Being Lutheran

Throw out all those notions you might have about what it means to be Lutheran.

When it comes down to it, being Lutheran is really very simple. It's about following Jesus. We go where Jesus goes, we listen when Jesus speaks, we trust when Jesus promises. And we live because Jesus lives.

From the Foreword

"Pastor Sutton treats not only Lutheran beliefs, but he also treats the attitudes and mindsets that those beliefs inform. Thus, he divides his book into two parts: what Lutherans challenge (being closed, lukewarm, confused, lazy, and 'pastel'), followed by what Lutherans cherish (the new, the ordinary, the unresolved, purpose, and the local). This helps explain the quirks of Lutherans-why they are so doctrinally rigorous, yet so fond of paradoxes and unresolved doctrinal tensions; why they seem both conservative and radical; how their theological strictness manifests itself in a spirit of freedom; how they can make such strong supernatural claims, while also focusing on the much-neglected spiritual significance of what is ordinary-while also accounting for what we could describe as the Lutheran theological culture.

"American Christianity teaches the centrality of the individual, my will, my experiences, my decision, my heart, my work and dedication, Yet we couldn't be more unaware that Christ and His saving and comforting work are being lost."

-Dr. Gene Edward Veith, Provost and Professor of Literature, Patrick Henry College

"Here is a contemporary presentation of Lutheranism on a popular level which does not stray from this ancient faith. It is an easy read with the depth of the Scriptures and the Catechism applied to our very real everyday situations. It covers modern concepts with an unflinching honesty and a clear-cut confession of the truth as revealed to us in Jesus. In fact, Jesus is the reason, purpose, and focus of every paragraph, page, and chapter. It is practical and useful to be given as a gift to someone who is looking for some devotional reading. It could be used as supplemental to an adult instruction class. I see how this could be used in a congregation as a basic review of the faith in a Bible Class setting. This is a doctrinal examination fit for laity to come to grips with why they believe what they do and a help for a pastor to better communicate the living, breathing Gospel of Jesus Christ, a truly Lutheran enterprise."

-Rev. Mark A. Miller, President, Central Illinois District, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

"A far cry from 'blatant Lutheran grandstanding, ' Sutton's provocative text reclaims the Lutheran narrative with exceptional style and substance, extending to the lifelong congregant and the uninitiated alike a fresh invitation to live boldly under God's open and expansive grace, grace that animates our thinking and doing. Every Lutheran should read this book, and dive headlong into being what and who they are, in Christ."

-Gretchen Jameson, Sr. Vice President, University Affairs, Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor

Rev. A. Trevor Sutton is associate pastor at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Haslett, Michigan. A frequent speaker and writer, Sutton has been published by various Christian publishers, and his work has appeared in Faith & Leadership (Duke Divinity School), The Cresset (Valparaiso University), and Concordia Journal (Concordia Seminary). Sutton has a BA from Concordia University in Ann Arbor and an MDiv from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and is currently a graduate student in Writing and Rhetoric at Michigan State University.

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