Lutheran Science Institute - What We Believe

What We Believe

Lutheran Science Institute, inc.
a WELS affiliated organization

The Bible is God’s Word, not man’s word. All 66 books of the Bible are inerrant. In Genesis 1-11 , God reveals true historical accounts. God created the universe in six days of 24 hours each. God judged humanity with a planet wide flood, while saving 8 people (along with breeding pairs of land animals) on a large ship called an ark. God later dispersed people groups at the time of the Tower of Babel. In addition, from Scripture we know that the earth and the entire universe are thousands of years old, not millions or billions.

Adam and Eve were the first man and woman. They are the ancestors of every human being. Genesis 3:20

Adam and Eve rebelled against God. Their rebellion (sin) separated them from God. We, as their descendants, have inherited this will of rebellion against God (sin). Just as it did with Adam and Eve, our sin separates us from God too. Isaiah 59:2 Romans 8:7 We are all sinners. Ecclesiastes 7:20 1 John 1:8 Romans 3:10 Psalm 53:3 A consequence of sin is death. Romans 5:12 Romans 6:23

God answered our rebellion (our sin) with love. Jesus Christ lived a perfect sinless life for you (as a substitute for you and all people). Jesus also died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins and for the sins of all people.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

For more about Jesus our Savior see, What does the Bible teach about Jesus?

LSI is affiliated with the
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).

WELS Statements Of Belief.

While affiliated with WELS,
LSI is NOT an agent or spokesman for the WELS.

"Join the Lutheran Science Institute (LSI). We’re committed to providing the tools to respond to questions of origins, and other challenges science poses to a Christian in today’s society. ...We do not convert people through science. Jews and Muslims believe in creation too. It is the gospel, and only the gospel, which is able to create faith in the heart of the unbeliever. Moreover, that process is not one of reason any more than changing water into wine is one of chemistry. It is a miracle of God. We pray that that miracle is done widely and frequently in our time."

Dr. Bruce Holman, LSI Journal, 2014
The Place of Reason in Dealing With Evolution

What is your position on …?

The only official positions of LSI are those stated in our constitution and in the Lutheran Confessions. LSI publishes various creationist views which are consistent with Scripture.

LSI is a provider of creation/evolution resources. Our LSI Journal and LSI Blog authors express their personal opinions in their writings. LSI simply ensures that what is published is in keeping with God's Word and is also scientifically accurate.

LSI answers questions like:

What is a Confessional Lutheran response to millions of years?

What would you say to a student who continues to be tempted by evolution?

How do some Christians attempt to make the Bible conform to millions of years?

What are the unprovable assumptions which direct and constrain evolution theory?

How do the creation apologetics of a Confessional Lutheran differ from that of a Baptist?

What Does "Confessional Lutheran" Mean?

The Lutheran Science Institute (LSI) is a Confessional Lutheran organization. We believe that the statement of faith called the Lutheran Confessions lists the teachings God reveals to us in Scripture, and then defends those Christian teachings against those who would teach something else. [ Lutheran Confessions on-line have the entire text. LSI has no connection to this website, but the site provides a great service to the church at large.]

How Does This Affect Your Creation Apologetic?

There is a narrow Lutheran middle road regarding Creation. Confessional Lutherans attempt to travel that narrow road while not falling into the ditches on either side. The ditch on one side incorrectly sees arguments from reason as able to aid in creating or sustaining faith. The ditch on the other side incorrectly sees no place at all for arguments from reason in our apologetic (in our defense of the faith). See the article, "The Narrow Lutheran Middle Road for Creation."

A book for further study is, The Narrow Lutheran Middle – Following the Scriptural Road. Deutschlander states on pages 3-8, “Both ditches are perilous indeed. Despair and self-righteousness alike are the opposites of faith. So then, there is a narrow middle road between these two errors: the one that so emphasizes grace that it perverts it into a license to sin and the other which so emphasizes God’s justice that it either places a limit on God’s grace or requires me to do something to aid in my own salvation. …The short answer to the question of why so many end up in the ditches is this: They listened to their reason and let reason take control where the Word of God should have been in control. …The gospel is nonsense to fallen reason and to those who give their reason the throne and deciding voice in spiritual matters. …Reason is not light but darkness when it rules as queen over the revealed Word of God.”

"The Lutheran Science Institute exists to provide answers for questions that may be troubling some Christians, especially our young people who, according to some polls, are avoiding church in large numbers. It is not our goal to “prove” the Bible. The Bible would be the true Word of God whether we could prove it or not."

Warren Krug, LSI Journal, 2013.
Creation Science, Inerrancy and Answers.