How did the Lutheran Church begin?
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Around 1500 AD, Martin Luther, a Catholic
priest and university professor, began a reforming movement which
sought to lift up the centrality of grace, faith, and the Scriptures. Those
who joined him in this reforming movement called themselves evangelical, meaning "of
the gospel." Their opponents called them "Lutherans" or "Protestants" ("protesting
ones"). Luther was born in 1483 in Eisleben, Germany and is known as the Father of Protestantism. He had been a lawyer before becoming an Augustinian monk in 1505 and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1507. |
| Martin Luther's Coat of Arms (aka, the Luther Rose) |
Due to the recent invention of Gutenberg's printing press, copies of his 95 Theses spread quickly, even to Rome. In doing this, Luther began a debate about the Roman church's practice, preaching, and teaching, the spirit of which continues today.
What is a Lutheran?
What started as an academic dispute escalated into "The Protestant Reformation" of the church and, in time, the name "Lutheran" was applied to Luther and his followers. The Reformation spread throughout the principalities of Germany, other parts of the Holy Roman Empire, and especially into the Nordic countries, where Lutherans pre-dominated. With emmigrations and colonial settlements, Lutheranism spread worldwide with those peoples. Most Lutherans still celebrate the Reformation Day on October 31, celebrating the reforming church and its role in European ("western") history.
| Among the principal beliefs of Lutherans
worldwide are: -- that we are saved by God's grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ, and not by anything we do, earn, or merit. |
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-- that we look to the Scriptures alone as the source and norm of our faith and life. (1) |
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-- that we insist on the Scriptures and worship in the local language of the people. (2) |
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| -- that we recognize only two Sacraments, those commonly observed by other Protestant Christians: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. (3) | ||
Who May Participate? What if I'm not Lutheran?
At Lutheran Church in the Foothills, we recognize a wide fellowship of Christian churches and other communities of faith. We eagerly work alongside them in many ministries and projects. Historically, Lutherans have been known for their education, health, social, immigration, and relief services made available to all, often in cooperation with or complementing those of other faith communities.
| We are delighted to have you participate at Lutheran Church in the Foothills, wherever you are on your journey of faith. We welcome anyone who wishes to be part of a Christ-centered community that celebrates God's amazing grace. Our church is made up of people from many different religious, ethnic and community backgrounds. Our people and staff welcome and respect you, your questions, your faith and doubts, your talents and life experiences as a gift from God among us. |  |
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NOTES:
1. This differs from the high authority given to church tradition and the magisteria (teachers, bishops, and Pope) in the Roman Catholic church. Luther and his fellow reformers wrote of this in the Smalcald Articles.
2. Luther himself translated and published the first Bible in German for the people to have and read. Further, he began the practice of preaching, teaching, and worshipping in German, rather than in Latin, a language understood only by priests, princes, and scholars.
3. The other five sacraments of the Roman Catholic church (penance, confirmation, marriage, ordination, last rites) are regarded as only rites, since they lack a command, a sign and a promise for all Christians, based on the Scriptures alone.
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Living in God's Amazing Grace!
1700 Foothill Blvd. La Cañada, CA 91011 + 818-790-1951 + office@lcifoothills.org