The Lutheran Church

Lutherans still celebrate the Reformation on October 31 and still hold to the basic principles of theology and practice espoused by Luther, such as Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura:

We are saved by the grace of God alone — not by anything we do;

Our salvation is through faith alone — we only need to believe that our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who died to redeem us;

The Bible is the only norm of doctrine and life — the only true standard by which teachings and doctrines are to be judged. Another of Luther’s principles was that Scriptures and worship need to be in the language of the people.

Many Lutherans still consider themselves as a reforming movement within the Church catholic, rather than a separatist movement, and Lutherans have engaged in ecumenical dialogue with other church bodies for decades. In fact, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has entered into cooperative “full communion” agreements with several other Protestant denominations.

Luther’s Small Catechism, which contains teachings on the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Holy Baptism, Confession and Absolution, Holy Communion and Morning and Evening Prayers, is still used to introduce people to the Lutheran faith, as is the Augsburg Confession.