Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

    I can't tell you much about the differences between the Lutherans
    and other Protestant churches. Though I did go to a Lutheran school
    in first through third grades. As I recall their services were more
    like Catholic ones then the services in the Methodist church I grew up in. 

    I can tell you why there are so many Lutheran churches in Minneapolis
    though. That whole area is where a lot of Scandinavians settled. The
    state church of those countries, at least of Norway and Sweden, is
    a Lutheran church.

    			Alfred

	Don't the Luterans make Davey & Goliath? That was always my favorite
Sunday morning show!


Glen

 They've got some lovely red doors ;-)





 Jim



 disclaimer:  this reply probably won't mean anything to anyone who has
 not taken the Operation Go evangelism training course, but I just had
 to enter it.

I hear they don't teach or study the Bible, or have I misread?

>===============================================================================
>Note 220.118                        Salvation                        118 of 128
>GUCCI::RWARRENFELTZ "Shine like a Beacon!"          71 lines  17-MAR-1994 12:06

>    My father was a Lutheran, mom Southern Baptist.  We always went to an
>    evangelical Lutheran or UCC.  They don't teach or study the Bible.  

Cheers,

Jim

>I hear they don't teach or study the Bible, or have I misread?

Probably half of the Bible verses I remember off the top of my head I
learned in Lutheran school. 

			Alfred

 There are several divisions (synods?) of the Lutheran church.  Many
 have held to traditional Christian doctrine, to the best of my knowledge,
 and there are several who have departed from that doctrine, offering a
 watered down version of the Bible, or some who have abandoned the Bible
 except for occasional use.  I don't believe that these groups refer to the
 Bible as the Word of God.




 Jim

re: Note 881.5 by Alfred "Another snowy day in paradise" 

Yeah, I though it was a strange charge, too.  My sister goes to a UCC and they 
study and teach the Bible, and the Bible has also been part of every Lutheran 
service I've attended.

There is a strong ecumenical movement between Catholics, Episcopals, and 
Lutherans.  I think that points to a lot of similarity.  I believe that one 
point Lutherans disagree on is Apostolic descent.  (That ministers receive a 
laying on of hands from a bishop who had a laying on of hands by a previous 
bishop...all the way back in an unbroken line to Peter.)

Peace,

Jim

    .0  The area you spoke about is pretty strongly Lutheran.  Can't tell
    you why.  I suspect historical reasons, such as the settling of
    European farming immigrants.
    
    There are branches of the Lutheran church, too.  Missouri Synod, etc..
    
    Richard
    

    Re: .8
    
    One thing I noticed...I didn't have to spell my last name to people.
    
    Marc H.

>Episcopals

Episcopalians.

    .9  :-)
    
    Among Mennonites, no one asks how you spell Yoder or Neufeld, either.
    
    Shalom,
    Richard
    

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are Lutherans.

I believe that there were 4 main Lutheran denominations
and two united so that there are now 3.  There have been
discussions for a number of years now in order to merge
these 3 together; I'm not sure what the status of this is
now.

Several significant differences between them are

 - ordination of women
 - authority of the Bible

As a Christian church, the Lutheran church affirms all the
basis about Jesus, saving faith, God and the like.  The
main differences tend to be in the type of worship (formal
similar to Episcopalians and Catholics) and some doctrinal
issues (such as whether or not the wine and bread are the
actual blood and body of Christ).

Collis

    I believe Collis gave a good summary of the Lutheran Denomination.  It
    has multiple branches and the one my childhood church belonged to was
    the Evangelical Lutherans.  But that is a misnomer since there was not
    much evangelical about our branch.  
    
    I remember traveling and attending church and dropping on any church
    with Lutheran in it's name and was surprised to see how different the
    Missouri Synod branch worshipped compared to what I had grown up in. 
    They had a very strong biblical focus to not only their mode of
    worship, but also the message from the pulpit.
    
    I remember in my early 20's, our church joined the UCC.  We had a
    pastor leave and an interim pastor came in and tried to start a Bible Study
    class for adults, change some of the liturgy to be more bible focused,
    and preached the "Word of God", first time I ever heard that phrase,
    from the pulpit.  It almost caused a major split in the church with a
    minority loving the change but a vast majority, mainly older
    parishioners, leading the protests.  It encouraged the Search Committee
    to speed up its mission for a pastoral replacement.
    
    When I go home now I will go to a social function to meet some of my
    old friends but I can't sit thru any of their worship services.
    
    Ron

re: Note 881.10 by John

>>Episcopals

>Episcopalians.

Sorry, I was thinking "Episcopal Church" in my head.

no nits is good nits .-)

Jim

    
    
    Isn't there a Lutheran Bretheren branch?  I think they are more
    evangelical.
    
    Jill