Confessional Lutheran Converts?

[JM]

Just wondering, why did you convert to Lutheranism and from which faith or religion?

Yours in the Lord,

jm

 

[TKA_TN]

I grew up Presbyterian (PCA, then the church switched to EPC). Wandered into Evangelical Free for a little while, then found Lutheranism.

It’s Liturgical. The early church didn’t do “sing, sermon, sing, dismiss.” The early church did confession, Psalm, scripture, homily, prayers, Eucharist, dismiss.

It’s Jesus. Not these messages of “God has big plans for your life if you just accept Jesus into your heart.” I’d always thought that since I didn’t have this epiphany or emotional response, that maybe I wasn’t a Christian. Lutheranism changed that in that it’s not about some feeling or me choosing Christ, but Christ choosing me. Takes the pressure off of feeling despair. Lutheran pastors may not have the long, thought out sermons like some evangelical pastors, it you’ll always leave a Lutheran service knowing you’re a sinner, but Christ has saved you. Law and Gospel.

Tradition isn’t always a bad thing! Lutherans hold feasts, honor the Church Fathers, etc. if it doesn’t explicitly go against Scripture, Lutherans retained it. There’s a connection to the early church that other denominations seem to want to forget for whatever reason.

Think that’s about it for me. God bless.

 

[FaithT]

Just wondering, why did you convert to Lutheranism and from which faith or religion?

Yours in the Lord,

jm

It was between a ND church and the Lutheran one I go to, Lutheran won. It’s a non traditional church, similar to the ND church except we receive the Eucharist and pray more.

i left Catholicism because of sheer boredom. Catholics might say that my reason for leaving is a poor one, but that’s my reason.

 

[Daniel9v9]

I originally come from a Charismatic/Pentecostal/non-denominational environment - and held to a loose Arminian-Baptist system, lazily dubbed "spiritual".

I've studied Orthodox Lutheran Theology with a confessional Lutheran church and was simply amazed and compelled by how Christological it is and how central the article of justification is to everything. In my opinion, there is no other theological system that expresses the Gospel as clearly as the Lutheran system does, with its careful distinctions of Law and Gospel, Justification and Sanctification, the uses of the Law, Coram Mundo and Coram Deo. Sin is properly taught and the Gospel is rightly conveyed. The sacraments, in Lutheran understanding, are entirely gifts from God, whereas all other theological systems to one degree or another change them into an act of obedience. Needless to say, there are many reasons that won me over to Lutheranism.

Not be too hard, but looking back at my days in Hillsong, I realise how little edification and substance there is in those churches. I've come to realise how important catechesis is - that is, to have a good foundational understanding of basic Christian ideas, such as who God is, who we are, what sin is, God's grace etc. We weren't really taught these things because they're "doctrine" and not practical, which is absurd and very sad. The notion of "No doctrine but Christ!" and "Deeds, not creeds!" etc which I used to cling to is tremendously shallow and even counter to the Christian faith.

In a word, I just find the orthodox Lutheran system incredibly clear, harmonious and truthful.

 

[tampasteve]

I came about from a long direction....Baptist - Methodist - Catholic - Lapse - Messianic - Lutheran.

I still self identify with some aspects of Messianic thought, but the Lutheran church and theology really work for me. Coming from a Catholic background also influences my choices of desiring a church with a liturgy and history to it. The Lutheran Divine Service is very similar superficially to a Catholic Mass, so that is appealing to me on a number of levels.

 

[LutheranPiratesFan]

I'm an adult convert, grew up Catholic, was LDS for a years, am currently studying at a WELS Lutheran church. I prefer the high church aspects and theological conservatism of the WELS church over any other church I've visited.

 

[tampasteve]

I'm an adult convert, grew up Catholic, was LDS for a years, am currently studying at a WELS Lutheran church. I prefer the high church aspects and theological conservatism of the WELS church over any other church I've visited.

That is great! I am happy you found a church that works for you, it is interesting, there are not that many high church WELS churches that I am aware of, so I am happy you were able to find one!

