r/Lutheranism

I (26M) felt turned to God after being an Atheist since I was a teenager. I am baptized Lutheran but never attended church. My fiancé (25F) is Catholic and was confirmed, so we have been attending Catholic mass the last few months. We have only attended one Lutheran service which I did not like as it had modern, non-hymn music, people who had no reasonable control over their children, and an older couple pushed us multiple times about taking communion despite us politley saying we were guests. Our Catholic church and priest have been great so far and has a healthy balance of traditionalism and modernity.

I and my fiancé lean left politically and would likely be considered liberal Catholics. However, I feel like I would be on the conservative end of Lutheranism. I agree a lot with the Catholic church but I have some disagreements that may be strong enough to dissuade me. I feel if I convert and I don't abide by all the teachings, that my faith won't really be sincere. I feel like it may also have to do with most modern converts wanting to be on the conservative end of things and wanting things like the Latin Mass, which I do not care for. My fiancée doesnt have such concerns since she was born into it and is a little bit of a "cafeteria" Catholic. She is not "requiring" me to be Catholic, but it would make things practically easier going into marriage.

Agreements with Catholic Church

-importance of the Eucharist

-traditional mass (compared to many protestant/non-denom)

-independence from American politics

-confession

-even if I am not Catholic, I think the Pope and the Church are to be respected

-Priest/pastors should be thoroughly educated and well vetted

Agreements with Lutheranisn

-lack of venial/mortal sins

-more tolerance of LGBT (although I do not feel my ideal church has to affirm it)

-tolerant of birth control use in marriage

-the Pope and Catholic Church can and do have fallible teachings

Mixed perspectives

-salvation can be by faith alone if that faith is genuine and reverent. However, I think people in ordinary circumstances should participate in sacraments and at the very least not bring extra suffering into the world.

-I believe most churches are valid as long as they believe in the Trinity and the Ressurrection as it is understood by Catholics and mainline Protestants.

Looking for advice, perspectives, or questions to contemplate!

Hello everyone! I was hoping that I might be able to request some prayers for strength, healing, the ability to eat, and easing of pain and coughing.

Long story short, I'm a 43 and female. In 2020 I was initially diagnosed with breast cancer, fought it, and went into remission. Then on April 2023 the cancer came back with a vengeance in my bones, lungs, and brain.

I'm doing fairly well overall, and I'm not afraid of what may come (a couple nighttime prayer and sob sessions helped). My time will come when God says it will, and not a moment sooner. I have a strong medical support team, a loving husband, caring family, and friends to back me up. I'm blessed beyond measure.

Honestly, a part of me wants to say that I'm doing okay and prayers should be reserved for more serious issues (like when I had back, chest, and left arm pain and thought heart attack. I was just bone or muscle pain.) But another part of me says we're supposed to lean on one another, even in little things. So here I am, hoping for some friendly arms to help lift up my prayers to God.

(Sorry in advance for any typos I don't catch. Said brain tumor damaged my field of vision, and I don't always spot them.)

Please, have a blessed day!

I recently started following Lutheranism as someone who was raised Catholic and held a sort of agnostic/non religious Catholic view for most of my life. And now I want to get more serious in practicing my faith. I do have a copy of the Small Catechism but I also want to know what else I can read in order to get a better understanding of Lutheranism. Bible and other useful material.

I know there are posts on this subreddit that have the answer to my question but its hard to keep track of the relevant posts so any help would be appreciated:)

I know it's not ideal, my question is more if it's valid. And furthermore, if not, can I still partake in it without sinning while trying to change my parish's mind on the elements?

Some years ago, I converted to Catholicism from a modern evangelical church.

It was a sincere, yet very quick decision.

I've been studying Lutheran authors for quite a few months now, and that decision no longer feels right.

I'm still not sure whether I should join a Lutheran church or not. But Catholicism, despite being very dear to me, no longer feels right.

The problem is that I work for a Catholic organization, and I haven't been able to find another job yet. My salary is above average and I have a family.

What should I do?

I probably need to keep studying, but my situation at work is becoming increasingly awkward.

Also, please pray for me.

Hi all!

I'm curious to know how popular the prayer bead devotion invented by Swedish Bishop Martin Lönnebo still is in its country of origin? I've seen older internet posts saying that they are still fairly common in Sweden--curious to know if this is still the case, and how common they are exactly. Also curious to know if anyone else outside of Sweden is using them; I have owned a set for a few years now and have enjoyed their use.

