And the winner is: Trumpet fanfare!!!! The Lutheran Church

Here we are at the top. And the winner is THE LUTHERANS. As an RC you can tell I, at least, try to be objective.

Before I start here , let me share my 'method.' In the past I've tried to visit the churches on the list. But age has a bit slowed me down, so Now I send my daughter and 'sons' to visit and take video, if possible, Otherwise audio. I know people in almost all the groups; however, as some know I am no saint---even close. Yes, I do bawl out the Jehovah's Witnesses and Morons(opps, typo, but I think I'll leave it) who knock at my door, and then I slam the door in their face!!

Now to the Lutherans. They have one PR drawback. The Church is named after a real person. AND he liked beer and sex.Possible in the future they should consider changing it to something like: "The original, most true,love God, your neighbor, pray for all, sermon on the mount brotherhood of the saintly from A.D. 31" or something along those lines.

Of course, every Christian 'church' thinks it is the ORIGINAL church. Baptist, for example refer to a couple of Paul's letters as "Paul's Letters to the First Baptist Church at Corinth." This is not a joke. I've personally heard such!

But the Lutherans rank right near the top in all the categories I use in these ranking. They have a well developed and coherrent theology, explicated by outstanding theologians. They display a good balance between personal and social ethics, and I have yet to see a really ugly Luthean church, in any size town.

On top of that, they get along well with other religions. Attention Anglicans: They even get along well with their break away Lutherans. In my conservative city, the Missouri Synod group are the leaders in ecumenical efforts. That's right--Missouri Synod.

Of the 'liturgical' churches their preaching is right at the top.BTW, does anyone remember Oswald Hoffman? The Methodist edge the Lutherans slightly in this area, if, as some do, you consider Methodist liturgical.

And most important: To my knowledge they do NOT use the pulpit to endorse specific political candidates, even by misdirection as do the Catholics, Baptist and others.

And, of course, finally, any church that produced the music of Bach has to be close to heaven!!!

And if your daughter wants to marry into this religion? Urge her to.

Well, there are my ranking for this decade. I still have two "rest stops." The mega-churches, and the First Church of Blogdom. Coming up.