With the universal Christian
Church, Saint Luke's Lutheran Church in Putnam Valley teaches and responds to the
love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus
Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all
human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death
and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God's Word and
Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one
God.
Being "Lutheran," our congregation accepts and teaches Bible-based
teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian
Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be
summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Scripture alone, Faith
alone.
Grace alone
God loves the people of the
world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve
His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the
ungodly.
Faith alone
By His suffering and death as
the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won
forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and
believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in
Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.
Scripture alone
The Bible is God's inerrant and
infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation
in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.
Adapted from A Week in the Life of The Lutheran
Church--Missouri Synod, copyright 1996, Concordia Publishing House.
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod accepts the Scriptures as the inspired
and inerrant Word of God, and subscribes unconditionally to all the
symbolical books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a true and
unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of God. We accept the
Confessions because they are drawn from the Word of God and on that account
regard their doctrinal content as a true and binding exposition of Holy
Scripture and as authoritative for all pastors, congregations and other
rostered church workers of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
These texts are in the public domain and may be copied
and distributed freely. The source of these translations is Triglot
Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921).
In order to provide leadership in dealing with the Synod's needs and
opportunities in the areas of theology and church relations, the Synod
established the Commission on Theology and Church Relations in 1962. Since
that time, the Commission has provided study documents and statements on a
number of significant theological issues and has been the Synod's primary
agency for carrying out its ecumenical responsibilities toward other
Christians.
A series of 29 pamphlets, written by former Synod President A.L.
Barry, that address doctrinal topics, moral issues and concerns in the
church to help Christians grow in their understanding of these important
questions. These documents are made available in PDF format. You will need the free
Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them.
The Commission on Theology and Church Relations provides resources and information regarding organizations, philosophies and religious movements. This portion of the website provides evaluations, from a Lutheran theological perspective, of a broad range of religious organizations and movements--both Christian and non-Christian.
This portion of the website is currently under construction. Additional evaluations will be made available when completed. The site begins with the posting of subjects of more frequent inquiries, not any suggested order of importance. To access the pdf file evaluation, click on the underlined title.
Those who have questions about this site may call (800) 248-1930, ext. 1433 or e-mail the Commission's office at ctcr@lcms.org .
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