Fri, 15 Apr 2016 | Cover | Page 07

A New Remnant Series…

What Heretics Believe

What is Lutheranism?

"The Church needs a reformation. And this cannot be the work either of a single man, as the pope - but it must be that of the whole world."

- Martin Luther -

The Lutheran Church is the oldest of the Protestant sects, originating in 1517, when Martin Luther, a monk, infamously nailed his ninety-five theses-worth of personal problems with the Catholic Faith to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church. Legend says Luther was inspired to launch this Protestant Reformation while seated comfortably on the chamber pot, which was advanced for his day, complete with a heated floor system and primitive drain.

In early 16th-century Europe, a few theologians and scholars were beginning to question the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. It was also around this time that translations of original texts— namely the Bible and the writings of the early church philosopher Augustine— became more widely available.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church’s practice of granting indulgences to provide absolution to sinners became to some extent abused. Indulgenceselling was even banned in Germany, but the practice continued. In 1517, a friar named Johann Tetzel began to sell indulgences in Germany to raise funds to renovate St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Ostensibly, Luther’s collection of theses was in part a backlash to the problem of indulgences, but they were really meant to challenge many doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church which he imagined were inconsistent with Scripture. The first two of his theses contained Luther’s central idea: that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation. The other 93 theses, many of which directly criticized the practice of indulgences, supported the first two.

On November 9, 1518, Pope Leo X condemned Luther’s writings as conflicting with the teachings of the Church. One year later, a series of commissions were convened to examine Luther’s writings. The first papal commission found them to be heretical, and a second further stated that Luther’s words were "scandalous and offensive to pious ears." Finally, in July 1520, Leo issued a papal bull, Exsurge Domine, demanding Luther retract 41 of his 95 theses, and after Luther’s refusal, excommunicated him on January 3, 1521.

Although he did not formally break with the Catholic Church until three years after his public temper tantrum, he had already come substantially to his later views on the plan of salvation. The new teachings, however, underwent constant evolution. Before he died in 1546, his system of belief had been propagated in many states throughout Germany and Poland, in the Baltic Provinces, in Hungary, Transylvania, the Netherlands, Denmark and Scandinavia.

From these European countries, Lutheranism was carried by emigration to the New World, and in the United States it ranks among the leading Protestant denominations.

When the conflict escalated to its distinct separation with the Roman Catholic Church, those who accepted Luther's reforms became 'Lutherans.' Based on Luther's own writings, Lutherans still uphold Luther's theological teachings, such as sola scriptura (scripture as the primary authority for faith and life), justification by the grace of God alone, and salvation through faith in Christ alone. Luther's many theological ideas have since been collected into the Book of Concord, which is still an authority in Lutheran doctrine and practice.

The term Lutheran was first used by his opponents during the Leipzig Disputation (a discussion convened in the presence of the Duke of Saxony, who opposed Luther’s new theology) in 1519, and afterwards became universally prevalent. Luther preferred the designation 'Evangelical', and today the usual title of the sect is 'Evangelical Lutheran Church'. In Germany, where the Lutherans and the Reformed have united (since 1817), the name Lutheran has been abandoned, and the state Church is styled the Evangelical or the Evangelical United.

In its doctrine, official Lutheranism is part of what is called orthodox Protestantism, since it agrees with the Catholic and the Greek Churches in accepting the authority of the Scriptures and of the three most ancient creeds (the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed). Besides these formulae of belief, Lutheranism acknowledges six specific confessions which distinguish it from other churches: the unaltered Augsburg Confession (1530), the Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1531), Luther's Large Catechism (1529), Luther's Catechism for Children (1529), the Articles of Smalkald (1537), and the Form of Concord (1577).

These nine symbolical books (including the three Creeds) constitute what is known as the 'Book of Concord', which was first published at Dresden in 1580 by order of Elector Augustus of Saxony. In these confessions the Scriptures are declared to be the only rule of faith. The symbols and the other writings not contained in Scripture do not possess decisive authority, but merely show how the Scriptures were understood and explained at particular times by the leading theologians.

The chief tenet of the Lutheran creed, that which Luther called 'the article of the standing and falling Church', has reference to the justification of sinful man. Original Sin is explained as a positive and total depravity of human nature, which renders all the acts of the unjustified, even those of civil righteousness, sinful and displeasing to God. Justification, which is not an internal change, but an external one, comes only by faith, which is the confidence that one is reconciled to God through Christ.

Other distinctive doctrines of the Lutheran Church are: Baptism - Although Luther retained that Baptism was necessary for spiritual regeneration, no specific form was stipulated. Today Lutherans practice both infant baptism and baptism of believing adults. Individual Access to God - Luther believed that each individual has the right to reach God through Scripture with responsibility to God alone. It is not necessary for a priest to mediate. The Lord's Supper - Luther retained some semblance of the Mass, but the doctrine of transubstantiation was rejected, turning the focal point of Catholicism into a mere communal supper. Sacraments - Luther believed the sacraments were valid only as aids to

faith, thus giving grace to those who participate in them.

Salvation by Grace through Faith Luther maintained that salvation comes by grace through faith alone; not by works and sacraments. Salvation for All - Luther believed that salvation is available to all humans through the redeeming work of Christ. Scripture - Luther believed the Scriptures contain the one necessary guide to truth. Worship - As to the manner of worship, Luther chose to retain altars and vestments and prepare an order of liturgical service, but with the understanding that no church was bound to follow any set order. As a result, there is today no uniform liturgy belonging to all branches of the Lutheran body. However, an important place is given to preaching and congregational singing.

Luther had previously written against the Church’s adherence to clerical celibacy, and in 1525 he married Katherine de Bora, a former nun. They had five children. At the end of his life, Luther turned strident in his views, and pronounced the pope the Antichrist, advocated for the expulsion of Jews from the empire, and condoned polygamy based on the practice of the patriarchs in the Old Testament. He died on February 18, 1546. Though an unfortunate number of faithful were seduced by Luther’s errors, the hierarchy of the Church came forward to rebuke him. At the Council of Trent, held between 1545 and 1563, every doctrine and practice which the Reformation denied or refuted was firmly reestablished and codified. In this sense the Reformation was a total failure. Rather than weakening and giving way, the Church was strengthened in her purpose and forged ahead with new resolve and commitment. ■

Sources:

www.newadvent.org/cathen/09458a.htm christianity.about.com/od/denominations/a/lutheran.htm history.com/topics/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses

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