1 The Lutheran Family Lutherans exist all over the world and with its roughly 70-71 million members make up the largest community in Protestantism. That it assumed the name Lutheran after Martin Luther is by sheer historical coincidence. The papal bull of 1521excommunicated Luther and his adherents by calling them Lutherans and thereby stigmatize them as heretics and shismatics. Luther and his followers protested against the use of his name calling himself D ³ P L V H U D E O H E D J R I Z R U P V D Q G V K R X O G Q R W J L Y H K L V P H D Q L Q J O H V V Q D P H W R K L V F K L O G U H Q ´ WA III,684-685. On another, less known, occasion Luther did call himself a name worth keeping if it meant thereby that one follows Christ. In fact during the first 50 years / X W K H U D Q V Z H U H F D O O H G ( Y D Q J H O L F D O V R U ³ 5 H I R U P H G F K X U F K H V ´ 7 K D W W H U P E H F D X V H D I W H U 1580 then for the Calvinists whereas Lutherans were called Lutherans. 6 W D W L R Q V L Q / X W K H U ¶ V O L I H may show some particular traits of Lutheranism vis-à-vis other positions. Here are a few examples: 1. How can I find a merciful God? That constituted a discovery of the Gospel versus egocentric or anthropocentric theology of the law and human righteousness and U H H V W D E O L V K H G W K H W K H R F H Q W U L F R U &