 

[LutheranPiratesFan]

That is great! I am happy you found a church that works for you, it is interesting, there are not that many high church WELS churches that I am aware of, so I am happy you were able to find one!

Thank you my friend. I live about two hours north of Tampa, in pretty small town. I'm happy the church is near me too!

 

[Roymond]

I was something of a generic "I'm a Christian but..." type in high school. When it came time to choose a college, I was inundated with offers and threw up my hands. In a bit of tenuous theology, I stacked all the letters on my desk and told God that I would go to whichever school for which the financial numbers added up. I actually expected to either end up with a handful to choose from or none, but there was this one little college not far from home called "Concordia", and the numbers were perfect, right on the nose -- not too little, not too much. So off I went to Portland to mingle with these strange "Lutheran" folks. There, one of my first classes was an introduction to the Lutheran Confessions, and armed with my Oxford Annotated Bible (required for both Old Testament and New Testament introduction courses) along with my Book of Concord I dedicated myself to examining every line on every page of every document: if I found I could reconcile a page with the scriptures, that page got a small green check mark on the upper outside corner; if not, I penciled in a circle and at the end of the week I pounced on my faculty advisor and hit him with questions.
It took me longer than that course, but I ended up with tidy green checkmarks on every page. But before that I was convicted that I needed to be baptized if I wanted to call myself a Christian... and there things took a little twist: on a visit home, I encountered Mormon missionaries who came very close to convincing me they were right! Returning to campus, a bit troubled, the first person I encountered was one of our Charismatic students, who insisted I go with him to a Pentecostal church across town. Four of us went, and it was a bit of a surreal experience: I don't recall the scriptures he preached on, but his sermon answered every question I had about the presentation of those Mormon missionaries, point by point as directly as if I'd given him a list of my questions. As I left with my friends after, I took out the appointment note for meeting again with the Mormons, tore it in pieces, and dropped them in the trash. And on of my friends, who knew I was planning to get baptized, pointed out that that Pentecostal church had a wade-in baptismal font with flowing water -- "just like the Jordan!" Two weeks later I got baptized by triple immersion, just the way the ancient church had done it.
So of course next time I went home the kids at the Lutheran church in town had heard through the grapevine and dragged me to church with them! Boldly, they told the pastor that I had gotten an A in the Lutheran Confession class -- and shouldn't that count for confirmation? This all felt like an instance of divine railroading; we stayed late after church and the pastor quizzed me thoroughly and pronounced me properly catechized (I found out after that he knew my professor for that class and talked with him that evening by phone. So two weeks later I got confirmed at the church I'd passed by on my way to school for twelve years without paying much attention to it, and that evening in chapel my friends introduced me as the newest Lutheran on campus.
After that I spent every Sunday morning attending one, sometimes two Lutheran churches. To me it was all what gets called "high church"; the "highest" I'd ever encountered had been a special consecration service of some kind at a Methodist church!

 

[Yowan]

I was born in Italy in 1983 from a not too religious family. I received Baptism at the age of 8 ( more or less) then near 12 I started disbelieving but at 14 back to Catholicism. I also served as an altar boy. But later near the age of 19 I was disappointed by the sexual scandals in the US and did not feel like God was listening to me. So I tossed rosaries and devotionals to the garbage and spent 20 years exploring other Faiths from Buddhism to Islam, from Hinduism to Neo- Paganism. Then , just before Christmas this year , I felt disappointed: I had found no Guru, no Nirvana. So back to Christianity ( which officially I had never left anyway). The RCC seemed to me too much on the Left, I deeply dislike Pope Francis. I tried Eastern Orthodoxy but I found it hard to trust monks and Patriarchs. So, I am now waiting to become a Confessional Lutheran. I like the solemn liturgy, the Scripture- based approach and the deep erudition of many pastors. Sola Gratia is comforting , no need of complex practices! I am now waiting for the Confirmation

 

[TKA_TN]

