Oh acronym overload! Help! Help this Baptist!

[Atlantians]

I'm a Baptist... I am sorry.;)

But what do all these denominational acronyms meen?!

LCMS? WELS? ELS? LCC? ELCA? ELCIC?

:eek:

Help a Poor Baptist!:sigh:

[BigNorsk]

You forgot mine, the CLBA, Church of the Lutheran Brethren in America.

But I forgive you.

Here's (http://www.lutherancentral.com/abbreviations/) a link that gives you all of them.

Marv

[Atlantians]

You forgot mine, the CLBA, Church of the Lutheran Brethren in America.

But I forgive you.

Here's (http://www.lutherancentral.com/abbreviations/) a link that gives you all of them.

Marv
That wasn't listed in these forums...;)
But I accept your forgiveness.

[LutherNut]

That wasn't listed in these forums...;)
But I accept your forgiveness.

Hey, I dig the "Star-of-David Trek" scenario! :thumbsup:

[SPALATIN]

You forgot mine, the CLBA, Church of the Lutheran Brethren in America.

But I forgive you.

Here's (http://www.lutherancentral.com/abbreviations/) a link that gives you all of them.

Marv

Hey Marv,

Is that the one that has it's headquarters in Fergus Falls, MN?

[C.F.W. Walther]

I'm a Baptist... I am sorry.;)

But what do all these denominational acronyms meen?!

LCMS? WELS? ELS? LCC? ELCA? ELCIC?

:eek:

Help a Poor Baptist!:sigh:

Allmost reminds me of the skit by Robin Williams in "Good Morning Vietnam"




:scratch:

[BigNorsk]

Hey Marv,

Is that the one that has it's headquarters in Fergus Falls, MN?

I don't think headquarters is necessarily the correct term, but the seminary, the grade and high school, and the synod offices are indeed in Fergus Falls.

Marv

[Atlantians]

Hey, I dig the "Star-of-David Trek" scenario! :thumbsup:
;)
Thanks.^_^

[SPALATIN]

I don't think headquarters is necessarily the correct term, but the seminary, the grade and high school, and the synod offices are indeed in Fergus Falls.

Marv

I have someone in my Greek class who converted to Missourian Lutheranism ;) and he seems to think that the Lutheran Bretheren are having a bit of a identity problem. Some seem to lean to an ELCA understanding of Scripture and some seem to be more confessional and conservative. Do you find this to be true in your particular congregation?

[KagomeShuko]

I'm a Baptist... I am sorry.;)

But what do all these denominational acronyms meen?!

LCMS? WELS? ELS? LCC? ELCA? ELCIC?

:eek:

Help a Poor Baptist!:sigh:

I see you've been provided with a link. I could confuse you even more with all the acronyms we use for our hymnals, but I'll be nice and not do that. Nor will I tell you things like "the green book." (Well, I just did, but it has no importance to your understanding).

Stein Auf!
Bridget

[Atlantians]

I see you've been provided with a link. I could confuse you even more with all the acronyms we use for our hymnals, but I'll be nice and not do that. Nor will I tell you things like "the green book." (Well, I just did, but it has no importance to your understanding).

Stein Auf!
Bridget
I am unsure whether to be insulted or thankful.^_^
What is with Lutherans and Acronyms?:confused:
;)

[SPALATIN]

I am unsure whether to be insulted or thankful.^_^
What is with Lutherans and Acronyms?:confused:
;)

We just hate writing all the words out when we use them multiple times a day so we use acronyms to communicate. Some day we hope to become a totally abbreviated denomination. :wave:

[BigNorsk]

I have someone in my Greek class who converted to Missourian Lutheranism ;) and he seems to think that the Lutheran Bretheren are having a bit of a identity problem. Some seem to lean to an ELCA understanding of Scripture and some seem to be more confessional and conservative. Do you find this to be true in your particular congregation?

Well I wouldn't say that in general. After all, we use the same style of interpretation as the Missouri Synod and even the same books.

That said, we aren't a monolith. We are more strongly congregational than the LCMS or the WELS, the synod is for cooperation. There isn't anyone who goes out and negotiates agreements because noone really has the authority to do so.

You find a lot of people from backgrounds that aren't Lutheran in the Lutheran Brethren and frankly there are some people that would be considered totally mainstream evangelical, not really Lutheran in their theology. If he was a member where the understanding leaned towards ELCA, it was probably because it was full of people who had left the ELCA over one of their disagreements.

I've been around long enough to see how that is taken care of, but it takes time. If a congregation is drifting or even a minister, things kind of work to get them where they should be or get the fellow there they need. Get a minister with a few problems in with the right group of elders and things are usually fixed pretty fast. It's a relatively small group and people know each other and there just doesn't seem to be the open battles and such that are such that go on in other places. It all seems a lot more low key.

I would call my elders conservative but not confessional, I think the minister and I are the only ones with a Book of Concord. You have to realize there was literally no confessional lutherans in the old country when people came here. And when they got here, the confessionals were Germans and they had service in a language the Norwegians couldn't understand. Beyond that, if the confessionals knew you were a Norwegian with a pietistic background they had you on the avoidance list right below the Pope. Now the theology would be pretty close today actually, but they wouldn't check themselves against the Confessions.

