September 2023

The story of Lutherans in America is the story of Christians trying to be true to the faith of their fathers in the new world and in a new culture. Lutherans came from Europe, bringing with them Bibles, catechisms and hymnals in the many languages they spoke: German, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Czech, Finnish and others. The thing is they did not all agree on what it meant to be Lutheran. In the Scandinavian countries the Reformation happened by an act of Parliament. In the German territories the Reformation was about church doctrine. The worship of some groups looked more “catholic” than others. And for some, coming to America meant being “protestant.”