wide spread church. The liturgy is not meant to be stiff and stuffy, but it is formal. It speaks of the mystery and the majesty of God. In this area, they most resemble the Roman Catholic, Anglican-Episcopal, and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Lutheranism was all about reforming the Roman Catholic church. Luther and the reformers wanted to correct what they thought was incorrect doctrine but preserve everything else.

Calvinism and the other reformers seemed to want to get rid of everything catholic, whether it was good or not. Luther abhorred this.

My issue I might have to deal with is liturgy. The ELCA is a liturgical church.

I was hardly involved in churches that practices liturgy. The Greek word for "ministers" is leitourgos, from which we get the word "liturgy." It speaks of religious service to God. Paul chose the word that referred to a ministry specifically to God. In Hosea 6:6 the Lord says, “I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” To me, we should not imagine that worship consists of acts of religious ritual—like sacrifices, burnt offerings, and other ceremonies. Instead, we need to realize that real worship is grounded in the true knowledge of God. To put it another way, sound doctrine, not liturgy and ritual, is the litmus test of whether our worship is acceptable. A liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship. Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used (whether recommended or prescribed) by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis.



Paul as a Pharisee knew that much of their service was merely routine and liturgy--physical, superficial, and temporal. The English word liturgy comes from it. It basically means, "to serve in a priestly manner, to serve in terms of worship."