High Church Lutheranism
Encyclopedia
"High Church Lutheranism" is the name given in Europe for the 20th century Lutheran
movement that emphasizes worship practices and doctrines that are similar to those found within both Roman Catholicism and the Anglo-Catholic
wing of Anglicanism
. In the more general usage of the term it describes the general High Church characteristics of Nordic countries such as Sweden, Finland and Estonia in the Baltics. The mentioned countries, once a part of the Swedish Empire
, have more markedly preserved Catholic traditions and introduced far less reformed theology.
and Low Church
do not originally belong to the Lutheran tradition; historically, these have been applied to particular liturgical and theological groups within Anglicanism. The theological differences within Lutheranism have not been nearly so marked as those within the Anglican Communion
; Lutherans have historically been unified in the doctrine expressed in the Book of Concord
. However, quite early in Lutheranism, polarities began to develop owing to the influence of the Reformed tradition, leading to so-called "Crypto-Calvinism
". The Pietist
movement in the 17th century also moved the Lutheran church further in a direction that would be considered "low church" by Anglican standards. Pietism and rationalism
led not only to the simplification or even elimination of certain ceremonial elements, such as the use of vestments, but also to less frequent celebration of the Eucharist
, by the end of the era of Lutheran Orthodoxy
. Unlike in the Church of England
however, there has been very little iconoclasm
in Lutheran churches and church buildings have often remained richly furnished. Also some monasteries continued as Lutheran after Reformation. Loccum Abbey
and Amelungsborn Abbey
in Germany have the longest traditions as Lutheran monasteries.
In old church order
s, however there was much variation which could now be described as "high church" or "low church". One example of the more Catholic ones is the Swedish Church Ordinance 1571
. Agenda
of the church order of Margraviate of Brandenburg
(1540) contained unusually rich provision for ceremonial usages. This legacy of Brandenburgian Lutheranism has later been visible in Old Lutherans
' resistance to compromise in the doctrine of Real Presence
. Other church orders following closely to pre-Reformation rites and ceremonies were Palatinate-Neuburg
(1543, retaining a eucharistic
prayer) and Austria (1571, prepared by David Chytraeus
).
An interesting fact is that William Augustus Mühlenberg, father of the Ritualist movement in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, was originally Lutheran and came from a Lutheran family.
In Europe, after long influence of Pietism
, theological rationalism
and finally 19th century German Neo-Protestantism, there was developed a ground for 20th century High Church or Evangelical Catholic Movement. the terms "High Church" (Evangelical Catholic) and "Low Church" (Confessing Evangelical) began to be used to describe differences within the Lutheran tradition. However, this terminology is not characteristic of a Lutheran's identity as it often the case for an Anglican.
, confessional Lutheran
ism, Anglo-Catholicism
and the Liturgical Movement
. The Lutheran high church movement has been much less significant than, for example, Anglo-Catholicism within the Anglican Communion
. High church Lutheranism has often been (especially in Scandinavian churches) a theologically orthodox revival movement at least among clergy, with a strong ecclesiology
, standing in opposition to State church
and "Folk church" ideologies, which parallel Erastianism within Anglican Church. In this respect there are resemblances to the Oxford Movement
in Anglicanism. The range within High Church Movement varies across a spectrum from moderate to papalist. The Second Vatican Council
has led to a breakthrough for the High Church Movement, which is slowly gaining support.
In Northern Europe, the term High Church has been often used pejoratively, and was not necessarily ever used by pioneers of the movement, who identified themselves as Catholics of the Augsburg Confession.
nevertheless the term "high church" has established itself at least in Sweden
and Germany. Especially in North America, term "high church" is avoided, because it is seen not to take seriously Lutheran confession and historical tradition as evangelical Catholic. The term "high church" has also been criticized by theologians like Hermann Sasse
(in German context) as not to integrate itself into authentic Lutheran tradition. Among "low church" Liberal Protestant
, Confessing Evangelical, or Pietist Lutherans, Evangelical Catholic Lutheranism is seen as a violation of Reformation ideals.
While the Church authorities have often by various actions tried to prevent
the formation of Catholic parishes within the European State Church
es, the Catholic
movement has been preserved by many confraternities
,
religious orders, and monastic communities. It is growing in countries such as Norway.
