Wittenberg FAQ

What is our purpose?

The purpose of the Wittenberg Discussion Group is to study and discuss foundations of the Lutheran Church. The statements of belief (also called confessions) of the Lutheran Church are contained in the Book of Concord which was published in 1580.

The authors of the Book of Concord were principally Martin Luther, Phillip Melanchthon, Martin Chemnitz, and David Chytraeus. These men also wrote individually outside of the Book of Concord. Luther was a prolific writer. A “shortened” English version of his works, called the St. Louis Edition is 55 volumes. These works can be purchased on CD from Augsburg Fortress (ELCA) or Concordia Publishing (LCMS).

The collected works of these men offer an endless supply of material for discussion.

How is Wittenberg different than a bible study?

A Bible study is organized by book, chapter, and verse usually in sequence. A single verse may contain several theological topics. Usually a single verse will not completely describe a theological topic, but will give a “perspective” or “shade of meaning” which when combined with other verses (found in other parts of the Bible) will provide a complete understanding. A Bible study typically is not organized by topic and so won’t look for all other verses in the Bible which will shed light, amplify, reinforce, or sometimes seemingly contradict the single verse being studied.

Wittenberg will be studying the Book of Concord which is organized by topic and is generously supported by references to Scripture.

Bible study is also positive in nature and emphasizes truth. The Book of Concord looks at the positive and the negative. It not only describes what Lutherans believe but also labels and identifies “false teaching”.

Who should join Wittenberg Discussion Group?

You should have read and have a good understanding of the New Testament. Wittenberg does not replace Bible study. With a good understanding of the New Testament you will easily grasp what the Book of Concord has to offer and will quickly understand what makes Lutheranism distinct from other Christian denominations.

What are we studying now?

We are studying the topic of justification, which is how we are made right with God, which is the Good News, the Gospel message. We are using the Theses on Justification as our text. The Theses is composed of 60 sections, we have completed 20 sections as of November 2004. Each section is supported by references to the Book of Concord and Scripture. We study all references.

When and where do we meet?

We meet at 6:00PM every Wednesday in the conference room at Christ Lutheran Church in Valencia, CA at 25816 N. Tournament Rd. To meet the needs of our members (there are about 10 of us), we occasionally go “dark”. We will be going dark November 24 and all Wednesdays in December. We will reconvene January 5, 2005.