Hey all, I’ve been struggling with a lot recently and thought I’d come and ask for any of y’all’s insight and advice. For context, I am not a pastor (although discerning to potentially be one in the Lutheran tradition) and am relatively young (20M). I’ve been struggling a lot more with lust and other sins and I was just wondering if y’all could pick me up. I want to put James 5:16 into practice and hopefully recognize that I am forgiven and walk in that newness of life. I also would like to know how you felt God’s call to become a pastor. I feel as if God may be calling me to ministry but am unsure how to discern His voice.
God bless and keep y’all, Hunter

I have been researching this topic for a while now and I still don’t understand. If Lutherans believe that god elects people for salvation then how is it possible that those who are not elect choose to reject god of their own free will? What separates that from just plain Calvinism? Sorry I just really don’t understand. Can someone explain pleas?

There's no Lutheran church I have to migrate in order to be Lutheran, the only protestants,are Anglicans and the pentecostal baptist or other modern evangelicals, please pray for my journey towards Lutheranism,I won't share my country of origin,name and stuff, Just asking for prayers. Thanks 🙏(EDIT: should I attend the Anglican church since it's more traditional, and become Lutheran officially?)

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice and resources. I will try to keep this as brief as possible, I can provide more details in comments as needed.

I've grown up protestant, I've experienced a range of low-church denominations and am currently the youth pastor at a non-denom, evangelical zwingli-esque church, memorial eucharist, baptism as a symbol, etc.. you know the drill.

Over the past decade I have been reading a lot about theology, church history and trying to approach my bible with as little pre-conceived assumptions as possible. The result has been that I have boiled down my denominational future down to two options - (conservative) Lutheranism and Orthodoxy. Both take an aligned view of church history, retaining traditions of the apostles, real presence in the eucharist, etc.

I don't desire to become Orthodox, because it is SO foreign to my experience of faith so far. But there are some undeniable aspects of it that are 'winning' over Lutheranism to me. For example, I see absolutely no biblical or church father evidence of PSA as a concept - which seem foundational to Lutheranism. I'm yet to find a convincing argument as to how the church is 'the pillar and ground of truth', and that 'the gates of Hades will not prevail', and yet, so many errors entered the church so early - which Lutheranism seeks to rectify.

I'm writing this post to look for feedback or resources. As I mentioned, I don't want to become Orthodox, but feel compelled to it, as the 'truth'. I'm unconvinced by the arguments of people like Gavin Ortlund. But I feel that I must do my due diligence in exploring all of the explorations or solutions that Protestantism has to offer, before I make the decision on such a huge change in my faith.

This really is a hail mary, last ditch attempt for me. If you have been in this situation yourself, please share your experience with me.

As someone who is Lutheran, and came to be Lutheran through roughly 4 years of self-study across pretty much every denomination/other religions, I was wondering as the title says above, are there any elements of theology outside of Lutheranism that you find fascinating.

My main 3 areas (among many) include:

1. Icons - differences between Reformed, Lutheran, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox).

2. Canon formation / textual variances - Canon lists, Old Testament (LXX vs MT), New Testament (Patriarchal text vs Alexandrian text).

3. Fringe/Interesting Religious Groups Including - Hebrew Israelites, Nation of Islam, The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light.

Hi guys remember me it's been months since I post here that the titled (Hi I AM BAPTIST THAT WANT TO BECOME A LUTHERAN) I would love and happy to share about my journey to confessional lutheranism. After I post here one month ago, somebody a lutheran missionary from Cavite member of Saint Jude the apostle evangelical church in Australia that in fellowship and in commiunion in altar with Concordia lutheran Church in Sweden it's a conservative/confessional one. He invite me to his online Cathechesim and we have a great time talking and teaching me about our confessions and theology, I'll even invite my one friend here in Reddit. He told that if the pastor from australia and Sweden came here to the Philippines and ordain him he's the one gonna administer the Lord supper to me and confirm me here in my province so even if they the missionary pastors haven't come I'll just attend episcopalian/Anglican church for a while. Thank you for the people who pray for me when they saw my post month ago and the one who share their comment.

Hello. The version of predestination that Lutheran theology seems to hold is something I've been struggling with. If it is something that seems contradictory to human minds but isn't in actuality, why can't we say that with all other contradictions. How can we say that the Muslim, the Jews, the Hindus, etc are wrong for this and that reason if we say that it is possible for things to be seeming contradictions that are impossible to solve with our mortal minds. People say the Lutheran view brings consciences to rest, but it doesn't seem to do that. Instead it haunts the conscience by robbing it of any form of indication that the Gospel is truly reliable. If that assessment of mine is true, I can not accept that doctrine, for it would tear down the Gospel instead of building it up. I am a Lutheran and I have no problem with any other part of our theology, but I just can't seem to harmonize this. I've been looking into the exact wording in the Book of Concord and trying to harmonize it with a more concrete doctrine of predestination, but I don't see that view anywhere else so I assume I'm missing something and that a kind of bondage of the will centric view truly isn't allowed for in the Formula of Concord. It's so frustrating because this is the one doctrine that is keeping me from being able to fully and confidently say that I affirm the whole book. Does it allow for a view that is heavier on God's role in allowing (not causing) the damned to reject Christ inevitably? If not, how can you harmonize this view with our God given reason which brings comfort to the hearts of men through it allowing them to realise that Christ is the one true Lord? Please help me.

