What about us?
What’s the difference
between being a cultural
Lutheran and a practicing
Lutheran?
A Lutheran by culture,
means maybe you grew up
that way, or you benefit
from some of Lutherans’
impact on society, but you
don’t actually participate in
the life of the community
any more.
Let’s talk about Lutheran
culture for a while.
It’s time to play America’s
17th favorite game. . .
NAME
THAT
LUTHERAN!
Microsoft Pioneer Bill
Gates or Apple Co-founder
Steve Jobs?
Rock & Roll Hall of Famers
Bruce Springsteen or John
Mellencamp?
Which Spider-Man love
interest, Kirsten Dunst or
Emma Stone?
NFL QB’s Tom Brady or
Matthew Stafford?
Late night TV side-kick Ed
McMahon or Andy
Richter?
Hollywood superstars
Bruce Willis or Woody
Harrelson?
Maybe you didn’t know that. . .
Troy Aikman, Fox Sports Mary Hart, Entertainment Tonight
Steve Jobs, Apple Computers co-founder
Gary Larsen, "The Far Side" comics John Updike, author
Andy Richter, comedian Bruce Willis, actor
Kevin Sorbo, actor "Hercules" and "Andromeda"
Sally Struthers,
actress "Gilmore Girls" and “All in the Family”
John Woo, director
(Paycheck, Windtalkers, Mission: Impossible II)
Dana Carvey, commedian
Kirsten Dunst, actor
Paul "Ace"
Frehley, rock musician "KISS"
Annabeth Gish, actor, "The X Files”
David Hasselhoff, actor
Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives"
William H. Macy, actor
Kris Kristofferson, actor/singer
Lyle
Lovett, singer
John Mellencamp, musician Dom Capers, NFL
Mary-Kate Olsen, actress
Ashley Olsen, actress
Tom Brady, NFL Lou Gehrig, MLB Tom Landry, NFL
Dale Earnhardt, Sr., NASCAR
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., NASCAR
Paul Molitor, Baseball Hall of Fame
Dave Winfield, Baseball Hall of Fame
Martin Luther
Obviously not born a Lutheran,
but his convictions as a priest
set off a reformation and
ultimately let to a spiritual and
cultural revolution that changed
the shape of the church but he’s
not to be confused with. . .
Martin Luther King Jr.
(January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)
another great man, and a
reformer in his own right, but
MLK is separated from ML by
multiple generations, a continent,
and the Baptist tradition.
Martin Luther
(November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546)
Martin Luther, a German monk, became
aware of differences between the Bible and
church practices of the day. His writings,
lectures and sermons inspired others to
protest church practices and call for
reform.By the late 1500s the Reformation had
spread throughout Europe. Followers of
Martin Luther’s teachings were labeled
“Lutherans” by their enemies and adopted
the name themselves. Lutheran beliefs
became widespread, especially in Germany
and the Scandinavian countries (Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland),
later spreading throughout the world as
early explorers took their faith with them on
their voyages.
More examples of
Lutheran culture?
Norwegian painter
Edvard Munch (18631944) is regarded as one
of the greatest artists in
world history. His most
famous paintings include
The Kiss (1897) and The
Scream (1893).Edvard
Munch was raised as a
devout Lutheran. As an
adult, however, he
abandoned the stronglyheld Protestant Christian
beliefs that had shaped
his childhood.
Composer George
Frideric Handel
(1685 –1759)
"Throughout his life, [he]
manifested a deep sense
of religion. In
conversation he would
frequently declare the
pleasure he felt in setting
the Scriptures to music,
and how contemplating
the many sublime
passages in the Psalms
had contributed to his
edification."
Composer Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685 – 1750)
“To the honor of the Most High alone, and for my neighbor,
to be enlightened from it....”
Inscription from Orgelbüchlein by J. S. Bach, Weimar, c. 1714
Norwegian composer Edvard H. Grieg,
known as “the Chopin of the North,”
(1843 – 1907). “His music came from the
depths of rural Norway, where the quick
and resonant tones of the Hardanger
fiddle met his ear, and the
Hardangerfjord’s shifting moods
enchanted his eye.” His “goal was to
create a national form of music which
could give the Norwegian people an
identity, and in this respect he was an
inspiration to other composers. But the
greatness of his works lies not just in this
, but in the fact that he also succeeded in
expressing thoughts and emotions which
could be recognized everywhere; music
which people could identify with. Grieg’s
music transcended national boundaries.
Which country has the most
expansive social welfare
program in Europe?
France
Spain
Sweden
Germany
Sweden is the home of Europe's most
expansive social welfare programs.
While church attendance is very low,
many believe its social programs reveal
the long-term influence of the Lutheran
presence.
Often referred to as the "home of the
people," the nation's Social Democrat
government retains core free market
ideals yet operates the world's most
progressive welfare state. Swedish
citizens, among the most heavily taxed
in the world, are provided educational,
healthcare, elder care and economic
security programs.
The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society is the nation’s
largest not-for-profit provider of senior care and services,
serving more than 27,000 people in 240 locations nationwide.
While it initially focused solely on offering traditional skilled
nursing care, the organization now provides senior living
apartments, home health, assisted living, hospice care, inpatient
and outpatient therapy and specialized units for people with
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a faith-based, not-for-profit
membership organization nearly 2.5 million members strong.
We're a Fortune 500 financial services organization with the
strength of more than $75 billion in assets under management.
As the nation's largest fraternal benefit society, we're here solely
to help others. Every day, we make a difference through the:
*Financial solutions we offer.
*Member activities we support.
*Resources we provide the Lutheran community and
nonprofit organizations.
Cultural Impact Witness
Gathering
Practice
In some places Lutheran culture remains strong
whereas Lutheran practice may be considered weak.
Next time we’ll begin looking at what Lutheran
practice looks like.