The Lutheran Faith, Research Paper Example

As one of the largest Protestant denominations in today’s America, Lutheranism, mainly composed of two separate bodies of belief, being the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the more conservative Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), was founded in 1517 by Martin Luther, a German monk widely known as the “Father of the Reformation movement” which attempted to separate itself from the tenets and practices of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. Overall, Luther “stressed the doctrine of justification by faith alone and the authority of scripture” (“Lutheranism”) as contrasted with the strict beliefs and antiquated ways of the Catholic Church. Two important deviations included the shift away from ritual as found in the Catholic faith and a larger focus on the revelations of God in the Holy Bible and personal purification through baptism (“Lutheranism”).

According to Ted Vial, an associate professor of theology at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado, there is currently three specific rites or practices in the Lutheran faith that involve the use of objects, special clothing, and various decorations or religious symbols as part of the Lutheran denomination as devised by Martin Luther– Sunday worship services which involves “praying, hymn singing, communal readings by the congregation, blessings, and benedictions,” the sacraments of baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church practices four important rites or rituals that are not found in Lutheranism, namely confirmation, confession, ordination, and the last rites (“Rites and Ceremonies”).

Overall, within the church itself, Lutheran ministers continue to utilize special clothing that is quite similar to that found in a traditional Catholic ceremony or rite, such as the confirmation of church members, and the ordination of priests. Along with several familiar symbolic objects like the cross or crucifix, goblets, and candles, there are important food-related items that are utilized in the Lord’s Supper ritual.

The first is bread which is usually unleavened as was the bread used in the first Passover ceremony as noted in the New Testament via the “feast of unleavened bread” as found in the Books of Luke and Mark. Traditionally, this type of bread is made “from the flour of wheat, rye, barley, or other grains,” and while the shape of the bread is vital in the Catholic faith, for Lutherans, bread symbolizes a “reverence for the elements” with no “specific guidance on the size or shape of the wafer or portion” (French, “Project Wittenberg”).

The second is wine which has always been used in the Catholic Church as a symbol for the blood of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, specifically in the Book of Matthew, the apostle refers to “the cup” which indicates wine in a goblet or some other type of vessel associated with the Grail or drinking cup that Jesus used during the Last Supper before his crucifixion. Wine was also referred to as the “fruit of the vine” or wine made from grapes which dates back to the original Jewish Passover ritual (French,

“Project Wittenberg”). Much like bread, the type of wine used during the ceremony is not that important, for as French points out, the “color, type, or origin of the grape wine is a matter which Christians can select in accord with their situation” or with the traditional practices as outlined by Martin Luther in the early 16th century (French, “Project Wittenberg”).

However, there is now a tendency in the Lutheran faith to abandon all of the rituals. According to Bryce Wandrey, religious rituals within the Lutheran faith “puts distance between the clergy and the congregation” through the clothes worn by the church elders, “the formalities they rely on, the specialized language they use, the distant pulpit they stand behind” and how a particular ritual is performed (“Lutheran Ritual”). Thus, the physical and symbolic objects presently used in the Lutheran faith are falling by the wayside as but one more important movement away from the strict and highly ceremonial rites of the Roman Catholic Church.

Works Cited

French, Mark A. “Project Wittenberg: Theology and Practice of the Lord’s Supper.” 1983 Web. 25 November 2013.

“Lutheranism.” 2013. Web. 25 November 2013.

Vial, Ted. “Rites and Ceremonies.” 2013. Web. 25 November 2013.

Wandrey, Bryce. “Lutheran Ritual: An Identity Crisis.” 2009. Web. 25 November 2013.