Nehemiah 1:11 - "O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who DELIGHT TO FEAR YOUR NAME, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." (Context: Nehemiah is praying, repenting for Israel's/his sin and asking for mercy.)

Never thought about it as being delighted to fear God, but that is actually a great way to look at "fearing God." If you find actual satisfaction in obeying God out of fear (and love) for Him, Your relationship with God feels more personal and less transactional.

The doctrine that faith alone is the sole means of salvation serves a crucial theological purpose. It guards against any notion of self-salvation, the idea that human effort, merit, or works can earn reconciliation with the divine. Yet this principle, rightly understood, does not diminish the richness of religious life. It does not forbid profound theological thought, deep personal experience, or creative expression. We are free to encounter angelic epiphanies, to cultivate a vibrant spiritual interiority, and to engage in the full spectrum of devotional practices. Christians may paint sacred motifs, compose hymns, build cathedrals, and participate in liturgies, all as expressions of faith, not as attempts to secure salvation.

The trouble arises when this foundational truth is misinterpreted or reduced to a minimalist slogan. In such cases, faith can become a dry intellectual assent, a mere checkbox, rather than a living, dynamic relationship. When "faith alone" is twisted into "faith is all that matters, and nothing else is of value," religious life grows monotonous and sterile. Worship becomes rote, art becomes suspect, and experience is treated with suspicion. The result is a joyless orthodoxy that stifles the very vitality faith is meant to unleash.

The corrective is simple but profound. The exclusivity of faith in salvation does not imply the exclusivity of faith in the totality of Christian existence. Faith is the door, but the house of God is vast. We are invited to dwell in it fully: to think, to feel, to create, to wonder. Salvation is by grace through faith, but the life that follows is meant to be rich with meaning, beauty, and encounter.

A consequence of misapplied sola fide is that the sacramental, emotional, and experiential dimensions of faith can be marginalized. The focus shifts from a living relationship with Christ to a transactional agreement. This has historically led to a certain dryness in Lutheran piety. The emphasis on correct doctrine (orthodoxy) can overshadow the importance of a transformed heart and life (orthopraxy). The Lutheran liturgy, while rich, can sometimes feel like a machine for delivering forgiveness rather than an encounter with the living God.

For many Lutherans, the Christian life becomes dominated by a constant struggle for assurance, a fear of not being "truly" saved. The intended comfort of the Gospel ("it's all God's work, not yours") can paradoxically become a new source of burden ("but I must make sure I'm not relying on my own works, even my own faith!"). While Lutheranism has a strong theology of vocation, it has often struggled to articulate a compelling vision for growth in the Christian life. Because any talk of progress in sanctification can be immediately suspected as a form of works-righteousness, the active pursuit of holiness and spiritual disciplines is sometimes neglected. The emphasis falls on the imputed righteousness of Christ, a legal declaration that we are righteous, while the imparted righteousness, the actual transformation of the believer by the Holy Spirit, is treated as secondary or automatic.

Of course, these are negative consequences of misinterpretation or imbalance, not necessary outcomes of the doctrine itself. Nevertheless, they remain a persistent shadow side of sola fide in Lutheran history and practice.

This has resulted in a church that is strong on justification, how we are declared righteous before God, but weaker on sanctification, how we are actually made holy. The call to discipleship, to taking up one's cross, and to actively cooperating with grace in becoming more like Christ can be muted. It is true that the concept of "cooperating with grace," when applied to justification or conversion, is anathema in Lutheran theology. However, the same is not the case for the life that follows justification, namely sanctification. Once a person is justified and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Lutherans do speak of a qualified "cooperation."

Nevertheless, as a rule, Lutherans tend to have little interest in religious experience and often do not want to hear about it. This reluctance stems from a misunderstanding of the doctrine. Properly understood, sola fide is a negative formula. It means only that no religious experience, no pious act, no ritual participation, and not even partaking of the Holy Supper has any salvific effect in itself. None of these things can earn or secure salvation.

Thus, "faith alone" is not a positive claim that faith is the only thing that matters in the Christian life. Rather, it is a protective boundary. It guards against the delusion of self-salvation, the temptation to think that something we do, feel, or experience can save us. Correctly interpreted, sola fide does not forbid religious experience, emotional depth, or a rich devotional life. It simply prevents us from placing our trust in them as the ground of our salvation. The door remains open to genuine encounter with God, but we are never allowed to mistake the door itself for the destination.