There are thousands of Christian denominations in the world today. With so many options, what are the odds that Lutherans really have everything right?
But it is not a matter of odds. As President Harrison writes in his introduction to this booklet, all these differences come down to a few simple questions, starting with this one: What is the highest authority in the church?
Lutherans hold that God’s Word alone, found in Holy Scripture, is the true source of doctrine for the church. And we believe that the Lutheran Confessions are faithful to that Scripture at every point.
This resource from The Lutheran Witness, adapted from our October 2022 print issue, gives a short introduction to 10 major Christian denominations (as well as “non-denominational” Christianity) — what they teach about God and about man, and the sources they draw these teachings from.
The booklet also shares the Lutheran confession to each of these denominations, showing where their doctrine strays from the testimony of Scripture.
Table of Contents
· Preface by the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison
· Roman Catholic
· Eastern Orthodox
· The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
· Anglican
· Reformed
· Presbyterian
· Methodist
· Baptist
· Pentecostal
· Amish & Mennonite
· Non-Denominational
· Conclusion: Justification, the Article Upon Which the Church Stands or Falls
We hope that this booklet will aid and encourage you in sharpening your confession of Christ crucified and of the Scriptures, as you seek to confess Christ to your friends and neighbors.
This resource can be used for personal reading or in classroom, youth group or Bible class settings.
Congregations, teachers and individuals are welcome to print and use this resource for any educational or catechetical purpose.
Order print booklets for $2.40 each + shipping by filling out the form below:
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As the descendent of some of the founders/organizers of the LCMS (CFW Walther and his cousin Carl Ludwig Geyer) I read your article on families with great interest. Some really good points were made and excellent insights were shared. Thank you for the posting.
Interestingly, I am not a member of your church. I have attended worship services of the LCMS, ELCA, and most Protestant and Catholic (incl orthodox, coptic, etc) churches seeking for truth through the many decades of my life. Numbers of good people have tried to help me understand the Trinity, but now that I am a grandmother – it STILL doesn’t make sense. It’s pretty clear that the Trinity is not an original doctrine of the Christian Church, and that it was replaced by the god of Aristotle, and the teachings of the NeoPlatonists. I have always known my Father in Heaven and He just doesn’t fit the description of Deity you all embrace. Nonetheless, you carry on living good lives of grace and compassion and devotion to Christian ideals.
I discovered a dislike within myself for theologies which restrict themselves to the current canon of scripture and the writings of someone like Martin Luther. Who decided that God cannot speak to us any more? I have found through diligent search, prayer and learning a vision of God and His Son, Jesus Christ which offers much peace, and clarity of our purpose here. My Father does as he has always done, revealed himself to individuals and to prophets through the power of the Holy Spirit. So much had been lost, and now the Christian world limps along with a muddled understanding of who we are, why we are here and where we are going after this. There is a lack truth that cannot win people from the modern secular speculations and entertainments. This is part of why churches are losing so many members.
Thanks for reading this and thanks for being good people.
Your download link to access the full content does not work. The error message is “This content is blocked. Contact the site owner to fix the issue.” Thank you.
Rita, Sorry you’re running into this problem! We’re not seeing the error on our end. Are you clicking on the blue “Download Free PDF” button? If that’s still not working, try this direct link: https://files.lcms.org/file/preview/lutheranism-and-other-denominations-booklet
We look forward to receiving the Lutheran Witness each month.