Lutheranism

When Martin Luther (1483-1546) led the charge away from the Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation (See Christianity, Development of), he was not interested in practical reform as much as doctrinal reform. He was appalled at the corruption in the Church, but that was not his main criticism. He was convinced that correct action could only follow correct belief. But within that correct belief, he recognized that there was room for disagreement.

Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560), for instance, was a close friend of quite a different temperament who argued many of the same doctrinal points as Luther but was quiet enough not to be confrontational to the point of divisiveness. Luther considered his task in life to "remove the great boulders and cut down the trees," letting the more patient Melanchthon come behind to "plow and sow."

So after Luther's death, it was Melanchthon who carried out the interpretation of Lutheran theological thought. His systematic theology, commonly called Loci Theologici, became the standard "Lutheran" textbook of the times.

That caused problems, of course. This was, after all, a time of upheaval and religious argument. There were those who thought "Master Philipp," as Luther used to call him, had wandered from the path and was too close to the humanistic reform of Erasmus. Luther had rejected what he called "dirty reason." The Bible says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 16:25). Luther believed scripture had to come first, even if it seemed unreasonable. The big proving ground, as far as he was concerned, was in the answer to the question "How are we saved?" Luther was convinced we are saved from sin and accepted into heaven solely on the grounds of God's grace. There was simply no room for good works or "earning" salvation by being a good person. The book of James seemed to disagree, or at least to soften this position, but Luther believed James held a nebulous place in scripture, calling it "a right straw-ey epistle," or "an epistle of straw."

Some believed Melanchthon retreated too far from this position. Because there were other points of conflict as well, one of them concerning Christ's presence at the Communion (See Eucharist), in true Church tradition, a conference was held. This led to the Formula of Concord in 1577. The theological pattern following this declaration led to what is now known as Protestant scholasticism, a technical term that boils down to one point. Lutheran scholars believe Luther "got it right" and filter all doctrine through his lens. This position is summarized in the Book of Concord, a compilation of defining creeds, catechisms, and articles.

This triumph of doctrinal correctness has led to a lot of storyteller Garrison Keillor's "Lutheran jokes" on the Prairie Home Companion radio show, but it is an important component in understanding why Lutherans hold their denominational ties so dearly.

Lutheran church government, or "polity," tends to follow the original Roman Catholic organizational principle of the synod. This is a church deliberative body, originally a group of clergy, that decides policy and applies general canon law to particular situations. Presbyterian as well as Lutheran churches still follow this practice, as opposed to "congregational" church systems that emphasize local church autonomy (See Congregationalism). The synod has the authority to speak for the church. It is still common to hear Lutherans, before pronouncing judgment, exclaim, "What does synod say?"

On the other hand, church polity can lead to communication problems. In the 1990s, an extensive "pulpit and altar exchange" between Lutherans and members of the United Church of Christ, which practices congregational polity, almost broke down because some Lutherans couldn't quite figure out who spoke for the churches they were dealing with and wondered whether they had to each individual church.

To complicate matters, Lutherans do not comprise a single body. Within Lutheranism are various synods that operate independently of each other and differ on certain doctrinal points. Most Lutherans belong to one of two Lutheran denominations. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the sixth largest Christian denomination in the United States, and the conservative Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod is the tenth largest.

Despite the divisions, there is a traditional position that unites worshipers and makes them distinctly Lutheran. It is best summed up by a phrase coming right out of the Reformation: sola gratia (only grace), sola fide (only faith), and sola scriptura (only scripture). This is what traditional Lutheranism is all about. Only God's grace, experienced through faith and understood through the scriptures, can save humans from sin. Good works are a proof of salvation, not the means by which it occurs. The two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper, are defined and practiced not as simple memorial rituals but as unique means of grace through which God regenerates fallen humanity.

Lutherans, then, historically differentiate between law and Gospel. The law reveals God's wrath-"This is what you should be like. You have been tried in the balance and found wanting!" The Gospel reveals God's love-"But I love you anyway!" The Old Testament gave the law. The New Testament reveals God's love.

For Lutherans this is the central theological teaching and the essence of Christianity. All the rest comes later. Of course, there are other forces holding Lutherans together. Germany was the place Lutheranism began-its fatherland. When Germans and Scandinavians immigrated to America, it was only natural they would bring their faith with them. Worship services were conducted in their own language. It felt like home. This is the sense Garrison Keillor remembers in his Lake Wobegon material. He is not so much poking fun at Norwegian Lutherans in Minnesota as fondly remembering something meaningful. There is a shared tradition, an important tradition. It was the religion of both Johann Sebastian Bach and the everyman Midwestern farmer. It gave birth to the magnificent hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" as well as the rollicking "Good Christian Men Rejoice." It is carried out in great cathedrals and little prairie meeting houses.

Sources: Douglas, J. D., ed. The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1974. Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. 2 vols. New York: Harper & Row, 1985.