Lutheranism

Lutheranism, also known as Evangelical Lutheranism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began with the work of Martin Luther, a German friar and reformer from the 16th century. Lutheran churches follow the Bible and the ecumenical creeds, with their teachings explained in the Book of Concord. They see themselves as part of the apostolic church and accept the writings of the Church Fathers and the first four ecumenical councils.

The split between Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism, made official by the Edict of Worms in 1521, focused on two main issues: where authority in the church comes from (the formal principle of the Reformation) and the doctrine of justification (the material principle of Lutheran theology). Lutheranism teaches justification "by Grace alone through faith alone on the basis of Scripture alone," meaning the Bible is the final authority on faith. This differs from the Roman Catholic position, defined at the Council of Trent, which says authority comes from both Scripture and tradition. In Lutheranism, tradition is secondary to Scripture but valued for spreading the Gospel.

Lutheran churches keep many liturgical practices and sacramental teachings from the pre-Reformation Western Church, with a strong focus on the Eucharist, or Lord's Supper, though Eastern Lutheranism uses the Byzantine Rite. While Lutherans are not strict about the number of sacraments, three are generally recognized: baptism, confession, and the Eucharist. Lutherans teach baptismal regeneration—that people are "cleansed of our sins and born again and renewed in Holy Baptism by the Holy Ghost." They believe sanctification starts at justification and that Christians, because of their living faith, should do good works, which God rewards. Mortal sin can forfeit salvation unless the person turns back to God through faith. In Lutheran churches, the Office of the Keys, exercised through confession and absolution, is the authority Christ gave to His Church to forgive the sins of penitent sinners and retain the sins of the impenitent. The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist through a sacramental union is central, and the Mass (or Divine Service) is celebrated regularly, especially on Sundays.

Lutheranism became the state church in much of Northern Europe, starting with Prussia in 1525. In Scandinavia, Roman Catholic bishops largely accepted Lutheran reforms, and the church there became Lutheran in belief, keeping the threefold ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons. Key Lutheran theologians include Martin Luther, Martin Chemnitz, Philip Melanchthon, Joachim Westphal, Laurentius Petri, Olaus Petri, and Laurentius Andreae.

Lutheranism has influenced Christian hymnody, the arts, and education. Lutherans have established missions in various regions and run many schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, and orphanages worldwide. There are also Lutheran religious orders, monasteries, and convents where people live in community to pray and work. Lutherans are found on every continent, numbering 90 million.

The name Lutheran was first used as an insult by German Scholastic theologian Johann Maier von Eck during the Leipzig Debate in July 1519. Eck and other Roman Catholics followed the practice of naming a heresy after its leader, so they called anyone who identified with Martin Luther's theology a Lutheran. Evangelical Lutheranism comes from the word "evangelical" (from the Greek εὐαγγέλιον, meaning "good news" or "Gospel") and "Lutheran" in reference to Martin Luther. Luther himself disliked the term Lutheran, preferring evangelical. The Evangelical Lutheran Catechism says the church uses "Evangelical" to show "her adherence to the pure evangelical or gospel doctrines, and to the Scriptures in general." Followers of John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, and other Reformed theologians also used the term evangelical. To tell the two groups apart, people began calling them Evangelical Lutheran and Evangelical Reformed. Over time, the word Evangelical was not always used, and Lutherans themselves started using the term Lutheran in the mid-16th century to distinguish themselves from groups like the Anabaptists and the Reformed. Many Evangelical-Lutheran denominations use the full name, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. However, many of Martin Luther's personal opinions were not adopted by Lutheran churches in the Augsburg Confession, and because Lutheranism kept much of the pre-Reformation liturgy and devotion, it is often seen as the most conservative Protestant tradition. In different parts of the world, the terms "Evangelical Lutheranism," "Evangelicalism," and "Lutheranism" are used interchangeably. Some Evangelical-Lutheran denominations include the Augsburg Confession in their names, like the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession.