Word: lutheranism
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Ever since the 1830s, when sectionalism and new waves of immigration began to splinter American Lutheranism, denominational unity has seemed an all but unattainable dream. Ethnic, political and doctrinal differences have frustrated efforts toward ecumenism; by the turn of the century there were 21 separate Lutheran church groups in the U.S. But the goal of unity remained. Last month it became more attainable than ever when the dogmatically conservative Lutheran Church/Missouri Synod (2.8 million U.S. members) narrowly voted to accept "altar and pulpit fellowship" with the slightly more liberal American Lutheran Church (2.6 million members...
...Lutheran parlance, fellowship means that members of the two bodies will be permitted to take communion in one another's churches, and ministers of one group will be permitted to preach in the pulpits of the other. For the Missouri Synod, which grew out of a single, 19th century immigrant German church, the decision was a major break with tradition. It was not such a landmark, however, for the ALC, which recently reached a similar agreement with the larger (3.1 million) and even more liberal Lutheran Church in America. Unlike Missouri, both the ALC and the LCA are themselves...
Although all three bodies agree on the supremacy of the Bible and subscribe to two of the same traditional Lutheran confessions, the Synod believes strictly in the historical accuracy of Scripture-including the entire Book of Genesis. Until now it has stubbornly shunned contact with churches it felt interpreted the Bible more freely. It has rejected most of the ecumenical movement, and is not a member of either the World or the National Council of Churches, or even of the Lutheran World Federation...
...Christian flavor of the services was maintained even during the visit two Sundays ago of Rabbi Finkelstein and a number of Jewish guests. Though Finkelstein intoned a Jewish hymn, Adon Olam, at the end of the service, the Lutheran guest choir sang a traditional doxology, Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow-a hymn that specifically glorifies the Trinity. Although some eyebrows were raised, Nixon aides explained that this particular hymn was always part of the services, and Rabbi Finkelstein confirmed that he had been informed of it in advance. Finkelstein acknowledged that he "did not exactly jump...
Married. John O. Laird, 21, son of Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, currently a junior at Wisconsin State University; and Nancy Claire Huset, 21, also a student at Wisconsin State; in a Lutheran ceremony in Chetek...