According to Wikipedia: "Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German Reformer Martin Luther. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched the Protestant Reformation and, through the reactions of his contemporaries, left Western Christianity divided. The split between Lutherans and the Roman Church of his time arose mainly over the doctrine of justification before God. Specifically, Lutheranism advocates a doctrine of justification "by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone," which varied from the Roman view of "faith formed by love", or "faith and works". Lutheranism is also distinct from the Reformed Churches, which arose during the Reformation. Unlike the Reformed Churches, Lutherans have retained many of the sacramental understandings and liturgical practices of the pre-Reformation Church. Lutheran theology differs considerably from Reformed theology in its understanding of divine grace and predestination to eternity after death."