High Church movements have in some cases, especially in Northern Europe, fallen into crisis because of the issue of ordination of women
. In Norway the issue has resulted the establishment of the Nordic Catholic Church
. In Germany, on the other hand, the primary issue has been the lacking historical episcopate
and Apostolic Succession
.
Still the Catholic movement has influenced whole church bodies, and in some cases has developed liberal expressions. The liturgical emphasis does not always indicate Catholic Lutheranism, for in Lutheran Church there has been influence of the Liturgical Movement
also apart from Catholic movement. Thus in Europe a certain amount of "high church" interest has been based on aesthetics, tastes in parament
s, vestments and ceremonies, without any theological argumentation or sense of historical continuity. Similarly, interest in mediaeval church buildings may have no concerns regarding the theology behind the form of worship taking place within these buildings.
, influenced at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries by the Anglo-Catholic part of the Church of England. The first religious order within the high church movement was the Societas Sanctae Birgittae
, and it still exists. The movement spread intensively through the activity of Fr. Gunnar Rosendal
, the hymn writer Fr. Olov Hartman and the retreat director Fr. Jan Redin. The more subtle high church influence of Bishop Bo Giertz
has been remarkable especially among Pietists. The early high church movement caused the emergence of retreat centres, more frequent celebration of the Mass
, and lively historical-critical study of Holy Scriptures.
The strong social passion of the Catholic Movement within Church of England
never took root in the same way in Sweden. The ordination of women as clergy began in 1958, and caused a split within the Swedish high church party. One branch with liberal leanings accepted this step whilst the other did not. Later, one of the leading figures of the high church movement was Bishop emeritus Bertil Gärtner
who is against the ordination of women. He was even predecessor to Bo Giertz as bishop of Gothenburg. He died in 2009. His role in the High Church movement fell on Bishop emeritus Biörn Fjärstedt, the former bishop of Visby
. The Svensk Pastoraltidskrift is the traditionalist journal of the High Church Movement in Sweden. The nucleus of the movement is arbetsgemenskapen Kyrklig Förnyelse
(Swedish Church Union) together with numerous religious societies and some monastic communities like Östanbäck monastery
, Alsike Convent, and Sisterhood of Saint Francis
. Some other organisations are St. Laurence Foundation
, St. Ansgar Foundation and Förbundet För Kristen Enhet, which works for reunion of Church of Sweden
and Roman Catholic Church
. The Church Coalition for Bible and Confession is organisation similar to Anglican Forward in Faith
. Also Anglican Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
is active partly within Church of Sweden.
, resulting in the simple spread of Calvinist concepts from the Reformed Churches by "osmosis," Lutheranism has often taken on a Reformed context. The high church movement within the Evangelical Church in Germany
has been much less influential than in Sweden and perhaps less integrated to the state Lutheran tradition. Still the movement is strongly involved in ecumenism
and the Liturgical Movement
.
The case is much different in the Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church
in Germany. This church is a confessional Lutheran
church in full "pulpit and altar fellowship" (full communion) with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Because of the confessional Lutheran direction, there is a high church movement in that Church.
The German high church movement began in Reformation
Jubilee 1917, inspired by publication of Stimuli et Clavi
, 95 theses by Heinrich Hansen
. This resulted in the founding of Hochkirchliche Vereinigung Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses
(High Church Union of the Augsburg Confession) the following year. Subsequently other high church associations and societies also arose, distinguished from other Lutheran bodies by restored apostolic succession
(mostly through Hochkirchliche St. Johannes-Bruderschaft, which is part of the HVAB, along with the Evangelische Franziskaner-Tertiaren.
The Catholic movement gained new strength by the Sammlung movement by Hans Asmussen and Max Lackmann
. Other associations are Bund für evangelisch-katholische Einheit
(League for Evangelical-Catholic Unity), including St. Jakobus- Bruderschaft), Arbeitsgemeinschaft Kirchliche Erneuerung in der Evang.-Luth. Kirche in Bayern (Working Group for Church Revival in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria), Humiliatenorden
, St. Athanasius-Bruderschaft, Hochkirchlicher Apostolat St. Ansgar
, Bekenntnisbruderschaft St. Peter und Paul
, Kommunität St. Michael in Cottbus
, Congregatio Canonicorum Sancti Augustini
, and some religious communities like Priory of St. Wigbert
.
