Can you recommend a book for refuting the Lutheran faith?

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diana_leslie

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My Catholic-raised sister-in-law has recently decided to become Lutheran because her husband will not attend the Catholic Church and she feels it is important that her family attend the same church. One of her main arguments for the Lutherans is that Martin Luther’s 95 theses were legitimate claims against the Church, so much that the Church even changed because of them, so how can we really know what church is right?

I remember there was a book advertised on Catholic Answers that refutes some of Martin Luther’s arguments and talks about the flaws in the Lutheran church, but I cannot remember the title. Can anyone recommend some reading? Thanks.
 
Some of Luther’s concerns were legitimate, but others were not. The Church did need reform in some of the unlawful practices that were going on, but Luther was wrong about doctrinal reform.

However, I can’t seem to find the book you were talking about.
 
We pray for you, and the Family…

Martin Luthar proves as soo often that the bigger the lie, the more off the wall is being asked for, the greater chance of it coming to be so…

Martin Luthar, Stalin, Hitler, George Bush, and now Obama, if you want and desire it, its all possible if you only make an outragous lie, it will come to be…

The Catholic Church is all changing, Martin Luthar didnt change a thing about the Church, maybe the human element changed, but not the Tradition of the Catholic Church…

God stilll works through a Priest to administer the Sacraments, and We still look to the Holy Spirit to Guide US, not to our will as Martin Luthar wanted, but Gods will to be done…

and if you dont believe in Hell, you will when you get their…and for that we pray to go to Pergatory that some day we might be worthy to be with God in Heaven…
 
The Lutheran Church refutes itself.

Ask her which synod she belongs to and why and she can explain to YOU her decision to join not just Lutheranism but whatever particular SYNOD she will or did join. The faith named after Martin Luther himself.

There are, or used to be, three major synods. Maybe now there are more.
The ELCA synod signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the RC Church declaring those long standing differences regarding justification are now not divisive enough to alone preclude unity with the RC church; other issues obviously still divide us.

The LCMS still teaches the Pope perhaps and definitiely his office is the AntiChrist.
They are very anti Catholic in doctrine. They cling to Martin Luther like a Pope himself and base their confirmations on Luther’s Small Catecheism and the Pastors to the Book of Concord which, just read some of it and see for yourself.

The WELS is small and you can google their beliefs.

Ask her why if the Bible alone is the sole rule and norm of Faith there are huge varying differences in the Lutheran Church regarding: RC relations, close, closed, or open Communion, women clergy, abortion and homosexuality etc etc. Ask her also who has altar and pulpit fellowship with who among the synods.

Time for her to answer for her own beliefs given the disorganized state of Lutheranism today.
 
diana_leslie said:
My Catholic-raised sister-in-law has recently decided to become Lutheran because her husband will not attend the Catholic Church and she feels it is important that her family attend the same church. One of her main arguments for the Lutherans is that Martin Luther’s 95 theses were legitimate claims against the Church, so much that the Church even changed because of them, so how can we really know what church is right?

I remember there was a book advertised on Catholic Answers that refutes some of Martin Luther’s arguments and talks about the flaws in the Lutheran church, but I cannot remember the title. Can anyone recommend some reading? Thanks.
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The Epistle of James. That is not the name of the book yo are asking about. But it surely refutes much of Luther’s misconception.

The Church sometimes needs to reform itself. How will it do that if it always exists status quo. There sometimes needs to be an impetus from inside the Church for reform. Luther could have done this, in fact he did, he wasn’t looking to be excommunicated, just wanting the Church to affect change where needed. Which it did after they were brought up. Where pride gets Luther is that he aligned himself with political forces that sought to undermine the Catholic Church.

Francis of Assisi, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila are all reformers of the Church, they made it known and actively worked for reform within the Church. They didn’t make it political, they worked under the magisterial authority to affect the reform needed.
 
MaryT777 said:
The Lutheran Church refutes itself.

Ask her which synod she belongs to and why and she can explain to YOU her decision to join not just Lutheranism but whatever particular SYNOD she will or did join. The faith named after Martin Luther himself.

There are, or used to be, three major synods. Maybe now there are more.
The ELCA synod signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the RC Church declaring those long standing differences regarding justification are now not divisive enough to alone preclude unity with the RC church; other issues obviously still divide us.

The LCMS still teaches the Pope perhaps and definitiely his office is the AntiChrist.
They are very anti Catholic in doctrine. They cling to Martin Luther like a Pope himself and base their confirmations on Luther’s Small Catecheism and the Pastors to the Book of Concord which, just read some of it and see for yourself.

The WELS is small and you can google their beliefs.

Ask her why if the Bible alone is the sole rule and norm of Faith there are huge varying differences in the Lutheran Church regarding: RC relations, close, closed, or open Communion, women clergy, abortion and homosexuality etc etc. Ask her also who has altar and pulpit fellowship with who among the synods.

Time for her to answer for her own beliefs given the disorganized state of Lutheranism today.
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I left the LCMS to back to the RCC. Some were what you could call “liturgical baptists”. Good people, but I wasted a year of my life spiritually speaking. I regret it. Believe me, I regret the last 4 years.
 
diana_leslie said:
My Catholic-raised sister-in-law has recently decided to become Lutheran because her husband will not attend the Catholic Church and she feels it is important that her family attend the same church. One of her main arguments for the Lutherans is that Martin Luther’s 95 theses were legitimate claims against the Church, so much that the Church even changed because of them, so how can we really know what church is right?

