On the Name "Lutheran."
“I ask that my name be left silent and people not call themselves Lutheran, but rather Christians. Who is Luther? The doctrine is not mine. I have been crucified for no one. St. Paul in 1 Cor. 3:4-5 would not suffer that the Christians should call themselves of Paul or of Peter, but Christian. How should I, a poor stinking bag of worms, become so that the children of Christ are named with my unholy name? It should not be dear friends. Let us extinguish all factious names and be called Christians whose doctrine we have. The pope’s men rightly have a factious name because they are not satisfied with the doctrine and name of Christ and want to be with the pope, who is their master. I have not been and will not be a master. Along with the church I have the one general teaching of Christ who alone is our master. Matt. 23:8.”
The name “Lutheran” was coined as a pejorative by the papal theologian Johann Eck some time between 1520 and 1522. It was also used by Pope Hadrian VI, the successor to Leo X. The intent was to give the impression that “Lutheranism” was a heresy named after Luther - the way “Arianism” was named after Arius, and “Montanism” was named after Montanus, etc.
The above quote, in response to this use of the term “Lutheran,” registers Dr. Luther’s vehement objection.
The word “Lutheran” never appears in our Book of Concord. The word “Evangelical”, used as an adjective to describe either our churches or our faith, appears eight times. The word “catholic” appears thirteen times (not counting its use in the ecumenical creeds). In fact, the Lutheran Church is referred to as “the true and genuine catholic Church” in the signature block of the Treatise.
And yet, with all of the above duly noted, Charles Porterfield Krauth points out, citing Gerhard, that “in the ancient Church the Arians styled those who held the true faith as Athanasians.” Of course, the popular name of the Quicunque Vult - the Athanasian Creed - uses this term “Athanasian” in this way, as Athanasius did not write it and was long dead by the time it was written. The Third Ecumenical Creed reflects the “Athanasian” faith - that is, the Orthodox, Catholic, Nicene faith - over and against the Arian faith.
We do not call ourselves Lutherans, but are so styled by our enemies, and we permit it as a token of our consent with the pure teaching of the word which Luther set forth. We suffer ourselves to bear his name, not as of one who has invented a new faith, but of one who has restored the old, and purified the Church [emphasis original].
Moreover, not all Lutheran churches in the world are called “Lutheran.” Krauth points out that:
In Poland and Hungary, the official title of our communion is ‘CHURCH OF THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION,’ and this is the name which, on the title-page of the Form [sic] of Concord, and repeatedly within it, is given to our churches.
This way of describing themselves remains true among Lutheran bodies in modern Poland and Slovakia - though neither of these church bodies is in fellowship with the LCMS.
So should we continue to use the name today?
Our confession has been known around the world as “Lutheran” for nearly five centuries. It is a kind of shorthand that identifies us as churches of the Augsburg Confession, and serves to separate us from the Reformed and Anabaptist wings of the Reformation. The name has stuck to us the way that taunts from the enemy often do in wartime, as with the British taunt of “Yankee Doodle” to mock the “Yankee” army, and with the Yankee taunt of “Rebel” to mock the Confederate “Rebels” less than a century later. Though these names were put upon them by their opponents, sometimes the name sticks - and what was intended as a banner of shame becomes a banner of solidarity.
There is a contemporary trend to eschew the name “Lutheran” in LCMS churches - although I have never seen an example of such a congregation replacing “Lutheran” with “Church of the Augsburg Confession.” In every case that I have seen, removing “Lutheran” is a distancing of the congregation from the confessional label out of fear of alienating potential new members. Perhaps it is seen as stodgy and incongruous with a more modern “spiritual but not religious” culture. Rather than adopting a historical description of our confession as an alternative to “Lutheran,”, such as “Evangelical” or “Catholic,” the move seems to be one of disassociating of oneself from the idea of being a “Lutheran” church.
I have never seen a liturgical, traditional, and confessional congregation drop the name Lutheran.
I have seen this phenomenon among “big box,” non-liturgical, and non-traditional churches. In this context, it is as though a child changes his last name because he is ashamed of his family, or especially doesn’t want to be associated with his father, or with other relatives who bear the same name. It certainly gives the impression that the name is sullied, and implies a sense of the desire to separate oneself from those who continue to be thus identified.
I know of one congregation that was recently renamed nearly a hundred years into its history, in which not only “Lutheran” was removed, but even the name of God was taken out of the non-committal, generic new name - which reflects merely the neighborhood where the church is located. Needless to say, this is not a congregation where Gottesdienst would be available to pick up in the narthex on the way out, though it was a formerly traditional congregation.
