Why would one be Anglican and not Lutheran?

Discussion in 'Navigating Through Church Life' started by Anglican04, Feb 12, 2018.

  1. Anglican04

    Anglican04 Active Member Anglican

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    I was thinking of a scenario..

    So a man is converting and looking into Lutheranism. He is interested in Anglicanism and knows they are practically the same thing other than Eucharistic theology. Why should he pick Anglicanism? From an outside perspective, they do look exactly the same.
     
  2. PotterMcKinney

    PotterMcKinney Active Member Typist Anglican

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    They don't quite look the same. Anglicans are pretty big on having the Episcopate intact (though I maintain that a variance of views exist on why that is...), as well as Eucharistic theology, which has underlying Christological assumptions that some would agree with me as being at odds with each other. Lutherans are also fairly unique in their soteriological views IIRC, not quite being Arminian or Calvinist (the latter of the two being, generally, the view of the majority of the Reformers of England, though the former have a fair and legitimate following throughout the Church's history, especially as our Puritan fathers fell out of favor). Lutherans have difficulty with much of Anglican doctrine of old, insofar as it lined up with the Reformed churches on the continent. One might also consider liturgical differences, if one is interested in such things.

    We share much in common, and in many ways look the same, but the Devil lies in wait in the details.
     
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  3. Stalwart

    Stalwart Well-Known Member Anglican

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    The main issues with Lutheranism are, 1. it does not have a historic liturgy. This is a big one. There is nothing you can point to, to say that this is what Lutheran worship is "like". The other, 2., is they do not have a historic Episcopate (if we're talking about America here). This is a big one too because it means that Lutheran ministers (if you go back far enough) were not ordained by anyone. It means that Lutheran clergy are basically laity.
     
  4. Anglican04

    Anglican04 Active Member Anglican

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    I thought their mass was based off the pre-trent?
    I read this on wiki: "Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lay claim to the apostolic succession through the laying on of hands by bishops of the Episcopal Church, which is the U.S. Province of the Anglican Communion."
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2018
  5. Shane R

    Shane R Well-Known Member

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    The Lutheran Mass (if you can find an American Lutheran who would not balk at calling it that; even though their Confessions and founding theologians do) is as historical as the 1552 and 1559 Holy Communion services of the BCP. In fact, they were attempts to do the same things: strip away the 'Romish' influence and eccentricity from a mythical primitive rite. It is arguable that Lutherans had a 'higher' eucharistic theology than the authors of the two hyper-Protestant BCPs.

    American Lutheranism is a mess (wait, so is American Anglicanism! but let me pull the speck out of their eye). They fight about whether the Lutheran Confessions are to be subscribed to quia or quaternus. They are significantly more Protestant in that they do not entertain a Catholic wing in their churches, or seven sacraments (even though Melancthon argued there could be more than seven), and certainly not seven councils. The liturgics can be quite high, or one could think they have stepped into a Bapticostal praise service (wait, that sounds like ACNA, sigh). They have this obsession with framing their sermons around 'Law and Gospel;' some folks love it and are constantly talking about how superior the preaching is to what one will hear in an Anglican church, but I think my parish has preaching at least as good or superior. But the main cultural difference, as others have mentioned, is that all but the far fringes of American Lutheranism are adamantly opposed to the episcopate; those that pretend to maintain it do so not from any notion of carrying forward the apostolic succession but because it is an historically well-attested form of church government. But, in general, Lutheranism is more walled off and proud of it and they do not even desire the bishopric. Some Lutheran jurisdictions brought back the diaconate and that is an open sore spot and point of contention for 'confessional Lutherans' (a clique-defining term for those who demand a quia subscription to the Lutheran Confessions and eschew modern worship influences) who would like nothing more than to be rid of these preachers who lack a 'regular call' to serve as parish priests.
     
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  6. Anglican04

    Anglican04 Active Member Anglican

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    Really? I have never seen an ACNA service. Or a baptist service.
     
  7. Stalwart

    Stalwart Well-Known Member Anglican

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    It was, in Luther's time. But one of the compromises the Lutheran states accepted was the right of the local prince to determine the liturgy. Over time each chunk developed its own liturgy and they reached a further compromise that a particular liturgy or liturgy in general was not important, as long as doctrine was upheld. Thus today the conservatives will profess same/similar doctrine but may equally wear chasubles or suits, read out of the Anglican BCP or sing a praise song and a 1-hour sermon.


    That's probably true but the ELCA is their version of the Episcopal Church, selling Lutheranism down the river. The real serious Lutherans like the LCMS or the WELS openly repudiate this.
     
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  8. Tuxedo America

    Tuxedo America Member

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    He might choose Lutheranism if "being true to the gospel", whatever that would mean, is what he desires.

    Since I'm busy learning about my own tradition, I hadn't considered that the two would be similar, outside of a historical perspective. So, would the Episcopal church I grew up in (if they haven't been kicked out of the communion yet) not be much different from a Lutheran parish?
     
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  9. Admin

    Admin Administrator Staff Member Typist Anglican

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    Folks-- This is a charged thread. Please remember to be nice and abide by the Terms.
     
  10. Tuxedo America

    Tuxedo America Member

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    Was the joke not recognized, or just not received well?

    I didn't mean it to be taken the way it was. I'm sorry.
     
  11. Admin

    Admin Administrator Staff Member Typist Anglican

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    No apologies necessary! :) Please carry on.