Beliefs

Messiah Lutheran Church is a congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. We are a confessional Lutheran Church. This means we are catholic but not Roman Catholic. We are evangelical (Gospelesque) but not a part of the modern Evangelical movement. We hold that Jesus Christ crucified and risen again for the forgiveness of our sins (justification) is the very center and core of who we are. Our Lord comes to us to forgive us sins and give us Himself through the Word of God, preaching, baptism, absolution (forgiveness) and the Lord's Supper.

This one, catholic (Christian) and apostolic is confessed in the three ecumenical creeds:

• The Apostles Creed
• The Nicene Creed
• The Athanasian Creeds

This faith is also confessed in the Book of Concord of 1580, including:

• The Augsburg Confession
• The Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession
• The Small Catechism
• The Large Catechism
• The Smalcald Articles
• The Treatise of the Power and Primacy of the Pope
• The Formula of Concord — Epitome — Solid Declaration

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The What About Series

The immediate past-president of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod was Dr. A.L. Barry. Dr. Barry wrote a very helpful series of pamphlets entitled the What About series. Ranging on topics from What About Christian Families to Baptism to Islam and everything in between, this series is a helpful summary of many of the doctrines of the Christian faith in an easy to use format.

For a link to many of the What About pamphlets, click here.

To download the entire series of What About pamphlets in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format, click here . Be careful, though! The file is 644k, so it may take a while!

To download Adobe Acrobat Reader, go to this site:

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A helpful way of ordering the study of theology may be found in the structure of the Small Catechism of Martin Luther. Below you will find quotations and other items from interest on various topics of theology as ordered around the Catechism.

First Chief Part: The 10 Commandments

• Sin

• Malcom Muggeridge on the Cultural Decay of Society

• The Gideons

• The Lie - Herman Sasse

• Wilhelm Loehe

• The Truth

Second Chief Part: The Creed

• Christmas
• The Incarnation
• The Magnificat
• Augustine on Christ the Temple
• Pieper on Confessional Subscription
• Church Polity - Walther
• The Bible
• Brief Statement - Herman Sasse
• The Call
• Catechesis
• The Theology of the Cross
• The Crucifix
• Eternity
• Denominations in America
• Epiphany
• Church Fathers/Patristics
• Forgiveness
• The Holy Ministry
• On the Name "Missouri"
• Preaching
• Priesthood of the Baptized
• Herman Sasse for all seasons
• More Herman Sasse (link)
• The Semper Virgine
• Tradition
• Worship
• Women's Ordination (link)

Third Chief Part: The Lord's Prayer

• Prayer in General
• The Psalter (Psalms)

Fourth Chief Part: Baptism

• Baptism
• Confirmation

Fifth Chief Part: The Office of the Keys and Confession

• Confession and Absolution

Sixth Chief Part: The Sacrament of the Altar

• Communion

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Last revised on: March 26, 2004 9:55 PM
Copyright © 2000-2004 Messiah Lutheran Church, Kenosha, Wisconsin

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