Important Theological Writings

The Evangelical Lutheran Church

“The Lutheran Church is not a sect among sects. Its name is the result of historical circumstances and not really fair (It was a name devised by enemies of the Word of God to insult those who confessed this faith). The Evangelical or Lutheran passion is to trust only in Christ, to bank on who He is and what He did, and what He says — in order to give Him alone all honour. True Lutheranism, therefore, is nothing but consistent Christianity. As such it adheres to Christ’s apostolic word. It therefore recognizes only One Church, the Una Sancta Catholica Apostolica. Its Christians and its theological teachers refuse to betray Christ’s One Church. They are not willing to surrender Una Sancta apostolicity to errors devised by Satan or to a pseudo-union, manufactured jointly by pious enthusiasm and impious indifferentism. While they are happy to acknowledge that every true Christian, every soul trusting alone in Christ’s merits, is part and parcel of the Una Sancta, they are conscious of the fact that they cannot look into anybody’s heart. The Communion of Saints or believers is not seen. As true Lutherans we realize that we can be certain of the One Church’s existence at any given place only if the saving Word and Sacraments are in constant use there, for they have God’s promise not to return void. Actually, we must see the marks of apostolicity and catholicity, the pure Word and the genuine sacraments, to be in evidence before consciously joining a local congregation. The One Church of the One Christ is the church of the One Truth (1 Timothy 3:15: ‘the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth’), not of a medley of truth and error. Pure symbols (creeds) mark its way.”

-- Wilhelm Oesch

Luther

C. F. W. Walther

Franz Pieper

Robert D. Preus

Kurt Marquart

Wilhelm Oesch

Various Authors

German Reference Works