Other organisations, such as Berneuchen Movement
and Kirchliche Arbeit Alpirsbach
are regarded as part of the Liturgical Movement
, although the former is theologically high church and in co-operation with High Church associations and religious fraternities.
) influence in North America was strong. The missionary work of Wilhelm Loehe, from Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, Germany, did much to contribute to Lutheran liturgical renewal in Germany and beyond. Loehe's influence can be seen in the Lutheran migration to Australia and North America. In North America this was seen in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the Iowa Synod.
The evangelical catholic movement was born later than the European movement. Its forerunners include Arthur Carl Piepkorn, Berthold Von Schenk
, and Fr. Arthur Kreinheder
. Portions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
have evangelical catholic emphases. Evangelical catholic congregations range from theologically liberal to conservative. The Society of the Holy Trinity
is the largest evangelical catholic religious society in North America. Theologically, it is moderate and relatively conservative in ecumenical openness. The most ornate liturgy is to be found in the small Evangelical Catholic Lutheran Churches, some parishes of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and in many Lutheran seminaries of all Lutheran varieties across North America which celebrate Solemn High Mass with ceremony similar to that found in Anglo-Catholic parishes. The Society of Saint Polycarp, a devotional guild, was also founded within the LCMS. The most important evangelical catholic journals are Lutheran Forum, published by American Lutheran Publicity Bureau (ALPB), and Pro Ecclesia, published by the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology in cooperation with the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau (ALPB).
Valparaiso University
, an independent Lutheran institution, developed by the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, has also continued in its own evangelical catholic tradition. The development of this tradition is a unique blend between the movements within the various Lutheran church bodies. Students play a key role in crafting these services. Another significant contributor to the evangelical catholic values of Valparaiso University is the presence of the annual Liturgical Institute on its campus.
Like some previously mentioned German religious clerical fraternities, in the United States the Evangelical Catholic Church
and in recent years other small, biblically and theologically conservative high church evangelical catholic Lutheran Churches like the Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church
, the International Lutheran Fellowship
, the Lutheran Orthodox Church
, the Association of Independent Evangelical Lutheran Churches, the Evangelical Marian Catholic Church, and the Lutheran Episcopal Communion
have succeeded in restoring the historic Apostolic Succession
from Old Catholic
churches. Additionally, some have moved from decentralized, democratic congregationalist polity
to highly centralized episcopal polity
; worship using the liturgies of the Roman Catholic Church exclusively; and work actively toward a form of visible, corporate reunion with the Roman Catholic Church. As is the case among Anglicans, however, "high church" movements have proven to be more attractive to the clergy
than to the laity
.
In North America, Lutheran liturgical renewal has also been seen in such organizations as the defunct St. James Society, the journal The Bride of Christ, the journal Gottesdienst, the defunct journal Motley Magpie, the Society of the Holy Trinity
, the Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood (influenced by German Evangelisch-Lutherische Gebetsbruderschaft
), the Society of Saint Polycarp, the Society for the Preservation of the Evangelical Lutheran Liturgy, and the Good Shepherd Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary
in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The most fundamental division in evangelical catholic circles is between those who are determined, come what may, to remain Lutheran and those who are at least willing to consider that their catholicity might one day edge into Roman Catholicism.
On February 21, 2011, it became public that Catholic authorities in Rome have invited the Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church to join the Catholic Church through the provisions of Anglicanorum Coetibus and that the ALCC has officially and unconditionally accepted that invitation.
is generally pietistic. The Pietism
movement in Norway (embodied to a great extent by the Haugean
movement fostered by Hans Nielsen Hauge
) has served to reduce the distance between lay and clergy in Norway. The high church movement is more isolated and much smaller than in Sweden. It has been promoted by Ordo Crucis
, Bønne- og arbeidsfellesskapet Kirkelig Fornyelse, Pro Ecclesia, and Samråd på Kirkens Grunn.
In the Church of Denmark
the high church movement is marginal. It is promoted by Fællesskabet Kirkelig Fornyelse. Praying of the Daily office has been promoted by Teologisk Oratorium (the best-known member having been Regin Prenter
) and by Selskabet dansk Tidegærd.
