This is a 6+ page essay complete with bibliography page. It is college level (Opening paragraphs below)
To speak of the ELCA there needs to be a brief bit of background on how it got to where it is and came to be what it is. Naturally the Lutheran Church takes its name from Martin Luther, the father, so to speak of all Protestant movements. He was a German monk of the 16th century. His teachings and new attitude toward Christian beliefs did much to usher out the Dark Ages and bring humanity back to the road to enlightenment. His Reformation movement changed the course of western civilization (Wikipedia).
His translation of the bible into the German language, along with the near contemporaneous invention of the printing press gave the word to the masses for the first time and had a great effect on the King James translation as well. It was his call to reform that gave impetus to many others to question much of what had been wrong with the Western Church. His work spread across Europe like wildfire and he stirred the continent with his essays and sermons. By end of the century the Reformation was near total. The ELCA, as well as all Lutheran churches are scions of that movement.
