Adult Converts to the Lutheran Faith

Comment

Comment by Paul Thompson on January 1, 2011 at 3:02pm

Hello Mr. Skinner,  The Wisconsin Synod is doing the same thing.  They believe that the worship of God is a relative thing.  This is sooo wrong.  In Eastern Orthodoxy, proper worship comes first and everything else follows.  They believe this because the end of all study and theology is the proper worship of God, so they figure if they get worship right everything else will fall in place (or remain how it has been for 2,000 years).  I'm not condoning Eastern Orthodoxy, just using them as a great example of stability in worship, which they are.  WORSHIP IS NOT A RELATIVE THING!  I can't stand faddish music and worship in church.  It nearly makes me puke.

Comment by Charles Farrell Skinner on January 1, 2011 at 12:38pm

I am a soon to be 74 year old male who grew up in a rural Baptist Church make up of "good people," and when I went off to college, I rejected all of that "stuff" I had been taught, as so many young people do, I think.  Then about ten years later, for some reason I stopped at a Lutheran Church located on a street I used every day on my way home.  I had a long talk with the Pastor.  The church was a part of the old American Lutheran Church. The following Sunday I visited, and it was like a light being turned on in a dark room, or like a locked door suddenly being opened.  That was in 1966, as I remember it. Following that, I have been a member and more or less active in Lutheran Churches.  Some were ELCA churches before they "went off the deep end," and some Missouri.  My first wife of almost 47 years died in 2004, and in 2006 I met and married a wonderful lady and moved in with her.  She was a long time member of a nearby Methodist Church, and even though I hated to leave the Lutheran Church, after awhile I thought it best not to disturb her long time association with that chruch. This was all right for awhile, but soon I started really missing the Lutheran Church. My new wife knew and understood this and agreed to visit some Lutheran Churches with me.  After about six months we agreed on one of the Lutheran Churches we had visited, and both of us went to the "new member/instruction class."  We joined that wonderful old Missouri Synod church a little more than a year ago and I feel that I have "returned home."  The service was strange for her at first, but she soon adjusted to it.  My only major concern now is that the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, as a whole, may be drifting toward what I call the "Rock and Rol Church," with so called Praise Bands, etc.  This is extremely upsetting for me.  I visited one of these church not too long ago and was shocked at what I saw.  The church was "out of town," and I did not know that it was a "rock and roll church," but I should have known something was wrong when I noticed that the word Lutheran appeared nowhere that I could find.  There was almost nothing in the so-called worship service that remotely close to "Lutheranism."  There was a "confession and forgiveness," but it was so weak and water down that a person from the outside likely would not have even known what was happening.  At my advanced age, I likely will not live to see my beloved LCMS go completely down the road of "showmanship, and cheap music," but I would hate to go to my grave knowing that there is a real possiblilty of this happening. I read a qoute somewhere lately that went somethink like this --- "As you worship, so you are. As you worship, so you believe." (or something like that)  I WILL NOT  be a member of such a "rock and roll church!"  If all LCMS went down that road, where would I go?  What is going on with our Wisconsis friends?  Are they too caught up in the foolishnesses?  I doubt it. I know that this is too long, but I just had to "get it off my chest."

 

Charles Skinner 

Comment by Paul Thompson on August 31, 2009 at 2:47pm

Hello. I will be beginning Catechism classes (along with my whole family) this Friday. I found a nice, liturgical, confessional Lutheran Church (LCMS) and am very happy with it. I do, however, find quite a lot of apathy from the members. I also notice quite a few LCMS church jumping on the "Church Growth" bandwagon with rock music and all that junk. Please, someone comfort me with some promise that the LCMS will not go the way of popular evangelicalism and sell out to the purpose driven, seeker sensitive crowd. I suppose this is why I joined the Wittenberg Trail. I probably should post this as a discussion!

Comment by J.W. on January 16, 2009 at 12:36am

Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings!
Malta is one of only two English-speaking nations (Fiji is the other) in which abortion is illegal in every case. However, the UN is currently trying to force them to change this policy.
Please join the 'Pray for Malta' group, please remember to pray that God will grant them the strength to persevere where most of the rest of the world has failed, and please spread the word.
Thanks!
http://wittenbergtrail.ning.com/group/prayformalta
Grace and peace remain with you all, in Christ, as well as my best wishes,
Sincerely,
J.W.

Comment by Jessica on September 25, 2008 at 4:40pm

Hello Rayanna,

I know how you feel when it comes to being drawn back at times. At first, I really thought about praying this 'Lutheran' Rosary, but come to find out that this guy denounced Lutheranism and converted to Roman Catholicism. I really thought twice after that.

I have no issues with people who use prayer beads, but at the same time they can be a great temptation, that is why I keep away from them. The Lutheran Confessions also do not speak very highly of the Rosary and similar prayers.

But in the Lutheran tradition we do have the Daily Office in our LSB hymnal, and it's a great way of meditating on Scripture and keeping up our prayer life. CPH is also coming out with this book called Treasury of Daily Prayer in October, which is to compliment the LSB and it is supposed to be a great resource. :) I ordered it myself.

What is nice about Confessional Lutheranism is that we do not condemn prayer books and other resources. We Lutherans believe they can be a great tool for our prayer life. We don't denounce everything Roman Catholic, only the stuff that is contrary to Holy Scripture. So we are not like some Christians who believe all tradition is 'bad.'

So, I know how the struggle is, but over time the struggle gets easier and less burdensome.

I will pray for you so that God will strengthen your faith through the power of the Holy Spirit. Doesn't God do this every day and everytime we go to the Divine Service to partake of the Lord's Supper? Yes and yes.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Jessica

Comment by Jessica on September 25, 2008 at 4:30pm

I'm a convert to the Lutheran faith. I do have a little of my conversion story on my member page. I am a convert from Roman Catholicism myself and a lot of the problems I had with it was the false doctrine, especially the Mary and Saint stuff. Even when I was devout in that way, I knew somewhere deep down that something just wasn't right.

Anyway, I agree with you Streetheart, about the Pentecostal and other denominations out there. Many of them are "out there" doctrinally. After I got out of Roman Catholicism, I came to realization there is a lot of bad theology in Protestantism. Confessional Lutherans are the closest to Biblical Christianity, and that is why I joined the LCMS. I feel the WELS are a little too stringent on some things, such as Boy Scouts and prayer fellowship.

Anyway, I don't know if I should put up my conversion story, it is a little hard to explain. I'll think about it though.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Jessica

Comment by Streetheart 55 on April 10, 2008 at 8:15pm

I have tried several churches since getting dissatisfied with Roman Catholicism about six years ago. I do miss many of the 'rituals' which I grew up with as a catholic but cannot belief in much of the churche's false teachings anymore. Lutheranism has been a church I've come to love. Many of the Baptist and Pentecostal churches are too far out for me and there are quite a few who don't even teach solid doctrine anymore either. (Too much 'Christian' rock music, I guess)
Anyway, I want to meet new people in my adopted church from around North AMerica.

Comment by Rayanna Lee on March 23, 2008 at 10:15am

Are you ever drawn to your old church? I have a friend who is a very active catholic(my old church) and when we talk of religion, ceremony,ect, I often find myself wistful for some of what I have left behind. During a crisis my family had recently, I ended up pulling out my old rosary and using it to pray, but I changed the prayers to ones for famliy members who were affected-this really helped calm me and get me through a few rough weeks, but when it was over I put my rosary back up. I just wondered if any one else ever felt the pull of their childhood faith?