Lutheran DNA takes the Reformation’s Augsburg Confession of 1530 and asks whether parish issues today continue to find expression through the lens of this historic writing. The Augsburg Confession is named in Lutheran churches as a clear expression of Christian belief and practice. How is it so today? Stories, illustrations, and reflections flow out of this parish pastor’s experiences as he reflects on meanings from Augsburg to Baltimore.
This book exhibits the heartbeat of Lutheranism in The Augsburg Confession of 1530. Its 28 “articles” disclose how Lutheran congregations around the world (with a steady membership of about 60 million) are to function in order to preserve their identity as healthy and effective disciples of Jesus Christ in the interim between his first and second coming. The author describes the theological pulsation in the form of personal stories and experiences, tested in various parish settings, and geared to make readers partners in catechetical and spiritual formation. The book lends itself well to parishioners concerned about their theological identity and rationale for mission.
—Eric W. Gritsch, professor emeritus of church history, Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary