Is Lutheran a good start?

Lutheran is a fine choice. Very safe and gives you a place to learn what the reformation was over and whether or not you agree if Lutherans went far enough..

Lutheran would be a good choice. I would recommend a congregation affiliated with the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. They can be found all across the nation.

Which ever way you go there is no substitute for self study using resources common to most denominations. If you get locked into one view, you'll miss the big picture.

Jonathan817 said:

I am a little intimidated with all these denominations, I need to start somewhere.

I looked into Orthodox as well, but I am unsure. Both are fine choices?

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I'm not Lutheran, but I agree with what @Albion said—except ultimately do not be a follower of any denomination. Be a follower of Christ. Read Scripture yourself and get help understanding it from your church.

I’m a member of a Lutheran congregation but frequent an Eastern Orthodox parish in our area. I personally only study and incorporate theology from Lutheran and E.O. Sources. At this point I’d best be labeled an evangelical catholic. IMO they are the best Christian theologies. Keep in mind they have things in common and things in opposition to each other. Lutheranism is very Evangelical where God initiates and empowers your walk with Christ opposed to Orthodoxy which is synergistic and incorporates a lot of Ascetiscism and it is an integral part of Orthodox theology.

tampasteve said:

Personally I prefer Lutheran theology and churchmanship - but I am Lutheran

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I have been sharing with a Lutheran group. And the pastor can even seem antagonistic toward the epistle of James. I know he might not represent Lutherans in general. But in case the Lutheran group does not consider the book of James to be God's word, or something like this . . . I would be prayerful about that. I used to find James to be aggravating . . . because it so confronted how I can be wrong, plus it gave such strong things about God and what is good, which very strongly showed up my stupid and selfish nonsense and it inferiority; so I can see why ones might not like James.

So, Tampa Steve, you are welcome to speak for yourself about what you know about the official approach of Lutheranism to James. And @Jonathan817 > I would say that if you do share with Lutherans, I would make a prayerful point of discovering the book of James as well as God blesses you to. And be careful about how other people's interpretations effect what you get.

Which Lutheran church/synod was that congregation affiliated with, com7fy8?

Albion said:

Which Lutheran church/synod was that congregation affiliated with, com7fy8?

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I don't know. And I did not find a straightforward source to tell me, on the Net; and I do not want to bring attention to it, by asking the pastor; I try to take people as they are and have them speak for their own selves. His reaction seemed personal, when he said he did not want to discuss a reading selection for the Sunday worship. So, like I say, I would let people speak for themselves about their groups.

Jonathan817 said:

I am a little intimidated with all these denominations, I need to start somewhere.

I looked into Orthodox as well, but I am unsure. Both are fine choices?

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I can only share my conclusions after quite a lot of study and prayer once I opened the door to Christ. It’s a long story, and this is just a forum. Lutheranism was the family religion. My brother felt fine with just getting back into that when he was called. But I think it’s just cultural convenience for him, honestly. I’m an analytical person by nature, and have never been known fo going with the flow. While it certainly is not where I expected to end up, the fullness of Christian truth only showed itself to me in the Catholic Church, with the only other real contender being for my understanding the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the end, I ended up falling down on the side of Petrine primacy among the Apostles, and after an additional year of discernment between the two fully apostolic Churches ended up Catholic. Having said that, for liturgical reasons alone, I am now studying the Byzantine rite of the Catholic Church. I love my family, and we continue to have many spirited, but charitable conversations about all this, and I can see some of the appeal in the Lutheran denomination, but ultimately, they have closed themselves off from the priesthood, and lost their faculties to therefore confect the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, which I believe to be the crux of Christian worship from both scripture and sacred tradition. I’m a firm believer in the sacrament and the real presence of Christ. Peace to you, and may the Holy Spirit guide you at all times in your journey.

com7fy8 said:

I don't know. And I did not find a straightforward source to tell me, on the Net; and I do not want to bring attention to it, by asking the pastor; I try to take people as they are and have them speak for their own selves. His reaction seemed personal, when he said he did not want to discuss a reading selection for the Sunday worship. So, like I say, I would let people speak for themselves about their groups.

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Hmm. Well, I am sorry that I put you to that much trouble, but as is the case with most of the important denominations these days, they are divided into liberal vs conservative branches, sometimes even more.

The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod was the one recommended by me because it is respected for its scholarship and its conservative but not extreme theology. For someone who doesn't know just where to begin a search like this, I thought it would be a sound choice for you, although I am not a Lutheran myself.

I would be surprised if it turned out that the pastor you referred to with those views, was LC-MS, although very little is iron-clad guaranteed in today's church scene! By the way, it occurs to me now that the phone book yellow pages usually separate the Lutherans into their respective synods, so a look there might just give you the answer.

Jonathan817 said:

I am a little intimidated with all these denominations, I need to start somewhere.

