Lutherns

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I have a question about Lutherns.

I have always thought that Lutherns had priests, nuns, even parishs. I know that I have gone online to purchase a religious article and came upon a website that I thought was Catholic but it turned out to be a Luthern cite.🤷

I have a neighbor who is an Evangelical Luthern. She said that the Luthern Church does not have priests, nuns, etc.

I believe that some time ago, on a thread on CAF, someone mentioned a young Luthern professor at a Catholic University who said the Rosary. My neighbor said that was not possible.

Some clarification please from Lutherns.:confused:
:blessyou:
 
I hesitate to answer for all Lutherans, since there are many flavors around the world. My experience has been with main line American Lutheranism, including some seminary study.

I don’t know of any Lutherans that use the term “priest.” That would tend to be interpreted as a special class of people serving as intermediaries between the people and God. Lutherans would not generally recognize the need for such an intermediary (beyond Christ, who of course is a necessary intermediary). The Lutheran Pastorate is an office charged with preaching the gospel and administering the sacraments, but not having any special position closer to God than the laity.

Some Lutherans have a female religious order (e.g. the deaconesses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). This is similar in some ways to nuns, and may even be described as consecrated (and some even wearing a sort of habit). Consisent with general Protestant practice, they are not required to take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience per se.

There is no reason a Lutheran could not say the Rosary. Admitedly, there is historical suspicion of rote religious practices such as the Rosary, especially when prescribed broadly as an almost necessary spiritual practice. There is also historical suspicion of the veneration of Mary and other saints. However, there is no formal prescription for or proscription against specific spiritual practices for individuals. Practices such as the Rosary or the LOTH could certainly be used by specific Lutherans to deepen their spiritual life. Indeed, the Lutheran confessional documents hold up veneration of the saints as helpful, although they do reject making it a requirement of faith or necessary practice.

Peace,
Jerry
 
My neighbors who were Lutheran didnt say the Rosary… I think it just depends on how much the feel about getting intercession through Mary… .

Jerry I see your status says (Lutheran… wavering), which was are you wavering? lol
 
JerryS said:
I hesitate to answer for all Lutherans, since there are many flavors around the world. My experience has been with main line American Lutheranism, including some seminary study.

I don’t know of any Lutherans that use the term “priest.” That would tend to be interpreted as a special class of people serving as intermediaries between the people and God. Lutherans would not generally recognize the need for such an intermediary (beyond Christ, who of course is a necessary intermediary). The Lutheran Pastorate is an office charged with preaching the gospel and administering the sacraments, but not having any special position closer to God than the laity.

Some Lutherans have a female religious order (e.g. the deaconesses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). This is similar in some ways to nuns, and may even be described as consecrated (and some even wearing a sort of habit). Consisent with general Protestant practice, they are not required to take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience per se.

There is no reason a Lutheran could not say the Rosary. Admitedly, there is historical suspicion of rote religious practices such as the Rosary, especially when prescribed broadly as an almost necessary spiritual practice. There is also historical suspicion of the veneration of Mary and other saints. However, there is no formal prescription for or proscription against specific spiritual practices for individuals. Practices such as the Rosary or the LOTH could certainly be used by specific Lutherans to deepen their spiritual life. Indeed, the Lutheran confessional documents hold up veneration of the saints as helpful, although they do reject making it a requirement of faith or necessary practice.

Peace,
Jerry
Click to expand...
Welcome to CAF, my fellow Lutheran. I just wanted to add a couple of things. When I was a lad, there was a Lutheran deaconess who was part of our congregation, and she did wear a habit. We called here Sister ______ . I think the deaconess program has faded some in the ELCA because of female ordination.

The Rosary: The only thing a Lutheran might do with the Rosary is modify the references to the Blessed Virgin Mary. For example, say only the first half of the Hail Mary, and perhaps change or eliminate the Hail Holy Queen. Otherwise, there is nothing in the Rosary that a Lutheran would object to. I think there is happening within Lutheranism a gradual resurgence of practices such as meditative prayer.

A while back, I came accross this “Lutheran Rosary”.
orthodoxlutheran.fws1.com/bvm/lutheranrosary.pdf

Jon
 
Luther himself said the Rosary.

There’s a community of Lutheran sisters (quasi-Franciscan) here in Phoenix: the Evangelical Sisters of Mary. Their mother house is in Darmstadt: Evangelische Marien Schweterschaft.

And there’s a Lutheran monastery in Oxford, Michigan.

There are Lutheran women’s communities mostly in Scandanavian countries.
 
Jerry,

Welcome to the forum from yet another Lutheran. I trust that you will find here, as I have, a lot of good discussion about matters of faith.

Deaconesses are part of the Lutheran tradition, introduced into this country in part by the immigration of some of the German schwestern, who were nurses. A group of these schwestern were instrumental in establishing Lankenau Hospital in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Deaconesses also served, and continue to serve, in congregations in a variety of roles.

