Opinion of Lutheranism

[TDAS04]

I voted Freedom Religion.

I am starting this topic as someone who is interested in joining the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  I was not raised heavily in any particular religious tradition, although a couple of my grandparents were Lutheran.  The ELCA seems to fit me well, with its moderate-to-liberal theology (although the LCMS and WELS are extremely conservative).

I would like to hear some of your thoughts on Lutheranism.

[DC Al Fine]

Very positive. Lutheranism has all the thinks I want in a church.

Strong gospel message (even in the liberal ones)
High church
Intellectual tradition
Protestant theology

The only quibble I have is their emphasis on episcopal government, but even that isn't major.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I went to a Lutheran school for a long time. I never got much from it. The churches longtime pastor left to be the Florida-Georgia regions Bishop, and I was very upset with that. Governmental structures within churches, especially Protestant churches, leads to ambition and intra church politics. I have since become a Baptist and have found their general theological doctrine to be more in line with the raw Bible.

[Robert California]

Awful. Just awful. The Christian equivalent of the CSA, though not as bad as some other rebel scum.

[falling apart like the ashes of American flags]

Voted FR. Still have a very positive view of the ELCA.

DC: Not all ELCA churches are high church. Some are surprisingly charismatic too.

[TJ in Oregon]

Fairly positive. One think about the Lutherans I respect is that even among the more liberal churches and lines of thought they, unlike so many mainline Protestant denominations, have not abandoned basic Christian teachings like the divinity of Christ or the Trinity to go along their political liberalism.

[DC Al Fine]

Voted FR. Still have a very positive view of the ELCA.

DC: Not all ELCA churches are high church. Some are surprisingly charismatic too.

Seriously?

You learn something new everyday.

[barfbag]

I went to a private Lutheran college and was raised Lutheran. In college I majored in religion and attended graduate school for religion. It does a great job at getting back to the roots of Christian theology and doesn't boggle us down to pre-destination. Most Lutherans are ELCA though and I classify myself as a Missouri Synod Lutheran based on the sacrament of prayer. There is direct communication with God and to me that constitutes a sacrament. Many Christians would classify a sacrament as a ritual containing a visible and an invisible sign.

[memphis]

No such thing as a freedom religion. By definition, freedom and religion are opposing forces.

[barfbag]

No such thing as a freedom religion. By definition, freedom and religion are opposing forces.

Religion frees us from a lot of things like liberals.

[falling apart like the ashes of American flags]

Voted FR. Still have a very positive view of the ELCA.

DC: Not all ELCA churches are high church. Some are surprisingly charismatic too.

Seriously?

You learn something new everyday.

It's partially kind of a Minnesota/urban thing (since I've also heard of what I'm talking about in some ELCA churches in NYC too for example), but a lot of ELCA churches here are either heavily influenced by or basically emergent churches. Remember that Minneapolis is one of the hubs for the emergent church movement. However even outside of the urban core it's quite common for ELCA churches to have both contemporary and traditional services, like my parents' in North Dakota. And how charismatic those are tends to depend on the age of the congregation, since my parents' is actually relatively young, at least at the contemporary services (mind you relatively by North Dakota standards, definitely not as young as mine here) you'll get some of the charismatic stuff. But you won't be likely to see anyone over 40 raising their hands at any ELCA service.

[Tokugawa Sexgod Ieyasu]

No such thing as a freedom religion. By definition, freedom and religion are opposing forces.

Religion frees us from a lot of things like liberals.

This is exactly the kind of response that this kind of statement deserves. Well done, barfbag.

[Oakvale]

Awful. Just awful. The Christian equivalent of the CSA, though not as bad as some other rebel scum.

^ This is of course the accurate response. Hell-bound heathens and devil worshipers.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Awful. Just awful. The Christian equivalent of the CSA, though not as bad as some other rebel scum.

Wouldn't that be the Orthodox Church?

[Gass3268]

Best church! Also, almost anything is better then Catholicism. 