I looked into Orthodox as well, but I am unsure. Both are fine choices?

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I may be in the minority but to answer your question, no. Absolutely not. They believe, teach and confess different doctrine to the point that it affects the Gospel. I mean no disrespect to my Orthodox friends here on CF but I am certain they would react the same way if someone were to compare Eastern theology and practice with Confessional Lutheran doctrine and practice. I would say if you were going to start somewhere make sure you are sound in Christianity 101 meaning the creeds, canon etc. Then speak with the priest or pastor. Ask him the tough questions you may have. Attend a catechism class/ inquirer class if you are curious. Make sure you are part of the worshipping community while attending so you get to see what these church bodies are like on the ground and not in an academic sense. And join the church because you believe what she believes, teaches and confesses.

com7fy8 said:

I have been sharing with a Lutheran group. And the pastor can even seem antagonistic toward the epistle of James. I know he might not represent Lutherans in general. But in case the Lutheran group does not consider the book of James to be God's word, or something like this . . . I would be prayerful about that.

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I would say that the pastor does not represent Lutheran thought on James. It is part of the canon and carries with it the authority of God's word. If this pastor teaches otherwise then he departs from historic Lutheran doctrine and practice. Not even more theological liberal Lutheran bodies would tolerate such a teaching. I would be interested in what body he is a part of because I know for a fact that would not fly in the LCMS.

com7fy8 said:

I have been sharing with a Lutheran group. And the pastor can even seem antagonistic toward the epistle of James. I know he might not represent Lutherans in general. But in case the Lutheran group does not consider the book of James to be God's word, or something like this . . . I would be prayerful about that. I used to find James to be aggravating . . . because it so confronted how I can be wrong, plus it gave such strong things about God and what is good, which very strongly showed up my stupid and selfish nonsense and it inferiority; so I can see why ones might not like James.

So, Tampa Steve, you are welcome to speak for yourself about what you know about the official approach of Lutheranism to James. And @Jonathan817 > I would say that if you do share with Lutherans, I would make a prayerful point of discovering the book of James as well as God blesses you to. And be careful about how other people's interpretations effect what you get.

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In our ELCA Lutheran church, we did James about about 3 years ago in our Thursday night bible study, and I think we are going to do it soon in our Saturday bible study. Also, we had a wonderful James reading in our Sunday service recently, and the sermon used it, though my mind wandered after a bit because it was so very familiar. But during the reading though, I was so taken again by it. James has such a wonderful wording.

Jonathan817 said:

I am a little intimidated with all these denominations, I need to start somewhere.

I looked into Orthodox as well, but I am unsure. Both are fine choices?

Click to expand...

I did not grow up in a Lutheran church, and have attended many denominations, and I recommend Lutheran as very good. Also, ELCA Lutheran I recommend because it welcomes all who are ready to participate in communion, correctly. I think this inclusion of visitors is very important, in part due to Christ's warning to us in Matthew chapter 25. So, I'd pick ELCA for this reason, instead of Missouri, if the local Missouri has 'closed communion' or 'table'.

But the first thing to look for in any individual congregation is to see them practicing Love One Another, and that they welcome you.

James is not a source for doctrine in the Lutheran tradition, as it is a book of disputed apostolicity. But that's not the same as saying it has no place in the Bible. It's a book that is primarily about what we would call Law, and doesn't clearly preach the Gospel.

Both Orthodoxy and Lutheranism potentially have a great deal of intellectual rigor behind their approaches, however they differ a great deal in their emphasis and even their doctrines.

Thanks, everyone, for sharing how you do consider James to be legitimate, even equal to Paul, I understand you to mean. From my own reading and meditation I definitely find that Paul and James very well bless each other, I guess you could say And since this is not my thread, I will go back to what >

Jonathan817 said:

I am a little intimidated with all these denominations, I need to start somewhere.

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As you can see, Jonathan, there can be different ideas and ways in Bible claiming groups, even within groups; so, like I say, you might let each person speak for oneself.

In the case I'm talking about, it seems possible the church has people who are strong in God's word, but not all. And maybe the pastor has been dealt with in private, because his approach in our group has moved to a more obvious effort to talk about the Bible.

So, it is possible you might have members and leadership in a church but they do not all go the same way. So, I'm thinking ones here might agree that you could do well with a conservative Lutheran church, but be aware if any leader or member does not fully accept and appreciate James or any other part of God's word. A certain person might differ from Christian belief, but that person, even a pastor, does not speak for everybody! Even if you find someone with non-Christian ways in a church, there can be others there who are strong in God's word, who might make it worth your while to be there.

We all need to keep our eyes open and listen carefully to what people say and preach.

"Test all things; hold fast what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

It is my experience that even a more mature minister can believe certain things which are not correct; so even in one pretty good message, there can be a thing or more not to accept. But always stay prayerfully ready for the good things God has for us.