What does the label "Lutheran" mean? What should people expect when they take us off the shelf and examine us?
We can start with the core doctrines that created the Reformation: the authority of Scripture alone, justification by grace through faith, the priesthood of all believers and the God-pleasing nature of daily work. These teachings became basic for most Protestants. Recently they have also been acknowledged in varying degrees by Roman Catholics. In this respect we've fulfilled Luther's intention to purify Christendom rather than to divide it.
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