The Lutheran tradition refers to its clergy as pastors (shepherds). While a priest is seen, at least in part, as a mediator between God and man, the pastor is charged with the responsibilities laid on Peter by our Lord – “feed my lambs…tend my sheep…feed my sheep.” The pastor tends and feeds the flock with Word and Sacrament and with pastoral ministry. Jesus himself, our great high priest, remains the mediator between God and man.

With regard to the Rosary, it has not been a part of Lutheran tradition for a variety of reasons. From a Lutheran perspective, much in it is wonderful to meditate on – the Apostles Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Gloria Patri, most of the mysteries (save the Assumption and the Coronation of Mary), and the first part of the Hail Mary which comes from the scriptural accounts of the Annunciation and the Visitation. The Salve Regina is a problem as it seems to exhibit a level of devotion to Mary that is excessive to our Lutheran sensibilities. I hasten to add that I consider Mary to the very model of faith and obedience. But, for many Lutherans the Rosary is “too Catholic.”😦

Just a few thoughts.
 
I am still a little confused, nothing unusual in that.

On another thread (that I cannot now find) posters mentioned an upcoming meeting wherein a decision would be made about (I believe) either gay ministers or women ministers. They mentioned two groups - ELCA and TLCA.

I am assuming the ELCA means “Evangelic” - does the TLCA mean “Traditional”?:confused:
 
JerryS said:
I hesitate to answer for all Lutherans, since there are many flavors around the world. My experience has been with main line American Lutheranism, including some seminary study.

I don’t know of any Lutherans that use the term “priest.” That would tend to be interpreted as a special class of people serving as intermediaries between the people and God. Lutherans would not generally recognize the need for such an intermediary (beyond Christ, who of course is a necessary intermediary). The Lutheran Pastorate is an office charged with preaching the gospel and administering the sacraments, but not having any special position closer to God than the laity.
Some Lutherans have a female religious order (e.g. the deaconesses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). This is similar in some ways to nuns, and may even be described as consecrated (and some even wearing a sort of habit). Consisent with general Protestant practice, they are not required to take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience per se.

There is no reason a Lutheran could not say the Rosary. Admitedly, there is historical suspicion of rote religious practices such as the Rosary, especially when prescribed broadly as an almost necessary spiritual practice. There is also historical suspicion of the veneration of Mary and other saints. However, there is no formal prescription for or proscription against specific spiritual practices for individuals. Practices such as the Rosary or the LOTH could certainly be used by specific Lutherans to deepen their spiritual life. Indeed, the Lutheran confessional documents hold up veneration of the saints as helpful, although they do reject making it a requirement of faith or necessary practice.

Peace,
Jerry
Click to expand...
In the LCMS, pastors can also hear private confessions, although I assume it to be a rare occurance. Growing up in the LCMC, I never heard of private confession either through Catechism or otherwise.
 
Newbie2 said:
In the LCMS, pastors can also hear private confessions, although I assume it to be a rare occurance. Growing up in the LCMC, I never heard of private confession either through Catechism or otherwise.
Click to expand...
That is not exclusively LCMS - Luther himself was a staunch advocate of private confession. Absolution could be considered a part of preaching the gospel rather than a separate function (although one worthy of emphasis).
 
mullenpm said:
On another thread (that I cannot now find) posters mentioned an upcoming meeting wherein a decision would be made about (I believe) either gay ministers or women ministers. They mentioned two groups - ELCA and TLCA.

I am assuming the ELCA means “Evangelic” - does the TLCA mean “Traditional”?:confused:
Click to expand...
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I’ve never heard of TLCA, but there are a number of other American Lutheran bodies besides the majors (ELCA, LCMS, WELS).

The ELCA (unlike the LCMA and WELS) already ordains females. The ELCA churchwide assembly meets next week and will consider both homosexual marriage and ordination of sexually active homosexuals. This is certainly a time for all non-Catholics to consider the question of authority to reinterpret scripture and alter church tradition. It’s not really about the current issues, since the question goes all the way back to the Protestant Reformation itself.

Peace,
Jerry
 
Thank you Jerry, that is the meeting I was thinking about; I saw something on another thread but I was certain they said TLCA; I expect I was mistaken.
 
I can’t help but notice how many of these spelling typos in these threads sound hillbilly!

We have one thread saying, “Catholic Weddins” and this one is “Lutherns”…what’s next, “them Jews?” LOL “Them Orthodoxers?”
 
gurneyhalleck1, I am the OP. Please forgive me for the typo.:o

Do you have anything of substance to add to the thread?🤷
 
I recall having spilled a little soda on a keyboard once and having a sticky “e”. Hllo rybody . . .I hop that vrything is wll with you.

One time the “A’s” were burnt out on the local Wal-mart sign. We’ve called it “wlmrt” v r sinc;)
 
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