A Lutheran is, first and foremost, a Christian. “Christian” is the noun, and “Lutheran” becomes the adjective. Being Lutheran is one way of being Christian. It is not the best way or the only way. 

Lutheranism was born from the ideas of Martin Luther, who, in 1517, began the Protestant Reformation when he nailed 95 theses to the door of a church. His writings stated ways he thought the Church (as an organization) was harming people and not acting in a way that was in accordance with God. 

The core tenet of Lutheranism is the belief that we are saved by God’s grace through faith. We believe this means that salvation is a gift freely given to us, not something we can earn or achieve on our own. It is not based on doing good deeds but on God’s mercy and love.