Why Am I Lutheran?

The Lutheran Zephyr asked us what being Lutheran means to us. I'm going to attempt an answer.

I was raised as what I would call a "cultural Lutheran". I was born into a mostly-Swedish Lutheran family in northern Minnesota. I was a Lutheran because...I was.

Today, I remain a Lutheran because I subscribe to many of the main tenants of Lutheranism. I believe that I cannot, by my own understanding or effort, save myself. I believe that God has done the redemptive work through Christ, so I do not have to kill myself trying to please God enough. I believe that because of God's saving grace, I can live my life as full as possible, knowing that I am already redeemed as a child of God.

The more I study Lutheran theology, the more I understand how deeply it resonates with my spirit. For that continued growth in understanding, as well as for everything else, I can only say, "Thanks be to God"