Is there an identity crises, in a way I think there probably is. As we attempt to evangelize the world we find that one of the biggest problems getting people to consider us is the name Lutheran Brethren, and it doesn't ususally seem to be the Brethren that is the problem. Lutheranism has quite an image among a lot of people and its not good. Usually we find we first have to explain away the ELCA and then the LCMS and by then people just kind of have a confused look on their face because we are pretty much an unknown. I hope we don't have to get rid of the name in order to carry out God's work, but if that's what it takes, that's what it takes. We aren't quite ready for that yet though.

We don't seem to get many ministers coming this way from the LCMS. Someone seems to spend a lot of time teaching what the Lutheran Brethren once was, and the ones that aren't scared off by that just can't seem to imagine life without their robes and altars and candles.

If you want to check the theology, read the statement of faith. http://www.clba.org/doctrine.phtml

The commentary on the statement of faith is at: http://www.lbs.edu/sofcommentary.phtml (http://www.lbs.edu/sofcommentary.phtml)

Marv

[C.F.W. Walther]

not really Lutheran in their theology
I would think that would change drasticaly after the join the brethren..........right?


Lutheranism has quite an image among a lot of people and its not good.

Really? Like what?

[and the ones that aren't scared off by that just can't seem to imagine life without their robes and altars and candles.
Which means what? You don't have any vestmants and accoutraments?

[BigNorsk]

I would think that would change drasticaly after the join the brethren..........right?




Really? Like what?


Which means what? You don't have any vestmants and accoutraments?

One would hope, but there would indeed be differences among congregations, we are after all congregational, not episcopalian while telling people we are congregational. And that is in reference to the synod level, local congregations are a modified presbyterian form of government. Not every congregation is a cookie cutter image of the others. No way to enforce that.

Most people seem to think Lutheran=Catholic, Lutheran=Liberal, or Lutheran=Legalist. And maybe it's not fair to say most people, but better, most unchurched people.

Pretty sparse. We have a simple cross at the front, a central pulpit, and usually some flowers on the organ and piano, and a baptistery. Church founders didn't see any need to make it look like a 1600's German Roman Catholic church. Of course if we were going to build traditional churches they would have been stavekirke, but since those started out as pagan temples that somehow just didn't seem like the thing to do, though they have a nice one in the park in Minot.

Some congregations have more fixtures and such. It's not a matter of importance, most are pretty simple.

Marv

[Jim47]

BigNorsk
Most people seem to think Lutheran=Catholic, Lutheran=Liberal, or Lutheran=Legalist. And maybe it's not fair to say most people, but better, most unchurched people.


Marv




I've heard Catholic and Legalistic but never liberal, although I know a lot of people look at us as unrepentant sinners and back sliders. :prayer:

What I have also found out is that few can stand up to Lutherans when debating theology. The others all have their "feel good faith" rap down pat but are more often lacking in a complete understanding and knowledge of scripture. Maybe thats just my opinion however??? :eek:

I have a good friend from another foum who is Baptist, and he knows scripture like no ones business, but he still will not enter into a debate or discussion with me. He will offer his scripture (always KJV), but seldom an argument. I have a lot of respect for him. He reminds me a little of our Bill listed as one of the supervisors above. A first class guy! :thumbsup:

[C.F.W. Walther]

Lutheran=Legalist

I've been aquainted with a few leagalists. Mostly from the reformed side of town. Charismatics, A&G, non-denoms etc. and that to me is the best example of OT rabinical law advocates.

Everything in the OT/NT that is considered law is followed to the "T". I don't see that in Lutheranism as a matter of fact I see just the opposite. Saving grace throught the gospel and no conviction from the law. Or maybe I'm understanding you wrong.

[BigNorsk]

You have to understand, many unchurched people see all Christians as Legalists, maybe they got it from tv, maybe from that period of time they actually spent in a church before fleeing to a life of sleeping in on Sundays, I don't know.

Marv

[KagomeShuko]

We just hate writing all the words out when we use them multiple times a day so we use acronyms to communicate. Some day we hope to become a totally abbreviated denomination. :wave:

That would make our services REALLY short. . .and cryptic. . .and just. . .odd? crazy? fun? I don't know if there is an adjective for that.

Stein Auf!
Bridget

[KEPLER]

We just hate writing all the words out when we use them multiple times a day so we use acronyms to communicate. Some day we hope to become a totally abbreviated denomination. :wave:

A? WDYMBT? AYISAVCP?

[ByzantineDixie]

We just hate writing all the words out when we use them multiple times a day so we use acronyms to communicate. Some day we hope to become a totally abbreviated denomination. :wave:

Send a man back to school and the mid-life haze begins to clear from his mind. Your mind must be getting a good workout. This was both wonderfully clever and funny!

[BigNorsk]

Let's see now

Martin Luther=M
Lutheran=L
Father, Son and Holy Spirit=FSS
Theology of the Cross=TC
Clear Scripture and Reason=CSR
All other denominations=JDGI (Just Don't Get It)
Nonchristian=BBQ (self explanatory)


Marv