Another example is an LCMS congregation whose impressive website never mentions the word “Lutheran.” The “Who We Are” tab says that the congregation “is a place to belong as you change, and change as you follow Jesus. We want to help people realize all God has for them in a life-changing relationship with Jesus, give people a safe place to belong, and teach people what it means to follow Jesus.” Their values are: "Prayer, Applications of Scripture, Spiritual Growth, Integrity, Outreach, Families, Small Groups.” The list of values does not include the Cross, the Gospel, Holy Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, or the Resurrection. Their mission statement is equally bland and bereft of the cross, mentioning “change” and “relationship.” There are “Weekend Worship Experiences” and “Wednesday Experiences.”
Yet another example is a very old congregation that used to bear the name of one of the apostles followed by the name “Lutheran Church.” A few years ago, they made a big deal of their new generic name that has excised both the apostle’s name and the name “Lutheran.” Their website shows a huge stage as well as scenes of multitudes of laughing boomers drinking coffee in Starbuck’s style plastic cups. Their “About Us” includes their “Approach” which is fourfold: “Unconditional Acceptance, True to Life Approach, Inspiring Connections, and God Directed Journey. “ Neither Jesus nor the cross are mentioned, though they do mention “messages, music, and traditional practices like baptism and communion,” the latter of which is a twice a month affair. Under “What we believe,” there is a begrudging nod to both Lutheranism and the LCMS, as the congregation was “born out of the Lutheran (LCMS) tradition.” That kind of sounds like it is a spinoff of Lutheranism rather than an actual Lutheran church. They also acknowledge their history, beginning with the quote: “The only constant is change” and an invitation to learn more about the congregation’s history at “Legacy Hall.” Holy Communion is offered to “all who share in our profession of the Christian faith are encouraged to partake in Holy Communion, provided they
Have received Christian Baptism (Acts 2:36-38),
Recognize and confess their sinfulness (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:8-9),
Forgive others (Matthew 5:21-24; Matthew 6:12)
Believe the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are truly present, offered under forms of bread and wine (1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
They also note that “Non-alcoholic wine is offered in the blue section of the communion trays and gluten-free wafers are also available at all communion stations for those with special needs.”
I recently ran across another LCMS parish that did not change its name, but its online presence omits the word “Lutheran” in its title and logos. This congregation’s self-description lists six “core values,” and not one of them nor their explanations mentions anything about Jesus. These “Core Values” are: “Acceptance… Compassionate Community… Spirit-Led Bible-Based Lutheran Church [that one is a surprise]… Worship… Transformation… Passing on the Passion.” At least they used the name “Lutheran” buried here in the fine print, but as for me, I think that I will indeed “pass on the passion.” They aren’t referring to the suffering and death of our Lord. The world has a very different connotation about “passion,” and it is usually a cheesy marketing word. Not only is Jesus missing from these “Core Values,” so is the Gospel.
This same congregation also lists six “Worship Values,” and they are: “Non-Judgemental [sic], Biblical Preaching, Good Music, Casual Dress, Fellowship, Fun.” I’m not sure how Law and Gospel (Biblical) preaching can happen without the judgment of the law being part of the equation, nor can I wrap my head around the “Worship Value” that worship is supposed to be “fun.” And how did something so pedestrian and banal as “Casual Dress” become one of the Six Chief Parts of Worship?
Most of the congregations that have dropped the name “Lutheran” have dropped the Lutheran liturgy, replacing it with some form of pop-culture entertainment worship, complete with a stage, drum kit, mixing boards, guitars, and emoting vocalist - calling to mind the popular non-denominational or charismatic worship that is big on ginning up emotion but light on the incarnational presence of Christ in Word and Sacrament. Many such churches that have excised the name “Lutheran” make it a point to celebrate the Sacrament of the Altar (such as it is) infrequently - not unlike those confessions that see it only as symbolic. It gives the impression that they are not only ashamed of their confessional subscription, but even of the Eucharist itself. At very least, it didn’t make the cut in the above Core Values or Worship Values.
One thing that I have noticed that binds all of these rejecters of the name Lutheran is that their worship does not call to mind our shared confession of Apology 24:1:
In our churches Mass is celebrated every Sunday and on other festivals when the sacrament is offered to those who wish for it after they have been examined and absolved. We keep traditional liturgical forms, such as the order of the lessons, prayers, vestments, etc. (Tappert translation)
Nor do they embody the spirit of the Augustana 24:1
Falsely are our churches accused of abolishing the Mass; for the Mass is retained among us, and celebrated with the highest reverence. (McCain translation)
So insofar as those who distance themselves from the name “Lutheran” - and thus distance themselves from the rest of the family who retain our old and venerable name - maybe it is a blessing that they are not readily identified as Lutheran. In removing the name Lutheran, they are mercifully relieving the rest of us of being lumped in with them, at least at first glance. Yes, indeed, there is always something to be thankful for.
At some point, perhaps they will, as St. Paul put it in Galatians 5:12, go all the way and cut themselves off in more than name only.