Evangelical Lutheran

Meaning

Proper Noun

• Lutheran

Origin

• Combination of "Evangelical", which was Martin Luther's term of his theology and "Lutheran", which was originally a derogatory term used of his followers. Later, when the movement split into fractions, the term "Evangelical Lutheran" came to mean the followers of Luther's original teaching. From that it has gradually been shortened back to "Lutheran" but "Evangelical Lutheran" is still widely used by the Lutheran churches.