Being Lutheran Today: A Layperson’S Guide to Our History, Belief and Practice

By Carsten J. Ludder and Dr. Derald H. Edwards

Being Lutheran Today: A Laypersons Guide to Our History, Belief and Practice will help the reader understand what Lutherans believe about the basics of the Christian faith. In easy to read language, you are given a historical perspective of the core beliefs of those who count themselves as Lutherans. The book sets forth the tenets of Lutheran doctrine; what Lutherans generally believe in practice; how to read the Bible; what the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion are about for Lutherans; the basics of Lutheran worship and the faith of the church expressed in the Apostles Creed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546235149

Carsten J. Ludder

The Rev. Dr. Derald H. Edwards has been an ELCA pastor since 1983. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Newberry College and his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina. He formerly served as the Associate Pastor in Evangelism at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Columbia, South Carolina; pastor of Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church in Saluda, South Carolina.; pastor of Mt. Hermon Lutheran Church, West Columbia, South Carolina; Living Springs Lutheran Church, Columbia, South Carolina; Healthcare Care Administrator of the Rice Home and the Heritage at Lowman, both continuing care communities of Lutheran Homes of South Carolina; and pastor of Pomaria and St. John Lutheran Churches in Pomaria, South Carolina. Rev. Dr. Edwards is currently the Chaplain at the Heritage at Lowman, Dean of Chaplains at LHSC, and author of The Baby Boomer Challenge: Americas Searching Generation. The Rev. Carsten J. Ludder was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He earned his Associate of Arts degree from the University of Florida and Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Lenoir Rhyne College. He was a Marketing Representative for the IBM Corporation in Miami before attending seminary at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina. Pastor Ludder has served as Senior Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Hendersonville, North Carolina, Christ the King Lutheran Church in Miami, Florida, and All Saints Lutheran Church in Orlando, Florida. He currently serves as an interim pastor through the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the ELCA.

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© 2018 The Rev. Dr. Derald H. Edwards The Rev. Carsten J. Ludder. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  08/22/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-3515-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-3514-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018903679

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

[Scripture quotations are] are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In remembrance of the 500th year anniversary of the Reformation

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In honor of Charlsie Doolittle for her encouragement to write this book, and whose painstaking time was given so graciously to read, re-read, and edit the contents of this resource throughout the project.

In honor of Chris Brooks for her encouragement to write this book, and who spent an enormous amount of hours typing the manuscript and researching the artistic headings and images used throughout each chapter.

A special thanks to Pomaria Lutheran Church for your patience in seeing this project through.

8 Reasons Why You Should Use this Resource

Over the years, the following questions have been posed to all Lutheran pastors.

1. What is a Lutheran? It is amazing that this question is still asked as we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Church in the year 2017.

2. Isn’t the Lutheran Church just like the Roman Catholic Church? And the answer is NO, it is no more Roman Catholic than any other Protestant denomination. It is simply that we are a liturgical Protestant Church.

3. Do Lutherans worship Martin Luther? The answer is that Lutherans worship only God in Jesus Christ. Luther is just held in high regard.

4. Where should one begin when reading the Bible? The answer comes from the fact that you must first begin with knowledge about Jesus Christ. Therefore, the first place to seek that is in the book of Mark. When finished with Mark, then go to the book of Luke, then Matthew, and then John.

5. How does one becomes a Christian? The answer to that takes place in the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Baptism unites us with the risen Christ and makes us members of God’s family.

6. Isn’t Holy Communion simply a memorial? The answer is, once again, no. The Scriptures proclaim that in Holy Communion one receives the body and blood of Jesus Christ through bread and wine.

7. Why is worship in the Lutheran church sometimes misunderstood by those looking from the outside in. We are a liturgical church which requires an ordered pattern of worship where all participate equally at the same time. It is something you do, not something you merely observe. Liturgy means the work of the people.

8. What is the Apostles creed? The Apostles creed is an expression of the one holy, catholic, and apostolic faith. In this creed we acknowledge the triune God, and while the word Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible, the formula is there thus revealing to us that God is Three in One.

