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. Learn more about the History of
the ELCA.
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.