I was born in Italy in 1983 from a not too religious family. I received Baptism at the age of 8 ( more or less) then near 12 I started disbelieving but at 14 back to Catholicism. I also served as an altar boy. But later near the age of 19 I was disappointed by the sexual scandals in the US and did not feel like God was listening to me. So I tossed rosaries and devotionals to the garbage and spent 20 years exploring other Faiths from Buddhism to Islam, from Hinduism to Neo- Paganism. Then , just before Christmas this year , I felt disappointed: I had found no Guru, no Nirvana. So back to Christianity ( which officially I had never left anyway). The RCC seemed to me too much on the Left, I deeply dislike Pope Francis. I tried Eastern Orthodoxy but I found it hard to trust monks and Patriarchs. So, I am now waiting to become a Confessional Lutheran. I like the solemn liturgy, the Scripture- based approach and the deep erudition of many pastors. Sola Gratia is comforting , no need of complex practices! I am now waiting for the Confirmation

Great story and confessional Lutheranism is the most comforting (in my view, anyways) way of Christianity. Takes the pressure off of yourself. God has done it all. We respond in love.

 

[kdm1984]

I was born in Italy in 1983 from a not too religious family. I received Baptism at the age of 8 ( more or less) then near 12 I started disbelieving but at 14 back to Catholicism. I also served as an altar boy. But later near the age of 19 I was disappointed by the sexual scandals in the US and did not feel like God was listening to me. So I tossed rosaries and devotionals to the garbage and spent 20 years exploring other Faiths from Buddhism to Islam, from Hinduism to Neo- Paganism. Then , just before Christmas this year , I felt disappointed: I had found no Guru, no Nirvana. So back to Christianity ( which officially I had never left anyway). The RCC seemed to me too much on the Left, I deeply dislike Pope Francis. I tried Eastern Orthodoxy but I found it hard to trust monks and Patriarchs. So, I am now waiting to become a Confessional Lutheran. I like the solemn liturgy, the Scripture- based approach and the deep erudition of many pastors. Sola Gratia is comforting , no need of complex practices! I am now waiting for the Confirmation

Thank your for sharing your account and context of coming to the faith! We're of similar age. I'm also disappointed by all the scandals in the church, including most recently the SBC (so it's not just a Catholic thing). I've investigated other faiths, and I think this is fine for Christians to study, while realizing they lack the ultimate Truth of Jesus. I do think there are genuine believers in the RCC and EO, but haven't converted to either for a variety of reasons (Mary veneration, icons, etc). I like confessional Lutheranism for the same reasons you outline. American Christianity tends to be too Arminian, simplistic, and in-your-face with decision theology (or too moralistic with the Baptists and Reformed), but Lutheranism strikes that nice balance. It's not about you or your complex practices, but what Christ has done. The Lutherans seem to understand this best of the various Christian groups, all while not being too cultic (we acknowledge Christians in the other groups, just think they are misguided or misled on some topics).

 

[J_B_]

My family attended a United Methodist church when I was young. Long story short, in her early teens my older sister told my dad she wasn't going to be a member of the UMC. I was the quiet, sneaky one who let my sister blaze all the trails, and had intended to quietly slip away from church life unnoticed when I got older. But, once my sister made her announcement, my dad asked me, "What about you?", so I was honest.

He was shocked into starting a search for a church where my sister and I would agree to give it a try. After visiting many different denominations, we got to the LCMS church, and my sister agreed to that one. Again, I quietly assented with no real intention of staying, and dutifully went through the motions of Confirmation.

I figured college is when I would escape. I dropped in on the campus LCMS church so I'd know where to go when my parents visited, but wasn't serious about it. What I did notice, however, was that while the male-female student ratio for the university was something like 55%-45%, the church male/female ratio was something like 20%-80%. So I stayed.

The pastors had a huge influence on me, and by the time I graduated I was a committed Confessional Lutheran. I also met my wife there, so ...

As a bonus, my older sister has been an organist for Lutheran churches for 40+ years and my younger sister is married to an LCMS pastor. Christ took hold of my entire family.

 

[FaithT]

My family attended a United Methodist church when I was young. Long story short, in her early teens my older sister told my dad she wasn't going to be a member of the UMC. I was the quiet, sneaky one who let my sister blaze all the trails, and had intended to quietly slip away from church life unnoticed when I got older. But, once my sister made her announcement, my dad asked me, "What about you?", so I was honest.

