Lutheran
Lutheranism traces its origins to the reforming work of Martin Luther (1483–1546), whose protest against indulgences and subsequent writings precipitated the Protestant Reformation. The tradition is defined by its confessional standards—principally the Augsburg Confession (1530) and Luther's Small Catechism—collected in the Book of Concord (1580). Its central theological commitments are justification by grace alone through faith alone (sola fide) on account of Christ alone, Scripture as the sole norm of doctrine (sola Scriptura), and the real presence of Christ's body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper. Lutheran churches worldwide range from confessionally conservative bodies (e.g., the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod) to theologically progressive mainline denominations (e.g., the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), united by shared confessional heritage but diverging on issues such as biblical inerrancy, women's ordination, and sexuality.
Theology
Christology
Soteriology
Salvation
Affirms
Justified by grace through faith alone, not works
Atonement & Ransom
Affirms
Christ satisfies divine justice; substitutionary atonement affirmed
Predestination
Nuanced
Election to salvation affirmed; double predestination rejected
Original Sin
Affirms
Original sin inherited; total depravity before God affirmed
Eschatology
Soul & Afterlife
Affirms
Souls survive death; resurrection at the Last Day
Hell
Affirms
Eternal punishment for the damned at final judgment affirmed
Heaven
Affirms
Eternal life with God; believers raised to glory at Last Day
Second Coming
Affirms
Bodily return of Christ; universal resurrection and judgment
Millennium
Nuanced
Amillennial; premillennial literalism rejected in the Confessions
Ecclesiology
Scripture
Scripture Interpretation
John 1:1 — "The Word Was God"
Affirms
Word fully divine; classic Nicene reading affirmed
Isaiah 7:14 — "Virgin or Young Woman"
Affirms
Virgin birth prophesied in Isaiah; affirmed
Matthew 16:18 — "Upon This Rock"
Nuanced
Rock is faith/confession, not papal succession
Romans 9:18-21 — "God's Sovereign Choice"
Nuanced
God's will and human responsibility mysteriously held together
James 2:24 — "Justified by Works"
Nuanced
James teaches works prove faith; not works-based justification
Matthew 28:19 — "Baptize in the Name"
Affirms
Baptism in trinitarian name affirmed; apostolic practice
Hebrews 1:8 — "Your Throne, O God"
Affirms
Father calls Son God; affirmation of Christ's deity
Revelation 20:1-6 — "The Thousand Years"
Nuanced
Amillennial view; focus on Christ's victory, not chronology
Genesis 1:1-2 — "In the Beginning"
Affirms
God created all from nothing; divine sovereignty affirmed
Mark 16:9-20 — "The Longer Ending"
Nuanced
Longer ending not original but included in canon
John 7:53–8:11 — "The Woman Caught in Adultery"
Nuanced
Passage authentic to Jesus's teaching; included in canon
1 John 5:7-8 — "The Comma Johanneum"
Nuanced
Textually problematic but trinitarian content affirmed
Deuterocanonical Books — "Tobit, Wisdom, Sirach, Maccabees"
Denies
Deuterocanonical books not canonical; apocryphal
Shepherd of Hermas — "Early Christian Text"
Denies
Shepherd of Hermas not canonical; early Christian but not apostolic
Ethics & Practice
Sabbath
Nuanced
Sunday worship by evangelical freedom; Mosaic Sabbath law abrogated
Blood Transfusions
Affirms
No restriction; blood transfusions are morally permissible
Military Service
Affirms
Military service a legitimate vocation under just-war doctrine
Holidays
Affirms
Church year observed; Christmas, Easter, and liturgical feasts kept