The development of doctrine.

[Xeno.of.athens]

As readers can see I am not a Lutheran Christian. However I have been giving some thought to Lutheran teaching and want to ask Lutherans on the forum if they think the following is a reasonable statement.

Lutheran doctrine has developed over time, building on past teachings and expanding to cover new areas as time passes. This is known as the development of doctrine, which is a process by which Christian beliefs and teachings evolve over time in response to changing historical, cultural, and intellectual contexts.​

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The Lutheran Church has a strong commitment to the idea of sola scriptura, which means that its teachings are based on the authority of the Bible alone. However, Lutherans recognize that the interpretation of Scripture has evolved over time, and that new insights and understandings can be gained through careful study and reflection.​

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As a result, Lutheran doctrine has developed over time, particularly in response to new challenges and questions that have arisen within the church and the broader society. For example, Lutheran theology has developed a more nuanced understanding of the role of reason and faith in the Christian life, as well as the relationship between the church and the state.​

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In addition, Lutheran theology has also engaged with new areas of inquiry, such as ecology, social justice, and interfaith relations. While these developments are rooted in the central teachings of the Lutheran faith, they represent new areas of emphasis and focus that have emerged over time.​

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In addition is the following an accurate summary of Confessional Lutheran doctrinal standards?

Confessional Lutheranism is based on a set of authoritative documents that outline its core beliefs and practices. These documents are collectively known as the Lutheran Confessions and include:​

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1. The Augsburg Confession (1530): This is the primary confession of faith for Lutherans and contains a summary of key Lutheran teachings, such as justification by faith alone, the authority of Scripture, and the sacraments.
2. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1531): This document is a defense of the Augsburg Confession and elaborates on its key themes and teachings.
3. The Smalcald Articles (1537): These articles were written by Martin Luther and summarize his key teachings on justification, the sacraments, and other key issues.
4. The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope (1537): This document outlines the Lutheran position on the role and authority of the pope within the church.
5. The Small Catechism (1529) and Large Catechism (1529): These are instructional texts that provide a summary of Lutheran doctrine and practices for laypeople.
6. The Formula of Concord (1577): This document was written to resolve disputes within the Lutheran Church and contains a detailed exposition of key Lutheran teachings, including the nature of Christ, the sacraments, and election.

These documents are considered authoritative within the Lutheran tradition and are used to guide the interpretation of Scripture and the teaching of doctrine within Lutheran churches.​

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[BobRyan]

The Lutheran Church has a strong commitment to the idea of sola scriptura, which means that its teachings are based on the authority of the Bible alone. However, Lutherans recognize that the interpretation of Scripture has evolved over time, and that new insights and understandings can be gained through careful study and reflection.

As for that part of your post -- A lot of Christian denominations use that same model and have that same understanding.

 

[PsaltiChrysostom]

Morning and TGIF,
I'm a former Missouri Synod Lutheran who converted to EO just over 20 years ago.

FYI, those documents make up what is known as the Formula of Concord and form the basis of Lutheran theology. One caveat is that most Lutherans subscribe to what is known as the Unaltered Augsburg Confession of 1530. It was written by Philip Melachthon, and he revised it over the years. The best known variant is a translation of the AC into Greek for submission to the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1559, although Melachthon had died in 1557.

 

[Tigger45]

@ViaCrucis &/or @Daniel9v9 could answer these questions well and are both friendly chaps to boot.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

@ViaCrucis &/or @Daniel9v9 could answer these questions well and are both friendly chaps to boot.

Agreed, they are both able to answer and both appear to be good people who give calm answers.

 

[Daniel9v9]

Hey, thanks for the invite!

I'd be glad to expand if it's helpful, but in brief, when we discuss the Lutheran Church, I think it could be wise to first make a distinction between what is Lutheran in a historical sense and what falls under liberal Lutheranism. This is helpful to answer the question of whether or not there is development in Lutheran doctrine. And we can get at this by asking a simple question, namely: "How does God speak to us?" Historical, confessional, or orthodox Lutherans would reply: "Through the Bible." Liberal Lutherans, however, would reply: "Through the Bible and the Holy Spirit through culture."

So, in the Lutheran system, properly speaking, there is no development. There have certainly been different kinds of movements or emphasises throughout the history of the church, but the theological system is fixed and clearly confessed in the Concordia.

In the liberal Lutheran system, however, there is a development of doctrine. This is due to the belief that the Holy Spirit can inform the church through culture and the use of reason. Examples of this could be the decision to embrace the ordination of women or their views on family, marriage, and sexuality.

There's even one more underlying thing to this, which is that in the orthodox Lutheran system, it's held that the Bible is God's Word, but in the liberal system, it's held that the Bible contains God's Word. This is an important difference with real practical implications. To take one example, I remember hearing a Norwegian priest, speaking on behalf of his church, saying that it is their job to separate between that which is God's Word and that which is Satan's word in the Bible. In other words, the Church of Norway, along with other progressive Lutheran bodies, discern what is good and what is bad and how to apply it by use of reason. This, however, is far removed from what the Lutheran Church has and still confesses in the Concordia. There is a place for reason and tradition in the orthodox Lutheran system, but it's always governed by God's Word.

