Does the Lutheran Church consider itself part of the “Protestant” church?
A. The answer to your question depends on how the term “Protestant” is understood, perceived or defined. From a purely historical perspective, it is hard to disassociate Lutheranism from the “Protestant” movement, since the term itself arose out of the “protests” of those who supported Luther’s Reformation (against Roman Catholic political pressures) at the Diet of Speyer in 1529. Accordingly, many editions of Webster’s Dictionary define the term “Protestant” as “any Christian not belonging to the Roman Catholic Church or Eastern Orthodox Church: in the 17th century the term was restricted to Lutherans and Anglicans.” If, however (as is often the case today), the term “Protestantism” is loosely or simplistically associated with various Reformed, Anabaptist or “fundamentalist” theological views, many of which do not correspond to what Lutherans believe and teach, then (obviously) the term would not be appropriately or accurately applied to Lutherans.
