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Lutheran
Christians hold to the basic
principles of theology and practice espoused by Martin Luther in 1517:
 We
are saved by the grace of God alone —
not by
anything we do;
Our
salvation is through faith alone —
we only need to
believe that our
sins are forgiven for Christ's sake, who died to
redeem us;
The
Bible is the only norm of doctrine and life —
the
only true standard
by which teachings and doctrines are to be judged.
Another
of Luther's principles was that Scriptures and worship need to be in the
language of the people.
Many
Lutherans still consider themselves as a reforming movement within the
Church catholic, rather than a separatist movement, and Lutherans have
engaged in ecumenical dialogue with other church bodies for decades.
In fact, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has entered into
cooperative "full communion" agreements with several other
Protestant denominations.
Luther's
Small Catechism, which contains teachings on the Ten Commandments, the
Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, Holy Baptism, Confession and
Absolution, Holy Communion and Morning and Evening Prayers, is still used
to introduce people to the Lutheran faith, as is the Augsburg Confession.
To request a
copy of Luther's Small Catechism, click
here.
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Gifted with Grace 
215 W. Wallace