What is the most conservative Lutheran denomination?

[Christian_Commenter_1234]

I'm still confused.
UOJ is conservative or the opposite?
WELS is UOJ or not? And therefore conservative or not?
(Notice that I'm just asking questions, I'm not criticizing. Just want to learn.)

WELS supports UOJ and is conservative. I don't think UOJ is a liberal-conservative issue but I may be wrong.

 

[twin.spin]

I'm still confused.
UOJ is conservative or the opposite?
WELS is UOJ or not? And therefore conservative or not?
(Notice that I'm just asking questions, I'm not criticizing. Just want to learn.)

Korah,
If you read post #18, it speaks to the official position of the WELS.
Now I will try to explain in layman terms, (not to be considered officially speaking for WELS).

In purest of terms, UOJ (when properly understood) is Biblical thus one might call it "conservative" and by extension then WELS is conservative.
I however guard from using the term Universal Objective Justification simply because of the falsehood teaching that has come to be associated with Universal Salvation \ Universalists.

In the WELS, it is taught as the Scriptures teaches: Objective Justification and Subjective Justification.
The easiest example of the two is found in John 3:16, where Jesus says both:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son Objective Justification
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Subjective Justification​

 

[Korah]

Interesting.
But I'm not going to join WELS or LCMS just so I can get into this conversation.

 

[twin.spin]

UOJ is conservative or the opposite?
WELS is UOJ or not? And therefore conservative or not?

Interesting.
But I'm not going to join WELS or LCMS just so I can get into this conversation.

Understandable.
None of the answers to the questions you asked earlier requires joining.

 

[Korah]

I'm currently in ELCA, so the rules don't allow me to participate in opinions, just to ask questions for information.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Maybe the wrong question. From my POV the concept of Liberal vs. Conservative is maybe misleading. Orthodox vs. heterodox might be a better approach.

 

[Jim47]

[OUOTE="Arcangl86, post: 69763072, member: 344714"] My understanding is that most restrict communion to members of that congregation, [/QUOTE That's not quite true for WELS anyway. The WELS will serve Holy Communion to any WELS or ELS member of any congregation. I have been a WELS member for nearly 60 years

 

[Tangible]

Maybe the wrong question. From my POV the concept of Liberal vs. Conservative is maybe misleading. Orthodox vs. heterodox might be a better approach.

... or degrees of Confessional subscription. "Conservative" needs to be defined by the original poster.

To have differing beliefs regarding adiaphora in church government or administration does not necessarily mean that one position is more conservative than another. If conservative means resistant to change, I would look to the church that most closely resembles those in Germany during the period known as Lutheran Orthodoxy, especially 1600-1685.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheran_orthodoxy

"
Congregations maintained the full Mass rituals in their normal worship as suggested by Luther. In his Hauptgottesdienst (principal service of worship), Holy Communion was celebrated on each Sunday and festival. The traditional parts of the service were retained and, sometimes, even incense was also used.[2] Services were conducted in vernacular language, but in Germany, Latin was also present in both the Ordinary and Proper parts of the service. This helped students maintain their familiarity with the language.[3] As late as the time of Johann Sebastian Bach, churches in Leipzig still heard Polyphonic motets in Latin, Latin Glorias, chanted Latin collects and The Creed sung in Latin by the choir[4]

Church music flourished and this era is considered as a "golden age" of Lutheran hymnody.[5] Some hymnwriters include Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, Johann von Rist and Benjamin Schmolck in Germany, Haquin Spegel in Sweden, Thomas Hansen Kingo in Denmark, Petter Dass in Norway, Hallgrímur Pétursson in Iceland, and Hemminki Maskulainen in Finland. The most famous orthodox Lutheran hymnwriter is Paul Gerhardt. Prominent church musicians and composers include Michael Praetorius, Melchior Vulpius, Johann Hermann Schein, Heinrich Schütz, Johann Crüger, Dieterich Buxtehude and Johann Sebastian Bach.