What is Lutheranism?
And why the LCMS?

When you hear "Lutheran" in the news media, keep in mind that journalists rarely distinguish between the liberal, mainline version of it and genuine Lutheranism.

If you want to understand genuine Lutheranism, you have to understand what we believe about the Bible. The Bible (meaning: "book") contains a remarkable variety of literature: history, poetry, narratives, wisdom literature, prophecies, visions, and so on, written over many centuries by a wide variety of human authors, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

​The Bible is called "holy" and held to be "Sacred Scriptures" (Holy Writings) because the words in the Bible were given to human authors to write by direct inspiration from God the Holy Spirit. Inspiration means "to breathe out," and that's why genuine Lutheranism believes and teaches that the Bible is incapable of error (infallible) and free from error (inerrant). Liberal, mainline "Lutherans" no longer hold the Bible in such high regard. Rather these liberal, mainline "Lutherans" view the Bible as filled with errors; therefore, it can be ignored or explained away when it does not square with modern viewpoints about everything from science, life, birth, death, sexuality, marriage, and so on.

For genuine Lutheranism, the Bible is all about Jesus! We cherish the Bible because in it God reveals, with absolute truthfulness and authority, the good news of salvation, life, hope, joy, and a future in Jesus Christ! 
Luther's Rose: The red heart with the black cross reminds us that the righteous live by faith in the Crucified One. The heart rests in a white rose, showing that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace. The rose is white, because that is the color of the heavenly spirits and angels. The white rose stands in a field of blue, the color of heaven, to show that joy in the Spirit and in faith in this life is only the beginning of future heavenly joy. Surrounding the sky-blue field is a gold ring, to show that happiness and joy in heaven has no end but lasts forever, just as gold is the most noble and precious metal.

VDMA: "Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum" is the motto of the Lutheran Reformation, which means, "The Word of the Lord endures forever." This confident expression of the enduring power and authority of God's Word is based on the Latin translation of 1 Peter 1:24-25 (also: Isaiah 40:8). The "VDMA" became the official motto of the Smalcaldic League and was used on flags, banners, swords, and uniforms as a symbol of the Lutheran laity who struggled to defend their beliefs, communities, and lives against those who were intent on destroying them.

What's different between the LCMS and the ELCA?
So, what are the differences? What makes The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) different from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)?

In terms of the official position of these two church bodies, there are three main differences between the LCMS and the ELCA:

​1. The doctrine and authority of Scripture. The LCMS believes that the Bible is without error in all that it says. The ELCA believes that Scripture is not necessarily accurate. These differences on the authority of Scripture helps explain why the ELCA ordains women to the pastoral office, while the LCMS does not (1 Corinthians 14:33-36 and 1 Timothy 2:11-14). Similarly, on this basis of what Scripture clearly teach, the LCMS teaches that homosexual behavior  is contrary to God's will (Romans 1:18-28; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10), while the ELCA endorses the "marriage" of homosexuals and those with gender confusion, and also allows for their ordination.

2. Commitment to the Lutheran confessional writings. The ELCA, while affirming its commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as witnessed to in the Lutheran Confessions (The Book of Concord), also tends to emphasize the historical character of these writings and to maintain the possibility of dissent to confessional positions that do not deal directly with the Gospel itself understood in a narrow sense.

All LCMS pastors are required to affirm that the Lutheran Confessions are a correct explanation of the teachings of Scripture.

3. The level of agreement necessary to join together in one church body. While the LCMS believes the Bible requires agreement in all that the Bible teaches, the ELCA holds that disagreement in some matters of doctrine, such as the mode of Christ's presence in the Sacrament of the Altar, do not prohibit church fellowship, which is directly against orthodox Lutheran doctrine as the Epitome of the Formula of Concord states: "We believe, teach, and confess that in the Holy Supper the Body and Blood of Christ are truly and essential present, truly distributed and received with the bread and wine." (FC-E, Affirmative Theses 1)

The ELCA is in fellowship with the following denominations that reject the Real Presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper: Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, United Church of Christ, The Episcopal Church, The Moravian Church, and The United Methodist Church.