What is Lutheranism?

[Aduro Amnis]

I'm only going to ask three main questions :)
1) How does Lutheranism different from Anglicianism?
2) How does Lutheranism different from Catholicism?
3) How does Lutheranism different from Pentocstalism?

And why do I love you all so much :)?

[KagomeShuko]

If I'm wrong here, anybody please do correct me - or add information (I'm a bit tired, so I hope I don't get things mixed up.

1) How does Lutheranism different from Anglicianism?
We do not have the belief of "apostolic succession" that the pastors are always somehow decended from a line of pastors from Paul.

2) How does Lutheranism different from Catholicism?We have only two sacraments while the Catholics have seven. Our two are Holy Communion (the Eucharist) and baptism. We do have confirmation, but it is a rite and not a sacrament. We believe in the real presence of Christ, in, under, and around the bread and wine - not transsubstantiaion.

3) How does Lutheranism different from Pentocstalism?We definitel aren't as strict about what women can and can't wear. This is one area I've not really studied much. In the ELCA, women can serve as pastors.

And why do I love you all so much :)?Because we like to have fun? Because we're willing to actually discuss our beliefs? Because we don't mind debate if it's not putting others down? Because we don't mind admitting when we're wrong? Those are all just maybes. I don't know why you love us so much. I think you have to answer that question!

Stein Auf!
Bridget

[SPALATIN]

If I'm wrong here, anybody please do correct me - or add information (I'm a bit tired, so I hope I don't get things mixed up.

We do not have the belief of "apostolic succession" that the pastors are always somehow decended from a line of pastors from Paul.

We have only two sacraments while the Catholics have seven. Our two are Holy Communion (the Eucharist) and baptism. We do have confirmation, but it is a rite and not a sacrament. We believe in the real presence of Christ, in, under, and around the bread and wine - not transsubstantiaion.

We definitel aren't as strict about what women can and can't wear. This is one area I've not really studied much. In the ELCA, women can serve as pastors.

Because we like to have fun? Because we're willing to actually discuss our beliefs? Because we don't mind debate if it's not putting others down? Because we don't mind admitting when we're wrong? Those are all just maybes. I don't know why you love us so much. I think you have to answer that question!

Stein Auf!
Bridget
Pretty good answers Bridget.

I would add to the answer on the Pentecostal question that we don't believe that one has to have the "Gift of Tongues" as a sign that they have salvation and that we believe that some of the Spiritual Gifts are not present in today's world such as tongues and prophecy. And finally the reason she loves all of us is that Christ has made her a new creation, the old has passed away behold the new has come.

[BBAS 64]

Good Day,

And why do I love you all so much :)?

Because they are all so loveable, and lovely.:hug:

Bill

[ByzantineDixie]

...and that we believe that some of the Spiritual Gifts are not present in today's world such as tongues and prophecy.
I would qualify this and say "some" Lutherans believe that "some" of the Spiritual Gifts have ceased, however, I do not believe that there is a confessional position that requires this? :)

Peace

Rose

[LuxPerpetua]

The others have done a good job at answering these questions, so I'm just going to post an LCMS FAQ link that addresses (generally) the Lutheran difference: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2135


And why do I love you all so much :)?

Because Christ first loved you. I think that is the proper Lutheran response. Off the record, though, my own opinion is that it's because we naturally smell nice. I know that's it. ;)

[Phoebe]

We baptize our babies. Pentacostals do not.

The ELCA does still have Apostolic Succession, through the Anglican church, I believe...

We differ from Catholics in that works are not necessary for salvation. (Faith is)

Anglicans and Catholics have priests, we have pastors.



I'll let someone else elaborate on the Office of the Keys.

[KagomeShuko]

We baptize our babies. Pentacostals do not.

The ELCA does still have Apostolic Succession, through the Anglican church, I believe...

We differ from Catholics in that works are not necessary for salvation. (Faith is)

Anglicans and Catholics have priests, we have pastors.



I'll let someone else elaborate on the Office of the Keys.
Being ELCA, I don't think we haev apostolic succession like the Anglican church, but that we somehow have ministry through those that were called by the Apostolic Succession. . we had somebody come talk to us once about this and I remember that being one of the differences. I may be wrong, but I seem to remember this. I'll have to look later. For now, I have to get to work.

Stein Auf!
Bridget

[SPALATIN]

Being ELCA, I don't think we haev apostolic succession like the Anglican church, but that we somehow have ministry through those that were called by the Apostolic Succession. . we had somebody come talk to us once about this and I remember that being one of the differences. I may be wrong, but I seem to remember this. I'll have to look later. For now, I have to get to work.

Stein Auf!
Bridget
If you were to put the ELCA alone that would be true. They did not have apostolic succession until they sought out and gained mutual agreement w/ ECUSA and were told they had to submit to the Historic Episcopate which is Apostolic succession.

[sculpturegirl]

Yikes!! Membership is down in the ELCA these days. Either people in general are disinterested in church or many conservative ELCA members are fleeing to the LCMS. I still go to the ELCA, but I know the address of the local LCMS. It is amazing how out east there are very few LCMS churches. There are 2 ELCAs within walking distance from my house and the closest LCMS is a 15 minute drive away.

