Differences in Churches
So many people say to me that they don't see much difference between churches. Others will say that all Lutheran churches are alike or that Catholics and Lutheran are pretty much the same. Nothing could be further from the truth. What is printed below is a list of biblical truths. So take the time and read through the list and compare your beliefs to what the Bible teaches.
Then compare what your church teaches to what the Bible teaches. When you are done you are invited to contact Pastor Krentz by phone at 608-482-4620 or by email at mckrentz@yahoo.com and discuss what you have found.
 
  1. The Bible is God’s Word – the only authority for doctrine and life
  2. The Bible is inspired – the Holy Spirit controlled the minds of the writers so that what they wrote was his words and not their own
  3. The Bible is true, trustworthy and reliable in all that it says (inerrant)
  4. The words in the Bible are to be taken in their normal, natural meaning unless grammar and context dictate otherwise.
  5. The Bible contains ONLY 66 books; 39 OT and 27 NT
  6. There are no other biblical books to be written or discovered
  7. No other books are equal in authority to the Bible
  8. No single person has the authority to dictate doctrines for the church that are not recorded in the Bible
  9. There is only one true God and that is the God of the Bible - Triune God
  10.  The triune God is three separate, distinct persons yet one God
  11.   The Jesus of the Bible is a real person.
  12.   Jesus in a very miraculous way was conceived by the Holy Spirit and then birthed by the virgin Mary
  13.  Jesus is one person in possession of two separate and distinct natures, one human the other divine, since the time of his conception
  14.  Jesus was born holy and therefore lived a perfect life
  15.  Jesus’ death on the cross served as the full payment for all of our sins
  16.   Jesus has done everything necessary to save us from our sins
  17.  Jesus died on a cross and was buried.
  18.  On the third day Jesus rose bodily from the grave
  19.  Jesus ascended bodily into heaven forty days after Easter
  20.  Jesus will return bodily at an unknown day and time to judge the world
  21.  Unbelievers will go to hell and believers will go to heaven
  22.  There is no such thing as purgatory
  23.  There is nothing left for us to do to be saved
  24.   Only faith in Jesus Christ gets one to heaven
  25.  Faith in Christ is solely a gift from the Holy Spirit as he works through the Gospel portion of the Bible alone or through the gospel portion of the Bible attached to the waters of Baptism
  26.  Infants are part of “all nations” and need to be baptized
  27.  Immersion is not the only way to be baptized
  28.  Baptism is a “means of grace” – that is, it bestows faith upon the person
  29.  You can get to heaven without being baptized
  30.  The Lord’s Supper is a “means of grace” – that is, it bestows forgiveness
  31.  Christ’s true body and blood are “really present” because he said so
  32.  The liquid to be served is wine like in the first Passover
  33.  Every participant in the Lord’s Supper is to receive bread and wine
  34.  Those who commune are to be “united in faith and doctrine”
  35.  An “open” communion is not permissible
  36.  There are only two sacraments – Baptism and the Lord’s supper
  37.   Not all churches are Christian since they don’t believe in Jesus
  38.  Churches that are not “united in doctrine” are not to unite in worship, prayer and other “outside” activities
  39.  Only the prayers of Christians are heard and answered by God
  40.  We are not to pray to Mary or to so-called “saints”
  41.  Prayer is not a “means of grace” nor a sacrament -  that is, a way to get or strengthen faith
  42.  We are not to pray with those who are not “united in doctrine’ with us
  43.  The clergy are not the only ones who can say to a repentant person “you are forgiven”
  44.  Repentant people are not to be given “acts of penance” to perform  to make sure that they have been forgiven
  45.  The Pope is not acting in Jesus’ place on earth  (apostolic succession)
  46.  Only qualified men can serve as pastors ( women are not permitted)
  47.  Mary was not the product of an immaculate conception
  48.  Mary was not taken to heaven bodily without death
  49.  Marriage is the union of one man and one woman
  50.  Homosexuality (in all its forms) is a sin
  51.  All life is precious to God and so abortion is wrong
  52.  The world and everything in it came into being via creation by God in six normal, natural consecutive days
  53.  All people are born sinful and possess a sinful nature until they die
  54.  That sinful nature is totally corrupt and cannot be changed or eliminated
  55.  Government’s use of capital punishment is blessed by God

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name. ~ John 20:31