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Best church! Also, almost anything is better then Catholicism. 

damn heathen gringos

[ingemann]

Awful. Just awful. The Christian equivalent of the CSA, though not as bad as some other rebel scum.

You know just because we decided that your polytheistic "faith" wasn't something for us, is no reason for namecalling.

[barfbag]

Best church! Also, almost anything is better then Catholicism. 

Are you a Lutheran living in a Lutheran state? Us Lutherans love the northern Midwest.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

FR and one of the big three religions in this area along with Methodism and the Baptists.  (As I have pointed out elsewhere on the Forum, the part of South Carolina I was raised in was settled in colonial times by German Protestants.

[Free Speech Enjoyer]

Depends.  If we're talking ELCA Lutheranism, positive.  LCMS and WELS... negative.

I attended an ELCA Lutheran service not too long ago.  Though I ended up sticking with the UCC, it was quite an enjoyable experience.

[TDAS04]

Depends.  If we're talking ELCA Lutheranism, positive.  LCMS and WELS... negative.

I attended an ELCA Lutheran service not too long ago.  Though I ended up sticking with the UCC, it was quite an enjoyable experience.

I agree.  I had the ELCA in mind for the poll.

The ELCA is still probably more conservative than the UCC or Episcopal Church overall.  It's probably closer on the left-righ spectrum to the PCUSA or the United Methodist Church, maybe just slightly left of those two.  BRTD could probably correct me if I'm wrong.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Massive Freedom Religion.  My hometown is predominantly Missouri Synod Lutheran, and my uncle is a minister in that denomination, and most of them are wonderful Christian people.  The only two things I seriously disagree with them on is Sunday Sabbath and in not allowing clergy to be involved with that of other denominations (since the Bible says not to yoke up with unbelievers.)  But those denominations aren't unbelievers, they're just from different churches.  I also disagree with their belief that the papacy is the Antichrist, but a lot of people in my church also believe that, so I can't really say much. 

As for other Lutheran denominations, I don't know enough to have much of an opinion, but they would probably be Freedom Religions, too.

[Gass3268]

Massive Freedom Religion.  My hometown is predominantly Missouri Synod Lutheran, and my uncle is a minister in that denomination, and most of them are wonderful Christian people.  The only two things I seriously disagree with them on is Sunday Sabbath and in not allowing clergy to be involved with that of other denominations (since the Bible says not to yoke up with unbelievers.)  But those denominations aren't unbelievers, they're just from different churches.  I also disagree with their belief that the papacy is the Antichrist, but a lot of people in my church also believe that, so I can't really say much. 

As for other Lutheran denominations, I don't know enough to have much of an opinion, but they would probably be Freedom Religions, too.

Your Lutheranism is different then my Lutheranism.

Are you a Lutheran living in a Lutheran state? Us Lutherans love the northern Midwest.

Currently living in DC, but I'm from Wisconsin and a proud ELCA member.

[barfbag]

Massive Freedom Religion.  My hometown is predominantly Missouri Synod Lutheran, and my uncle is a minister in that denomination, and most of them are wonderful Christian people.  The only two things I seriously disagree with them on is Sunday Sabbath and in not allowing clergy to be involved with that of other denominations (since the Bible says not to yoke up with unbelievers.)  But those denominations aren't unbelievers, they're just from different churches.  I also disagree with their belief that the papacy is the Antichrist, but a lot of people in my church also believe that, so I can't really say much. 

As for other Lutheran denominations, I don't know enough to have much of an opinion, but they would probably be Freedom Religions, too.

Your Lutheranism is different then my Lutheranism.

Are you a Lutheran living in a Lutheran state? Us Lutherans love the northern Midwest.

Currently living in DC, but I'm from Wisconsin and a proud ELCA member.

Glad to hear! I was raised ELCA. I didn't grow up in a Lutheran state, but PA has plenty of Lutherans. After majoring in religion, I've come to fall more in line with Missouri Synod.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Which Lutheranism? Quite a broad and varied faith tradition.