I remember there was a book advertised on Catholic Answers that refutes some of Martin Luther’s arguments and talks about the flaws in the Lutheran church, but I cannot remember the title. Can anyone recommend some reading? Thanks.
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I understand that, “There We Stood: Here We Stand” as a book that speaks of the expereinces of 11 Lutherans turned Catholic, is pretty good, in that it approaches the subject with care and not polemics.

Jon
 
just_came_back said:
I left the LCMS to back to the RCC. Some were what you could call “liturgical baptists”. Good people, but I wasted a year of my life spiritually speaking. I regret it. Believe me, I regret the last 4 years.
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I will say when it comes to abortion, LCMS is VERY pro-life so I can’t complain there.
 
just_came_back said:
I left the LCMS to back to the RCC. Some were what you could call “liturgical baptists”. Good people, but I wasted a year of my life spiritually speaking. I regret it. Believe me, I regret the last 4 years.
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In all honesty and sincerity, I am sorry that the LCMS did not serve you well, and I pray you will be blessed where you are now.

Jon
 
All of this makes sense if the person makes a principled decision to convert. Let’s say I convert to Catholicism because I I come to understand real presence as the answer to the question Euchrist. That’s arguable and principled. Debate would work.

What the poster presents is not principled. She is converting because she wants to go to church with her husband who is Lutheran. (What flavor of Lutheran makes a HUGE diffrence especially when it comes to things like the Book of Concord) She is saying that going to church together is more important then Catholicism.

I bet the 95 theses thing is cover. Ask her to talk about the small and large Catechisms and her head would explode.

It’s admirable to want to go to church “in communion” with one’s spouse. So, if I was going to approach this, I might ask something like “how is it that you decided to put your relationship with your husband over your church?” and when she answers with somethimg along the lines of “I love him and want to worship with him” I would follow that with “Are you finding meaning in that relationship in worship or did you find more meaning when you were in a Catholic church?”

Ultimately, if she finds more meaning in worshiping with her husband I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. One more thing- do not, do not, ask her “why” in any form. Why" will be percieved as an attack most of the time. (think of your parents- Why are you home late? 🙂 )
 
diana_leslie said:
My Catholic-raised sister-in-law has recently decided to become Lutheran because her husband will not attend the Catholic Church and she feels it is important that her family attend the same church. One of her main arguments for the Lutherans is that Martin Luther’s 95 theses were legitimate claims against the Church, so much that the Church even changed because of them, so how can we really know what church is right?

I remember there was a book advertised on Catholic Answers that refutes some of Martin Luther’s arguments and talks about the flaws in the Lutheran church, but I cannot remember the title. Can anyone recommend some reading? Thanks.
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catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0097.html

Why Only Catholicism Can Make Protestantism Work: Louis Bouyer on the Reformation
MARK BRUMLEY

Louis Bouyer contends that the only way to safeguard the positive principles of the Reformation is through the Catholic Church. For only in the Catholic Church are the positive principles the Reformation affirmed found without the negative elements the Reformers mistakenly affixed to them.
 
Thank you all for the recommendations and help. There is a lot to think about (ranging from what to read to how to approach this). Really, my husband, her brother, is the one doing the talking since they were very close growing up, and this is really really important to him. I can see how much her leaving the church hurts him (to the point of tears, really). I wanted to give him some resources, but I know that this kind of thing has to be handled with great care, especially because family is often too close to be the vessel of Truth.
 
diana_leslie said:
My Catholic-raised sister-in-law has recently decided to become Lutheran because her husband will not attend the Catholic Church and she feels it is important that her family attend the same church. One of her main arguments for the Lutherans is that Martin Luther’s 95 theses were legitimate claims against the Church, so much that the Church even changed because of them, so how can we really know what church is right?

I remember there was a book advertised on Catholic Answers that refutes some of Martin Luther’s arguments and talks about the flaws in the Lutheran church, but I cannot remember the title. Can anyone recommend some reading? Thanks.
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Diana,

It’s interesting that in my fifty years, I’ve never seen a well catechised Catholic leave the Catholic Church, but I have seen people very strongly catechised in other Christian church traditions join the Catholic Church. This says something about the Truth that is Catholicism. The point I would make on this thread is to say your sister-in-law needs to know more about her Catholic faith, both the foundation of the Church set upon St. Peter and the gift Christ gave us in all the sacraments…most importantly in the reception of the Eucharist.

You may want to suggest a book to her like Scott Hahn’s “Rome Sweet Home”. Patrick Madrids short read “Answer Me This” is good for explaining common Catholic objections. There are many good books to choose from.

She also need to know that she must follow her conscious to what is the Truth in Christ, not her husband.

Pork
 
JonNC said:
I understand that, “There We Stood: Here We Stand” as a book that speaks of the expereinces of 11 Lutherans turned Catholic, is pretty good, in that it approaches the subject with care and not polemics.

Jon
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Jon, just a curious question. You are catholic or protestant? Your profile indicates you from Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

Thank you
 
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