What is "confessional Lutheranism?" It is "catholic" but not Roman Catholic. It is "evangelical" but not part of the pop-Christian movement known as Evangelicalism. Confessional Lutheranism is interested in living out the faith of the church throughout the ages (catholic) in a purely Gospel centered (evangelical) manner. We believe sinners like us are saved by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone. We also believe that faith is never alone since it produces love, and that grace is never alone because it always comes to us in the means of grace (preached Gospel, administered sacraments). We believe the Bible is inspired by God the Holy Spirit and is without error. The Bible is the only truth source that is without error. But we who read the Bible are very capable of error! So we need help as we read it. That help comes from the holy Christian church to which Christ has committed Himself (Matthew 28:20).

Confessional Lutheranism understands itself as historic Christian faith and life, nothing less, nothing more. As the centuries of church history have moved along, various questions have arisen. The Lutheran Confessions are a set of documents that set forth Biblical answers to those questions. The Confessions also seek to demonstrate that these answers interpret Holy Scripture the same way the ancient creeds, councils and fathers of the church faithfully interpreted them throughout the church's first seven centuries or so.

Churches that make a point of being "confessional" or that wish to live out "historic Christianity" want to align both their teaching and their practice with that of the whole church throughout all time and in all places. They are very uncomfortable with teaching or doing something novel. They have a healthy distrust of their own private judgement and of the spirit of the age.

Risen Christ is such a church. We actively teach the faith of the Lutheran Confessions, the church fathers and councils, etc. …reading the Bible through that lens rather than through some other lens such as pious experience, human reason, or marketing data! Any one who claims to read the Bible through no lens at all is kidding himself and failing to take his own sinful nature seriously enough! The best lens is the lens of that church to which Jesus has said, "I will be with you always." This church is, as Scripture puts it, "the pillar and foundation of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15).

Risen Christ also makes use of the historic Christian liturgy. The Lutheran Liturgy is the catholic liturgy. Lutherans purged the Roman Catholic Liturgy of its errors (the idea that Holy Communion is our good work, prayers to or through Mary, etc…). At Risen Christ we celebrate the Eucharist, Holy Communion, at each Sunday morning service. We chant the Psalm for the day and the liturgy. We kneel for confession of sin and receive holy absolution. We focus on the baptismal font and the altar (rather than some nice young dancing bodies and a drum set!). We believe that God is busy doing His thing, forgiving our sin, through these instruments He has chosen (baptism, absolution, communion, preaching).

We're not a bunch of self righteous folk ready to tell you how much our lives have been changed as a result of knowing Christ. We don't claim to love Him or know Him as we should. Each Sunday we come as sinners needing forgiveness, as prodigals returning to our Father's house, as people in darkness upon whom the light of the Gospel is shining afresh. God's forgiveness in Christ, the Father's welcome, the light of the Gospel - these things restore our faith and love so that we can go out, each of into our specific divine calling, and start over, and, of course, fail again, and find Christ again as He forgives us again.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to give you the life of God, the forgiveness of sin, victory over hell and Satan and the wrath of God. Jesus died for you. Jesus lives in His church for you. Jesus invites you to be found by Him, in Him, in a church where He is preaching, washing, forgiving, and feeding His people.