Nonsensical. Inaccurate in spots. Perhaps slightly useful for newcomers or funny for old-timers.

books:

	• The Lutheran Handbook Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2005 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Lutheran Handbook or Code of Conduct

This is the updated Lutheran handbook or code of conduct. There are 9 million in the States and since 1950 it's about rebellion and teaches faith alone and getting saved through baptism. There are comparitive religions and comparitive denominations. Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ in 1 BC with him as the messiah. Lutheran was founded by Martin Luther in the 1500s when he nailed the 95 Theses to the Catholic church. I am a d escendant of Martin Luther and my ancestors are the pilgrims who landed on The Mayflower but just one family. How would you like to chew tobacco, wear Rustler jeans or worship freely with other adults. Join us or die.

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Great Advice on things they do and don't teach in Sunday School

`The Lutheran Handbook', edited by Kristofer Skrade, under the auspices of the Augsburg Fortress publishing house, the publishing arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is a simply delightful little book, which may loosely be thought of as `Lutheranism for Dummies'. It is chocked full of the kind of things they never really get around to teaching you in cathechism class. Or, if they do, you never quite realize the importance of such simple things as how to sing a hymn, how to receive communion, or how to deal with the collection plate. Believe it or not (Plato to the contrary), we are not born with this knowledge. It is also remarkable to see the variability in practices across different Lutheran congregregations, even those belonging to the same Synod of the ELCA.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that there is plenty in here which would be useful to non-Lutherans. As a one-time Catholic, I can vouch for the fact that about half of the book is easily applicable to both Catholics and all the `liturgical' Protestant denominations. I'm a bit fuzzy on what the `non-ligurgical' denominations do in the place of the mass or the Lutheran service, so there may be just a bit less applicability there, but there is no harm in checking it out.

As simple as much of the material is, there is also quite a bit which is remarkably sophisticated. I am planning an advanced adult bible study class, and I was astonished to find one section outlining, very concisely, the major events between the completion of the Hebrew Bible and the time of Christ. This is exactly how I was to begin my class, which at the very least makes it easy for me to demonstrate that this ancient history is really important in understanding the origins of Christianity.

The icon of a winking Luther on the cover gives away the fact that much of the material in the book is just slightly tongue in cheek. I'm delighted to find that an `official' arm of the Lutheran church can show some hints of the kind of humor Kevin Smith put in his movie `Dogma' (check out the `buddy Christ'). One of my favorite bits of humor was how to approach a pot luck dinner, by region. Being something of an accomplished amateur cook, I'm convinced that the person who wrote this section knows practically nothing about food.

In a much more serious vein, it's revealing that the book instructs us (Lutherans, that is) in making the sign of the cross. Now, isn't that a Catholic thing? Well, no it isn't, and it is a perfectly acceptable sign of devotion. I wish I would have known that back in the day when I felt just a bit self-conscious being a former Protestant and participating in services with Catholics genuflecting now and then, especially for grace and what have you. In an even more serious vein, there is advice on how to resolve interpersonal conflict. From personal experience, I can vouch for the fact that there is a lot more of this in church circles than you may expect, more, in fact, than you may even find in the business world. I don't guarantee that `The Lutheran Handbook' will solve all such problems, but it's good to have something you can lean on when the situation arises.

For the non-Lutheran, there is a great little bit of information on the taxonomy of Christian denominations. The surprise here is that many contemporary denominations are of relatively recent origin. The Pentacostal denomination, for example, dates back to 1900!

Most important of all to Lutherans is a great layman's explanantion of the law, the gospel, and grace. For those of us who are more than 40 years past their confirmation classes, this is worth reading over several times.

Note that this same treatment by the same editors is given to Lutheran theology in `The Lutheran Handbook II', which may be even more useful to non-Lutherans.

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Nonsensical. Inaccurate in spots. Perhaps slightly useful for newcomers or funny for old-timers.

Much of what is in this book is rather nonsensical. For example, one section gives tongue-in-check suggestions for what to bring to potlucks. Another gives advice on how not to be burned at the stake. In contrast, other sections would be helpful for the uninitiated (e.g., how to make the sign of the cross). It's a quick, somewhat humorous, rather shallow read. Perhaps useful for those new to liturgical churches and perhaps humorous to some long-time Lutherans.

I have two strong issues with the book. In the section comparing various denominations, the author includes this sentence for Lutherans: "Baptism is necessary for salvation." This is absolutely wrong. Earlier the author gets it right when she says Lutherans believe: "We are saved by grace...through faith alone." My second issue is that the book is portrayed as being about Lutherans as a whole. Yet in the section on the Lord's Supper, there is no caution that many Lutheran churches practice close(d) communion and thus visitors are not welcome to partake of communion.

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A Fun Resource

The Lutheran Handbook has been a smashing success for it's publisher, Augsburg Fortress, and for good reason. It is funny, concise, thorough and well-organized. I am a Lutheran pastor and we have used this book as the basis for both adult education studies and confirmation classes. People new to the Lutheran tradition find it an informative and quick read and always appreciate borrowing the church's copy.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

The essential field guide for all things Lutheran. Confirmands ? or anyone hiking the trails of life's adventures and challenges ? will want to pack this handy illustrated field guide to Lutheran theology and culture. This enjoyable, easy-to-read, reliable, all-in-one collection helps you understand the essential information about our theology, culture and Lutheran way of life. Organized by Church Stuff, Everyday Stuff and Bible Stuff with how-to's like "How to Forgive Someone" and lists like "The Top-10 Bible Villains." Encapsulates essential principles of the Christian life, making many of the complexities of our religious tradition accessible for contemporary seekers.

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