He was shocked into starting a search for a church where my sister and I would agree to give it a try. After visiting many different denominations, we got to the LCMS church, and my sister agreed to that one. Again, I quietly assented with no real intention of staying, and dutifully went through the motions of Confirmation.

I figured college is when I would escape. I dropped in on the campus LCMS church so I'd know where to go when my parents visited, but wasn't serious about it. What I did notice, however, was that while the male-female student ratio for the university was something like 55%-45%, the church male/female ratio was something like 20%-80%. So I stayed.

The pastors had a huge influence on me, and by the time I graduated I was a committed Confessional Lutheran. I also met my wife there, so ...

As a bonus, my older sister has been an organist for Lutheran churches for 40+ years and my younger sister is married to an LCMS pastor. Christ took hold of my entire family.

Thanks for sharing. That’s a neat story.

 

[Markie Boy]

I am currently considering a Lutheran church. I am without a church home right now. The local ND is pretty good/conservative - but I just don't like the "concert like" music performance, sermon, go home - type format.

The two baptist churches are good/conservative - good community is a big draw - but the Once Saved Always Saved mindset is just as un-Biblical as much of the Catholic teaching I left behind.

So far there is only one thing I'm not really comfortable with the Lutheran service - it's the pastor saying "I forgive you of your sins" at one point. Too Catholic for me, and too not-scriptural.

 

[TKA_TN]

I am currently considering a Lutheran church. I am without a church home right now. The local ND is pretty good/conservative - but I just don't like the "concert like" music performance, sermon, go home - type format.

The two baptist churches are good/conservative - good community is a big draw - but the Once Saved Always Saved mindset is just as un-Biblical as much of the Catholic teaching I left behind.

So far there is only one thing I'm not really comfortable with the Lutheran service - it's the pastor saying "I forgive you of your sins" at one point. Too Catholic for me, and too not-scriptural.

It goes back to the Office of the Keys. “Whoever’s sins you forgive are forgiven.”

The pastor isn’t forgiving you, he is announcing Christ’s forgiveness “in his stead.”

 

[Markie Boy]

On one hand - that makes sense. On the other it spooks me.

How is this different than the Catholic teaching of confession to the priest and the priest giving absolution?

 

[Daniel9v9]

On one hand - that makes sense. On the other it spooks me.

How is this different than the Catholic teaching of confession to the priest and the priest giving absolution?

Yeah, this is something I struggled with when I first studied Lutheran doctrine. However, without going into great detail, the difference is that in the Lutheran understanding, the authority or power does not belong to the minister, but to Christ alone, and the minister is merely the Lord's ambassador. Simply, God gives His Church, that is, all believers, the authority to proclaim the Gospel, which is God's forgiveness of sins. He also gives His Church the authority to withhold the Gospel to unrepentant sinners, who instead need the Law. So the Office of the Keys is not some special power given to pastors or bishops only, and something above or apart from the Gospel, but rather, it's God's command to proclaim Christ. Simply, when you proclaim the Gospel to a repentant sinner, that is synonymous with absolution. That is, you don't forgive in your name, but you declare the forgiveness of Christ on His behalf, as He has commanded you.

God, in His great love and mercy for us, forgave us once and for all on the cross. And He carries the good news of that forgiveness of sins through several means: Through His Word, through the preaching of His Word, in Baptism, in the Eucharist, and even every day as we pray the Lord's prayer as He has instructed us. And one of these means is through His people in the form of Confession and Absolution. So this is all for our benefit and comfort — it's the same Gospel applied in different ways, for God's grace overflows, and we rejoice in that!

There's a lot more I can say, but I just wanted to mention a couple of things that helped me understand it.

God bless!

 

[TKA_TN]

I was going to tag @Daniel9v9 because he’s better than I could be at explaining it, but he beat me to the punch!

 

[Markie Boy]

I'll chew on it - but that is pretty good - thank you!