Church History
Filter & Sort
LCMS Resources
June 27, 2016
The Ninety-Five Theses
In the 95 Theses, Luther’s response to indulgences was several fold. First, it must be understood that at this point Luther’s teaching on justification was not completely developed and so at first he did not reject the very idea of indulgences, as he later would. Instead, Luther argued that...
June 25, 2016
The Presentation of the Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession is comprised 28 articles. Of these articles, 21 represent a positive presentation of the Christian faith as taught in the Lutheran Churches while the last seven article cover suggested reforms of certain practices of the medieval Church.
June 19, 2016
Sola Scriptura: Scripture Alone
Don’t be afraid to read the Bible. God has set forth His Law and His Gospel in the plainest terms.
June 16, 2016
Sola Fide: Faith Alone
Faith is only as good as its object. This is the danger of misunderstanding Sola Fide.
June 13, 2016
Sola Gratia: Grace Alone
The heart of the Lutheran Church’s beliefs is the doctrine of justification, the teaching of how we are declared righteous in God’s sight.
June 9, 2016
Luther and the Iconoclasts
Have you ever been to a Christian store and noticed that they had something which listed the commandments, but it didn’t have the same numbering that you learned when you memorized the Catechism?
May 19, 2016
Adoration of the Holy Trinity: Dürer's Vision
In his oil painting, "Adoration of the Holy Trinity," Albrecht Dürer gives you, the viewer, the opportunity to see a dazzling vision of Heaven with your very own eyes.
May 13, 2016
Faithful Women of the Reformation
When asked to make a list of notable women of the reformation, most people's list might trail off after Katie Luther...
April 24, 2016
Reformation Spotlight: Johann Walter
Johann Walter lived through the early and late years of the Lutheran Reformation, and as the “first cantor of the Lutheran Church,” significantly shaped the musical life of the church.
April 20, 2016
Lutheran Spotlight: Johannes Bugenhagen
If the Reformation is compared to a vine, the work of men like Johannes Bugenhagen may be likened to a trellis. Bugenhagen was a reformer without whom...
April 16, 2016
Luther on the Office of the Ministry
To run to the ends of the earth preaching the Gospel is precisely Jesus’ charge to his Apostles (Acts 1:8). Luther writes about them, “Their running, I say, is truly sweet, that is, their ministry is most delightful, not like that of Moses and the prophets. To run means to serve in the office of preacher..."
April 6, 2016
Dürer's Small Passion: Dawn to Dusk with Christ in Three Panels
In the Small Passion Albrecht Dürer devotes three woodcuts to the Scriptural accounts of Easter day enabling us, with our own eyes, to see holy events as if they are happening right now. He places you, me, and himself as participants in salvation's narrative as he draws us into the resurrection of Christ.
March 29, 2016
Luther on the Cross and Suffering
Luther says that suffering should not be something we choose. We can’t choose which cross we bear. That’s up to God. Luther addresses this with four reasons.
March 20, 2016
Martin Luther's 'On the Freedom of a Christian'
"A Christian is an utterly free man, lord of all, subject to none.
A Christian is an utterly dutiful man, servant of all, subject to all."
March 7, 2016
Confessional Lutheranism in Finland (Tunnustuksellinen luterilaisuus Suomessa)
From its roots in the Reformation to its carefully preserved remnant today, the history of confessional Lutheranism in Finland is a testament to the work of the Lord establishing and keeping His Church throughout all generations in every corner of the world.
February 28, 2016
Luther on the Family
Clearly Luther saw marriage and the estate of the family as important, but what does this mean for us? Seeing how important this was for Luther first of all gives us an insight as to how we should encourage people to view marriage and the family in our time.