Lutheranism 101

by Scot A. Kinnaman (Editor), Laura L. Lane (Editor), Charles P. Arand (Contributor)

Lutheranism 101 examines Lutheran beliefs and heritage in a fresh way. If you are a lifelong Lutheran searching for more information or new to Lutheranism looking to understand what we believe, this book will be your guide. It is written in a conversational style with short articles, side-bar features, and some humor. Lutheranism 101 helps create a solid foundation of reference upon which a lifetime of sound teaching can be built. Second edition includes: expansions on most topics throughout the book, new essays on the topic of justification and on reading the Bible, expanded section on the history of Lutheranism in North America, new chapters on marriage and prayer, and new smart index.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Religion, Faith, Christianity

309 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a "Welcome to the Church" gift from my Pastor back in January. Being raised Catholic, I had a general understanding of what it means to be a Christian. This book has been a great tool for my life as a Lutheran after my confirmation and has given me a more in-depth understanding of the Lutheran faith. It has also allowed me to have a good resource to answer my family's questions about the Lutheran faith compared to the Catholic faith.

This book is an easy book to comprehend and the pop culture references made it relatable to readers (prime example: “I find your lack of faith disturbing,” -Darth Vader). I believe it is a great resource for my personal library and will definitely be using it throughout my life.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very good. It will be my first recommended reading for anyone wanting to know about Lutheranism. It touches theology, history, Martin Luther, and gives a book list for further study.

[Neely Owen]

very well arranged with excellent discussion questions in the workbook. I have both the first edition and the second -- and for the life of me, I cannot think why they did a second edition. The second edition seems only a re-arrangement of the fist with no new material -- thank goodness. For the book it self is a wonderful way to introduce orthodox Christianity to anyone. A third edition is being promoted now. The only reason for getting any one specific edition is to be sure that everyone is referencing the same page.

[Susanna Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

very comprehensive look at the basics of Lutheranism from every angle down to the proper way to make the sign of your baptism to covering the differences between the various L. denominations and an explanation of each part of the divine service, really thorough

[Tyrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to confessional Lutheranism and works well as a refresher for those who have been Lutherans their whole lives. Covers both doctrine and practice in plain, easy to understand language and explanation.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is a great introduction to the Lutheran doctrine. The only reason why I didn’t give it 5 stars is because I feel like Section 5 was a little redundant of previous chapters, and it didn’t expand on topics as clearly as other sections.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice reference for those of us who didn't grow up in the Lutheran church.

[Sheila Bitts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and a good resource. :)
They could add the time periods after the reformation up to 2022. That would help.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5

Having grown up Lutheran but now married to a Catholic, I've often been asked, "Well, what do Lutherans think about that?" And like all good Lutherans, I wouldn't have a clue.

This is an amazingly concise and readable book full of history (Christian in general and Lutheran specifically) and a comprehensive explanation why Lutherans worship in the way that they do. It also explains why certain things are said at every worship (the Kyrie, the Creed, the Votum, the Sanctus, etc) - where they came from and why they're important.

The book manages to include some pop-culture references, making it all the more accessible to modern readers. Darth Vader is mentioned in a section on faith:

“I find your lack of faith disturbing,” says Darth Vader after Admiral Motti criticizes him for his devotion to the mysterious Star Wars “Force.” Darth Vader is right—not about the “Force,” but about a lack of faith. A lack of faith is disturbing.

Each section of the book begins with a "What you'll learn" in the next few chapters, making it easier for those looking for specific information.

The end of the book contains a number of helpful appendices. A Christian History Basics timeline. A Biblical Events Timeline. Weird and Wonderful Bible Facts. A listing of Messiah Prophecies. A month by month listing of commemorations. And even a listing of Lutheran churches around the world.

If you are at all curious, whether it be simply out of interest in religious history, or a personal faith journey, this book is well worth reading.

Looking for a good book? Lutheranism 101 is a comprehensive (but easy-to-read) manual on what it means to be, and how to worship as, a Lutheran.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, I am a Southern Baptist and have no intentions of changing denominations. However, I am grateful to God for the changes he wrought in Martin Luther and how He used him to start a reformation on the church that is still going on today. Therefore, I was very intrigued by this book and wanted to see some of the differences in theology that Lutherans hold to versus what other denominations believe (specifically Baptists) and I was not disappointed at all with this book. I was already aware of the difference between what Lutherans believe about the Lord's Supper and what Baptist's believe, but I wanted a little bit deeper understanding about Lutheran theology than that. Although I agree with other reviewers that the clip-art is pretty outdated in the book, I thought what the authors wrote was an introductory level book that was both theologically sound, and very informative, as it pertains to American Lutheran beliefs.

Title: Lutheranism 101

Author: Scot A. Kinnaman

Publisher: Concordia Publishing House (2010)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Concordia Publishing House book review bloggers program on NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I became a Lutheran in 1999 and wanted to learn more about the Lutheran faith to make sure that it fits my beliefs. So, I bought the kindle version of this book.
I was pleased on how thorough this book was. I was disappointed to see that they have slightly insulted my branch of Lutheranism (ELCA). Yes, we are the ones who made the decision to allow gays to be ordained and allow individual churches to decide whether to "call" a gay minister. Otherwise, I enjoyed all areas of this book. I found some more historical figures who were Lutheran and gained a little more knowledge about my faith.

[Joel Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the title suggest this is specifically about Lutheranism, the reality is that this book is much more about Christianity in general, and does provide a limited amount of scope on Lutheranism. this was suggested to me by Pastor Decker, and was very helpful to a novice to better understand some of the very complex Christian concepts. A very good place to start an understanding of Christianity.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a good summary of Lutheran beliefs, history, and the basis for Lutheran worship. As a 30+ year Lutheran I didn't find a lot in this book that I didn't already know, except for some of the church history in America and the rationale behind the structure of Lutheran worship services. I am sure that other readers may find it of greater value than I did, and I certainly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the Lutheran church.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was born and raised LCMS, so my life has incorporated the Lutheran teachings since birth, but it's been a long (long) time since I went through Confirmation classes and was confirmed. This book was a great refresher of what we believe and why. It is easy to read, very informative, and a great resource to have in my home library.

[Pastor Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually this is more like Lutheranism 202 or above, but if you really want to know what we Lutherans believe then read this book. Great as a Bible study with "The Course" and we are almost through here at Trinity Lutheran Burlington.
Christ's peace!

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous resource! Very useful as an introduction to Lutheranism or as a refresher. I think anyone would find something interesting in this wide-ranging, brief guide.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was quite basic for me as a lifelong Lutheran, but I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for thorough information on our history, what we believe, and why.

[Heather Melcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I'm probably a little biased in my rating, because I am one of the authors of this book. But, it really is an amazing resource to help people understand what Lutherans believe and do.

[Arthur O'dell · Rating 5 out of 5]

More comprehensive than I expected, which is a good thing. An excellent resource for someone wanting to learn more about Lutheranism but it may be a little too daunting for a casual reader.

[Kenny Parnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much new material for me based on my other readings, but I would say that it's not a bad place to start if you have no previous exposure to Lutheran doctrine.

[Beau K Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immersed

What a good beginning to a better understanding of the tenets and structure (or architecture) of my religion. Extremely helpful .

[Anitz99 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great review for remembering my catechism from many many years ago :-)

[Susie Meyer]

very informative

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the LCMS sunday school textbook.