Lutheran Culture

ContraMundum · Aug 11, 2012

HI all,

Every Church has a culture about it. When one enters an Anglican church, one soon figures out that tea and a shot of port is common after church, not to mention a large amount of people of English decent and values. Likewise, one enters an Eastern Orthodox Church and one soon finds a deep rooted culture and one may even fell it of benefit to learn and culture and language of that church. Sometimes it may even be expected. Catholics certainly have their own culture, and we need not mention anything of the fundamentalists.

Recently I have been very struck (since my re-acquaintance with Lutheran churches) by a very Lutheran culture.

My question: what is your experience, understanding and ideal of Lutheran culture? Does it connect with its theology or its ethnic origins or both? Can you give examples?

Tangible · Aug 11, 2012

Since we became Lutherans, I haven't really noticed much of a cultural difference between them and "regular" Americans. Having been raised Baptist, I notice less of an influence on legalism and moralism, but that's a big plus in my book.

Unfortunately, there are some in my local church who would probably feel more at home with Baptists or Non-Denoms than with dyed-in-the-wool, historical Lutherans.

LilLamb219 · Aug 11, 2012

I didn't know we had a culture

I guess most are beer and coffee drinkers with a love for jello?

Beyond that, I have no idea.

AngCath · Aug 11, 2012

I used to be Anglican and am familiar with some parishes very English feel. At my church one can definitely tell the culture - the church's original name was "First German Protestant Lutheran Church" and it feels that way to me.

PreachersWife2004 · Aug 11, 2012

LilLamb219 said:
I didn't know we had a culture

I guess most are beer and coffee drinkers with a love for jello?

Beyond that, I have no idea.

Pretty much what we've experienced as well.

alexnbethmom · Aug 11, 2012

LilLamb219 said:
I didn't know we had a culture

I guess most are beer and coffee drinkers with a love for jello?

Beyond that, I have no idea.

PreachersWife2004 said:
Pretty much what we've experienced as well.

yup.....

ContraMundum · Aug 12, 2012

Well, let me give an example- my first visit to a Lutheran church (years ago!) fell on a day when they happened to have a lunch afterward. Upon entering the church I noticed a very large verse of scripture painted on the wall- in German. The liturgy was thoroughly linked to the Renaissance (excellent, btw, but discarded now) and the lunch was sausage and sauerkraut fest and most people had German names (this church is in an Australian suburb). A real culture shock for me, a Christian of only a few years from a Jewish background. I avoided the sausages etc but I loved the people and the church. Most of the LCAust now uses dreadful liturgy and the worst hymnody on the planet, so I do mourn that a bit, but my first experience was a real treat.

As I grew and joined with a Confessional Church and studied theology, I began to see very cultural attitudes come out in the theology as well. I still do. I am working on a paper on it, for my own readers. I do not think this is peculiar to Lutheranism by any means, but culture does play a huge role in what some would call adiaphora and even dogma.

Thoughts?

AngCath · Aug 13, 2012

I know that where I am the congregation is a sort of cultural refuge for immigrants from Europe. We have Germans, Swedes, and Norwegians who upon moving to the area gravitate to us because we're not only Lutheran but worship in a traditional (meaning Gothic revival) building, sing the liturgy with a lot of JS Bach and even though the food is pretty typical American fare, there are other members who form a kind of immigrant enclave. Even more interesting is that the same is true for a small population of Ethiopian and Indian immigrants who also have found us to be the most like what they experienced in their homeland.

As for the building, everything is in English except for the words around the Baptismal font which are in German. The only other non-English usage is the semi-regular use of Latin hymns during communion.

Izdaari Eristikon · Aug 14, 2012

My church is both TEC and ELCA, and doesn't have the German or Scandinavian ethnicity common in many Lutheran churches. Rather, we are very diverse, pretty much a representative cross-section of our city's population. Our pastor comes from the Lutheran side and has a Scandinavian name, but I haven't seen any signs of his ethnicity making a cultural difference. At least, he hasn't tried to serve us lutefisk.

Aibrean · Aug 14, 2012

Considering I'm half German...I fit in nicely

We don't do anything really German except having a German feast on Reformation Sunday.

LilLamb219 · Aug 14, 2012

I'm mostly German...but I don't know what we do if anything that is specifically German or Scandinavian at my church. Maybe it's because I'm not aware that something is just culture based?

When I was growing up, my mom used to use some German words, but I NEVER knew they were German! I thought she was just changing words to make them sound silly and I was embarrassed by it. So, sometimes people aren't always aware that something is cultural?

DaRev · Aug 14, 2012

In may of the old Slovak Lutheran congregations there is still a measure of the Slovak culture intact. And the food is quite good!

synger · Aug 15, 2012

Visiting my in-laws' Presbyterian church (and I was Presbyterian for almost 40 years) then coming back to my LCMS church I notice the following:

The service is almost exactly the same in the general order of worship
However, there is much more congregational participation in the Lutheran service. More response, more activity by speaking along with the everyone else.
People dress about the same, and they sit in their "own" (habitual) pews in both churches
The hymnody is similar in age, though there are more overall sovereignty-of-God hymns in the Presbyterian hymnal and more look-to-the-cross hymns in the Lutheran hymnal (I have and use both in my personal devotions)
The pastor of the Presbyterian church dresses in scholar's robes, as opposed to the vestments of the Lutheran pastor.
The people are both very friendly, and there's coffee afterward.
And in both places: Once you get your coffee, move out of the way! Don't stand between the next Presby or Lutheran and their coffee!

MarkRohfrietsch · Aug 15, 2012

One thing that I have noticed is that most Lutherans of Germanic decent in Canada possess and appreciate very dry, sarcastic humour.

...And the food, it all revolves around meat; the species matters little, but it's all savoury and abundant! (salads and garnishes are Adiaphora

; beer is NOT).

redphantom · Aug 16, 2012

What I've noticed about Lutheran churches is the coffee. And we like to eat. I think the motto is "If we feed them, they will come." This isn't a bad thing. Eating, having coffee gives time for fellowship. Spending time with other Christians is important. Not saying avoid non-believers but we need to have time with other believers too.

Izdaari Eristikon · Aug 17, 2012

But is it good coffee?

neen1 · Aug 17, 2012

Our church's coffee is BAD!! But that doesn't stop people from drinking it (and I'm sort of a coffee snob)! LOL The doughnuts during fellowship are VERY important at my church. Heck, when we were having budget issues and had to make cuts, people threw a HUGE fit when anyone even mentioned cutting the money spent on doughnuts and coffee. So instead they cut people. :/

redphantom · Aug 17, 2012

Our church has volunteers bring foodwe have a lot of people who love to bake. And there is a free will offering at our coffee time that helps pay for the coffee and supplies.

Tangible · Aug 17, 2012

Freewill offering? At a Lutheran church? :o

PreachersWife2004 · Aug 17, 2012

Tangible said:
Freewill offering? At a Lutheran church? :o

We do this quite often. Just had one a few weeks ago to help defray the costs of VBS.

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