So, while it's a little more complex than this, I think it would be a yes/no answer to your question. Yes, if we're talking about the liberal wing. No, if we're talking about the orthodox wing.

Perhaps the statement could be true in part if we have in mind the doctrinal system of a body like the Church of Norway, but I don't think it's an accurate description of confessional or orthodox Lutheran doctrine.

Hope this helps and God's blessings to you!

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Hey, thanks for the invite!

I'd be glad to expand if it's helpful, but in brief, when we discuss the Lutheran Church, I think it could be wise to first make a distinction between what is Lutheran in a historical sense and what falls under liberal Lutheranism. This is helpful to answer the question of whether or not there is development in Lutheran doctrine. And we can get at this by asking a simple question, namely: "How does God speak to us?" Historical, confessional, or orthodox Lutherans would reply: "Through the Bible." Liberal Lutherans, however, would reply: "Through the Bible and the Holy Spirit through culture."

So, in the Lutheran system, properly speaking, there is no development. There have certainly been different kinds of movements or emphasises throughout the history of the church, but the theological system is fixed and clearly confessed in the Concordia.

In the liberal Lutheran system, however, there is a development of doctrine. This is due to the belief that the Holy Spirit can inform the church through culture and the use of reason. Examples of this could be the decision to embrace the ordination of women or their views on family, marriage, and sexuality.

There's even one more underlying thing to this, which is that in the orthodox Lutheran system, it's held that the Bible is God's Word, but in the liberal system, it's held that the Bible contains God's Word. This is an important difference with real practical implications. To take one example, I remember hearing a Norwegian priest, speaking on behalf of his church, saying that it is their job to separate between that which is God's Word and that which is Satan's word in the Bible. In other words, the Church of Norway, along with other progressive Lutheran bodies, discern what is good and what is bad and how to apply it by use of reason. This, however, is far removed from what the Lutheran Church has and still confesses in the Concordia. There is a place for reason and tradition in the orthodox Lutheran system, but it's always governed by God's Word.

So, while it's a little more complex than this, I think it would be a yes/no answer to your question. Yes, if we're talking about the liberal wing. No, if we're talking about the orthodox wing.

Perhaps the statement could be true in part if we have in mind the doctrinal system of a body like the Church of Norway, but I don't think it's an accurate description of confessional or orthodox Lutheran doctrine.

Hope this helps and God's blessings to you!

it does help but I have questions.
Does Concordia teach about capitalism and socialism, same sex marriage, RU486 and related chemical abortion methods? Does Concordia teach about the environment, the growth in human population from 8 billion upwards, Sunday observance, Saturday observance, and do confessional Lutherans have the same views on Sunday observance now as was the case in 1522?

 

[Daniel9v9]

it does help but I have questions.
Does Concordia teach about capitalism and socialism, same sex marriage, RU486 and related chemical abortion methods? Does Concordia teach about the environment, the growth in human population from 8 billion upwards, Sunday observance, Saturday observance, and do confessional Lutherans have the same views on Sunday observance now as was the case in 1522?

I have an idea of where you may be going with this, and I think it’s important to appreciate that the Concordia a confession of faith — a creed. And same as with the ecumenical creeds, they were formulated to address specific issues or combat certain heresies. And to expand a creed is not the same as development of doctrine. Or at least, it shouldn’t be!

For example, the expansion of the Nicene Creed to include more on the Holy Spirit is not a development of doctrine, for it’s not as if the church taught one thing about the Holy Spirit then decided to teach something different. Rather, when the confession was originally put together, it was sufficient to say “And I believe in the Holy Spirit”. Later, however, this was expanded to combat errors.

So, if we were to consider, to take one example, same-sex marriage, we can understand that while the Concordia doesn’t address it directly in any comprehensive way, it most certainly does indirectly. That is, when the Concordia was put together, homosexuality was not a controversy — everyone knew it was sin — and so there was no need to address it directly. However, the Biblical view on marriage is plainly assumed throughout our Confessions.

With this in mind, if we compare the Concordia with the progressive wing of Lutheranism in our day, we can find that they have indeed had a development of doctrine in that they have changed from calling homosexuality a sin to not being a sin but even something perfectly good and natural. The orthodox wing, however, is still bound by the authority of God’s Word, as confessed in our creeds. We confess that homosexuality is a sin, and that will never change. We may expand on the subject in dealing with the challenges we face in our time, but that’s not to be confused with development of doctrine, for the teaching is the same.

Hopefully this can clarify a bit!

God bless +

 

[FireDragon76]

"Liberal Lutheranism", or what I like to call Mainline Lutheranism, is like post Vatican II Catholicism. We aren't changing the dogmatic core of the religion, we are just expanding and clarifying.

"Confessional Lutheranism" is the equivalent of the Traditionalist crowd of Catholicism, that very little or nothing must change in 500 years, despite the very different cultural context most of us live in.