On Being Lutheran: Reflections on Church, Theology, and Faith

This is a good guide for Lutherans and those who are coming back to the church like myself Especially those in the ELCA

`On Being Lutheran, Reflections on Church, Theology, and Faith' by the late Timothy F. Lull, former professor of Systematic Theology at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and `Lutheran Questions, Lutheran Answers, Exploring Christian Faith' by the popularly known writer and Lutheran professor of religious history are both written for the Lutheran laity. And, while they both strongly reinforce what I've always seen as the most attractive aspects of the Lutheran faith, they approach it in very different ways. The heart of Lutheranism, in my mind, is a critical appreciation of the 66 canonical books of the Protestant Bible, holding a reading of these as the fountainhead of all our beliefs regarding God, Jesus, and all the theology which has grown up under the Christian name over the last 2000 years. The important word here is `critical'. Luther lead the way in highlighting the fact that some canonical books, such as Paul's epistles to the Romans and Galatians, the Gospel of John, Isaiah, and the Book of Psalms were more important than, for example, the epistle of James and the book of Revelations. Both authors reinforce this, without going into a lot of detail regarding Luther's actual writings or in taking up issues with Biblical interpretation. This, they leave to the thousands of scholarly books on Biblical exegesis. Professor Lull's primary emphasis is on the very practical issues of the confession(s) recognized by the newly formed Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). In fact, the book is a compilation of articles Professor Lull wrote for `The Lutheran' magazine shortly after the merger of the several Lutheran organizations, thereby creating the ELCA, the fifth largest organized denomination in the country. Thus, each of the good doctor's short chapters in the first part of the book is an explanation of articles in the ELCA confession of faith. And, of course, `confessions' are a big thing for Lutherans, as the founding doctrine of what would become the Lutheran church at the dawn of the Reformation is the `Augsburg Confession', written by Philip Melanchthon, a theologian and close associate and colleague of Luther's at Wittenberg. This is the keystone of `The Book of Concord', the ultimate authority, short of the scriptures themselves, of Lutheran orthodoxy. As such, the little book takes on something of a legalistic tone, and one finds oneself spending more time reading about church organization and promise than about theology. But then, that's really the title of the book. It deals with what one signs up to when they get their Lutheran confirmation in an ELCA church. So, if you are really interested in the underpinnings of ELCA doctrines and policies, this is the book for you. Professor Marty's many `question and answer' style chapters are far closer to the gospel sources than they are to LUTHERAN issues, although the text certainly reads the Bible with Martin Luther looking over his shoulder. Therefore, Marty's book is far more

If you would like to know what it means to be Lutheran and Christian in today's world this is the book for you. (Along with the wonderful Lutheran Handbook) Dr. Lull gives to us wisdom that puts theology and modern (or post-modern) issues together in a way that directs us to "in the world" Christianity. He was a wonderful teacher that saw faith and life as overlapping not seperate, as some Christian leaders in the US like to teach. If you think grace, love, inclusiveness, and justice are your emphases try this book out.