The Teaching Corner

For almost the entire four hundred and ninety-five years of our Lutheran history, we have often defined ourselves over and against Roman Catholicism.  Because of the nature of the Lutheran Reformation and the bitter accusations that flew forth from both sides, it was only natural for us to emphasize our differences.  However Lutherans have far more in common with the Catholic Church than we have differences.  In fact, we have more in common with the Roman Catholic faith and practice than we do with many other Protestant denominations.  Yet, in spite of great strides towards understanding each other as brothers and sisters in Christ since the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s, there are still too many differences to enumerate them all here.  But here are four areas where Lutherans and Catholics disagree.

The Saints and Mary—One of the most noticeable differences between Catholics and Lutherans is in how they relate to the saints and Mary.  Catholics often offer intercessory prayers to Mary and specific saints asking for them to intervene with God on their behalf.  It is much the same as asking someone you know close to someone in power (like a king or president) to speak to that person in power on your behalf.  Catholics also take very seriously Mary’s status as Mother of God.  As such various traditions have arisen around Mary emphasizing her specialness and Catholics feel it important to honor Mary’s special position.  Lutherans recognize the saints and Mary as great exemplars in the faith, people worthy of looking up to and remembering.  However, Lutherans do not offer intercessory prayers to the saints and Mary.  The Lutheran doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers means that we all can speak directly to God without an intermediary.  No human is any closer or more influential with God and Jesus than anyone else.  Lutherans also recognize Mary as the Mother of God, but while Catholics emphasize her uniqueness that makes her able to be the Mother of God, Lutherans emphasize her ordinariness and see her as an example of how God can use ordinary people for extraordinary purposes.

Defining the Church—The Catholic Church traces its origins back to the first bishop of Rome (St. Peter, by tradition).  It sees itself as the original and one true Church.  All other Christian denominations are splinter movements off this one true Church and while (since Vatican II) they recognize many of these groups as “separated brethren,” they are not part of the one true Church.  The Church proper in the Catholic understanding are the priests, bishops, and people under the spiritual authority of the bishop of Rome (aka the pope).  The Lutheran Church also considers itself part of the one true Church, but we recognize that we are not the only ones who are part of the one true faith.  The Augsburg Confession defines the Church as “nothing else than the assembly of all believers and saints.”

The Sacraments—Catholics and Lutherans both recognize certain sacraments, have great respect for their power, and see them as far more than symbols.  The Catholic Church celebrates seven sacraments:  Baptism, Holy Communion (Eucharist), Confession, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders (Ordination).  The Lutheran Church practices all these rites (with the possible exception of Anointing of the Sick) but only officially recognizes Baptism and Holy Communion (Eucharist) as actual sacraments.  The Lutheran Church defines a sacrament as an action commanded by Christ, using earthly elements, with a promise of grace offered through it.  The other sacraments of the Catholic tradition lack one or more of these three points.  This does not mean these rites are not valuable or important, we just do not define them as sacraments in the same way that Baptism and Holy Communion are sacraments.

Grace and Justification—Lutherans have often accused Catholics of claiming that they are saved by works and Catholics have often accused Lutherans of claiming that good works are not necessary.  While the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” signed by the ELCA and the Catholic church in 1999 dispells these long time accusations and recognizes that both churches confess that we are saved by grace and that good works are necessary, there are still differences in how justification (being made right with God) is understood.  Lutherans believe that justification is an event that has already happened due to Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection but one that still has on going ramifications for our present and future.  (We have been justified by grace.)  Catholics, according to what I was taught in Catholic high school, believe that justification is an ongoing incomplete process where a person is given grace, which enables them to do good works, which gives them more grace which enables them to do more good works, and so on.  (We are being justified by grace.)

These are but some of the differences between Lutherans and Catholics.  While these differences could fill a book or two, our similarities can fill volumes.  We both believe in Jesus Christ and his saving death and atonement, we both believe in the Holy Trinity and recognize the authority of the three ecumenical creeds (Apostle’s, Nicene, and Athanasian), we both believe that Christ is truly physically present within the sacrament of Holy Communion, we both follow the traditional Church calendar and have many liturgical elements in common, and much more.  While we have important differences, we are both faithful Christian churches.