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| About Lutherans [1] [3] |
History: Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a dedicated and faithful Catholic monk who earned his doctorate in the Bible and taught the Bible at a Catholic university in Germany. Increasingly, he became uncomfortable with several teachings of the church which he believed were not biblical. Desiring to discuss these points, he posted "95 theses" (statements for discussion) on October 31, 1517, remembered as "Reformation Day." Written in Latin and intended only for scholarly debate, they soon became the floodgate for the "protestant" (from word "protest") and "evangelical" (from word "gospel") movement. Luther's call for reform and to discuss theology was not welcomed. Luther and those who agreed with him were excommunicated (removed from membership) by the Catholic Church and so gathered into their own fellowship. Within 25 years, perhaps one-third of Europeans had become Lutherans. Lutherans brought their church with them as they moved to America (it has always been among the top 4 protestant bodies in this country); many of these Lutherans were from Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Originally there was a strong ethnic characteristic to Lutheranism here, but it is now solidly American and ethnically diverse, joyously including those from all backgrounds
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Last updated: November 11, 2008
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