These and a myriad of other questions that come to people’s hearts and minds can be answered by reading this resource. In doing so, you will have a greater understanding of the history, belief and practice of the Lutheran church.

The Rev. Dr. Derald H. Edwards                    The Rev. Carsten J. Ludder

FOREWORD

Once, during a clergy group meeting, I was complaining about the lack of good teaching tools and how I invariably found myself writing material rather than using off-the-shelf products. It was during one such time that my friend and colleague Derald Edwards invited me to use this book as a teaching tool.

I have known The Reverend Dr. Derald Edwards for many years and know him to be a man of God with a love of learning and teaching. He embraces and engages the power of the Holy Spirit in all that he does – whether preaching a sermon, visiting a shut in, or talking with a friend. His passion for the work he is called to do is infectious.

Each year of my ministry, I am tasked with reaching children, youth, and adults in novel ways to help them understand the faith into which we are baptized. This understanding is something that one can acquire from years of worship, Sunday school, and Bible study, but is something from which many still find themselves disconnected. Many regular church goers find it difficult to explain what exactly it means to be a Lutheran. And some youth successfully complete the confirmation process but come back to me years later, still unsure of how to articulate and stand up for their faith. It can often be difficult to offer answers in a clear and concise way. But regardless of where people are in their faith formation and understanding of being Lutheran, Derald Edwards and Carsten Ludder have created in their new book Being Lutheran Today: A Layperson’s Guide to our History, Belief and Practice, the most effective catechism tool I have used in recent years.

This book is a very helpful resource for those congregations seeking to reach out to previously un-churched members or members transferring from different denominations. Our congregation used this book during the Season of Lent as a tool in both our adult and high school Sunday school classes. In addition to being an effective resource in developing an understanding of the Lutheran faith, this book also acts as a welcome refresher on the fullness of our faith and practices, successfully reaching out to members of all backgrounds and understandings.

The easy-to-read format and easy-to-understand writing style of this book makes it particularly enjoyable to read and share with others. It begins by giving the reader a history of the subject, and each successive chapter digs deeper into the faith practices of Lutherans, allowing the reader to develop a thorough understanding of the material. I encourage Christian education leaders, pastors, and anyone wanting to understand who we are as a denomination to read this fantastic book and learn about our heritage and practices as Lutherans.

The Rev. Patti Sue Burton-Pye

Providence Lutheran Church

Lexington, South Carolina

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Chapter 1:     A Short History of Lutheranism

Chapter 2:     What It Means to Be a Lutheran

Chapter 3:     A Short History of the Bible

Chapter 4:     How to Read the Bible

Chapter 5:     A Short History of Baptism

Chapter 6:     What it Means to Be Baptized

Chapter 7:     A Short History of Holy Communion

Chapter 8:     What it Means to Receive Holy Communion

Chapter 9:     A Short History of Lutheran Worship

Chapter 10:   The Basis and Heritage of Our Lutheran Worship Service

Chapter 11:     The Faith of the Church — The Apostles’ Creed

Notes

Bibliography

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FAITH: Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

HOPE: Luke 24:5-6

Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has been raised.

LOVE: I Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

A familiar combination of emblems is a cross, an empty tomb and a heart.

These signify FAITH, HOPE and LOVE.

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CHAPTER 1

A Short History of Lutheranism

To understand how the Reformation could have happened in the first place, we first need to understand the condition of society on the eve of the Reformation. The Reformation couldn’t have happened if the atmosphere wasn’t just right. Conditions in the world at the time were what led up to this tremendous explosion, not only in the church, but in society as well.

The world before the Reformation seemed much smaller. Prior to that time, the world was immensely undiscovered and unknown. However, that began to change in the fifteenth century. Within the span of fifty or so years, such explorers as Henry the Navigator, Diaz, De Gama, Columbus and Magellan had sailed forth from their respective countries and were discovering vast new lands. It was a time of expansion