[KagomeShuko]

Yikes!! Membership is down in the ELCA these days. Either people in general are disinterested in church or many conservative ELCA members are fleeing to the LCMS. I still go to the ELCA, but I know the address of the local LCMS. It is amazing how out east there are very few LCMS churches. There are 2 ELCAs within walking distance from my house and the closest LCMS is a 15 minute drive away.
I attend the only ELCA church in Calcasieu Parish (a parish is like a county in other states). I know where one of the MS churches is located, since I pass it all the time when I go to a friend's house and it's HUGE. I just learned we've got another, which I didn't know. Then, there's an MS in a city called Sulphur which is near Lake Charles.

It's very sad that people around my age do not attend church - nor do we have any youth.

Stein Auf!
Bridget

[sculpturegirl]

Bridget-

I noticed that, too, at my church. There were the elderly and young families. It seems like people have a child and think that they must start going to church for the child's sake! He he he... the pastor introduced me to a charming fellow there, who is probably the only other single there! We have fallen madly in love!! There are a lot of young people at the church now, but I wonder if they would be there without the parents.

It just warms my heart to hear how enthusiastic you are about serving in the church! I must admit that I am often amazed at how young you are. People our age seem more interested in partying and dating than being in church. God bless you!!

Peace with you,
Sarah

[KagomeShuko]

Bridget-

I noticed that, too, at my church. There were the elderly and young families. It seems like people have a child and think that they must start going to church for the child's sake! He he he... the pastor introduced me to a charming fellow there, who is probably the only other single there! We have fallen madly in love!! There are a lot of young people at the church now, but I wonder if they would be there without the parents.

It just warms my heart to hear how enthusiastic you are about serving in the church! I must admit that I am often amazed at how young you are. People our age seem more interested in partying and dating than being in church. God bless you!!

Peace with you,
Sarah
Any guys around my age in at my church are already married or are not really interested in being in church. There's one guy who is about a year younger, got married, and his wife just had a baby. The guy my age hasn't come to church in a long while, except to eat. Then, there's nobody really around my age that's older than me.

I don't know about the MS Lutherans. I don't know the people there, but there can't be that many. It's just that the wealthy families go to that church, so their snobs in that sense - not the MS, just that they're wealthy and in that neighborhood. The other MS church here from it's address must be in the "bad" part of town.

I could never stand partying and my faith's very important to me. Even was when I lost my way a bit. I still wouldn't give up going to church and serving.

Stein Auf!
Bridget

[PurpleBunny]

I noticed that, too, at my church. There were the elderly and young families. It seems like people have a child and think that they must start going to church for the child's sake!
Praise the Lord that they do... my parents decided to get me "done" (ie, baptized), "just in case" and picked a Lutheran church 'cause my dad was raised Lutheran, and then they didn't want to seem like they were just going to church to get me "done" (that's how they thought of it) so my mom started attending Adult Confirmation, and the long & short of it is, my mom was baptized a few days before I was!

[night2day]

I'm only going to ask three main questions :)
1) How does Lutheranism different from Anglicianism?
2) How does Lutheranism different from Catholicism?
3) How does Lutheranism different from Pentocstalism?


Would have to consider there is not one type of Lutheran denomination, but several. (And, unfortunately, some of the churches within a denomination fail to stay with the official teachings of their church which, I feel, only leads to confusion as to what that denomination actually teaches.)

For example, there are major differences between the official teachings of ELCA and the LCMS churches within the U.S.A. The Lutheran World Federation (ELCA being a member, while the LCMS and WELS are not) signed a document along with the Roman Catholic Church which stated there was no longer a difference between the teachings of the Doctrine of Justification between themselves and Lutherans. It was called The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.

Meanwhile, the LCMS and ELCA officially hold chief differences remain between how Lutheran doctrine views Justification and how Catholics view Justification. That the JDDJ, while using the terms such as Justification, Sanctification (which Lutherans view as two separate things), grace, and so forth...doesn't specify Lutherans and Catholics hold different terminology.

ELCA response:
www.thelutheran.org/9808/page38.html

LCMS response:
www.ctsfw.edu/ctq/joint.htm

As for the Angelical and Pentecostal churches and how they differ from Lutherans...here are the official websites of main Lutheran church bodies in the U.S.A. if that would help.

www.elca.org
www.lcms.org
www.wels.og

[sculpturegirl]

Praise the Lord that they do... my parents decided to get me "done" (ie, baptized), "just in case" and picked a Lutheran church 'cause my dad was raised Lutheran, and then they didn't want to seem like they were just going to church to get me "done" (that's how they thought of it) so my mom started attending Adult Confirmation, and the long & short of it is, my mom was baptized a few days before I was!
Praise the Lord!:amen: That is so wonderful that your mom was baptized, too. I am thankful for all of those who are in church with me, though I would like to have some "church friends," too. Certainly I need to make more efforts. I can be friends with moms, too!! Many of the women with small children are probably close to my age. I have a lot of friends of all ages, but I treasure my girlfriends who are of the same age.

[Breetai]

Praise the Lord that they do... my parents decided to get me "done" (ie, baptized), "just in case" and picked a Lutheran church 'cause my dad was raised Lutheran, and then they didn't want to seem like they were just going to church to get me "done" (that's how they thought of it) so my mom started attending Adult Confirmation, and the long & short of it is, my mom was baptized a few days before I was!I didn't know that!