The Church of Iceland
and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
have also had high church groups and interest has been expressed among both clergy
and laity
, though to a very small extent. After the soviet era, in Baltic Lutheran Churches, including archbishop Jānis Vanags
, there has been interest to High Church Movement. In Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
the movement is promoted by a confessional Society of the Augsburg Confession.
, evangelical catholic ideas have been accepted more widely in academic theology, e.g. recent ecumenical Lutheran research in the Finnish School of Tuomo Mannermaa
has begun to see Martin Luther as a Catholic teacher. This school of thought includes also Carl Braaten
and Robert Jenson
. Roman Catholic view of Luther in research has changed to positive since Joseph Lortz
. In 1976 Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) suggested that the Augsburg Confession
might possibly be recognized as a Catholic statement of faith. This however did not happen. Within evangelical catholic Lutheranism, there has been less movement towards Roman Catholicism than within Anglo-Catholicism. Owing to liberalism in Lutheran churches, some well known Lutheran theologians, such as Richard John Neuhaus
and Reinhard Hütter
, have become Roman Catholic while others, such as Jaroslav Pelikan
, have joined Eastern Orthodoxy.
, sacrament
s, hierarchy and ordained ministry, liturgy
and continuity of the Church, all of which are traditional Lutheran theology, but were thought to have been neglected because of Pietism
and the Age of Enlightenment
. There is also emphasis on Catholic concept of priesthood and Apostolic Succession
, ecumenism
and Mariology
. The Catholic concept of priesthood and continuity of the Church sets the movement apart from mainline Lutheranism and the ecumenical openness for some extent distincts the movement from Confessional Lutheran
ism. The approach to worship may also significantly vary within Confessional Lutheranism.
By theological emphasis the High Church Movement may vary from one country to another. The classical manifesto of the Scandinavian high church revival program is "Kyrklig förnyelse
" by Gunnar Rosendal
(1935). In its beginning the German high church movement was inspired by the 95 theses "Stimuli et Clavi
" by pastor Heinrich Hansen
(1917).
In the same way as Anglo-Catholics have esteemed Caroline Divines
, the Catholic Lutherans, owing to the nature of the Lutheran Reformation, have been able to appreciate many, largely forgotten, Catholic teachings of Reformers like Martin Luther
, Laurentius Petri
, Mikael Agricola
, George of Anhalt
, Martin Chemnitz
, Gnesio-Lutherans
, Gerhard's Confessio Catholica
etc. According to formerly Roman Catholic Friedrich Heiler
, the Lutheran Church is the proper via media between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism
because of its emphasis upon doctrine and because it has preserved the Catholic doctrine of the Sacrament and its liturgical traditions in purer form than Anglican Church in the Book of Common Prayer
.
Evangelical Catholic spirituality is characteristically more theocentric and christocentric
than that of Pietist, rationalistic, and Liberal Protestant Lutheranism. In addition to the Theology of the Cross
there is usually emphasis on Christus Victor
, which makes it clear that Easter
is more important than Good Friday
. Theocentricism makes salvation history and the cycle of the church year important, from point of view of the incarnation
.
These stresses have created the need to give an evangelical interpretation to the sacrifice of the Mass
in order to provide a more theocentric view to Real presence
. E.g. in Sweden there has been discovering of Laurentius Petri
´s theology on the sacrifice of the Mass. According to Wilhelm Loehe, "the whole of Lutheranism is contained in the Sacrament of the Altar. Here all of the chief doctrines of Christianity, especially those highlighted by the Reformation, have their focal point." In evangelical catholic spirituality the Mass is thus considered the heart of Christianity as it encapsulates the one, but eternally efficacious, sacrifice of Christ
on Calvary
.
One divide within high church Lutheranism is in the matter of the direction of the liturgy. Some follow the understanding of liturgy as "work of the people" whereas others follow the understanding of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV which states that the liturgy is not a sacrifice but squares with the public ministry. A common hallmark of this divergence is the preference of the term "Divine Service" for the liturgy of Holy Communion (from Gottesdienst, Gudstjaenst, Jumalanpalvelus) among those who see the liturgy as chiefly the service of Christ for the Church. This divergence in liturgical theology is also manifested in debates on the eucharistic prayers, the epiclesis, and the role of the laity in the liturgy.
The praying of the Divine office
is also characteristic to high church Lutheran spirituality. Confession
as a sacrament is part of Lutheran tradition and is not considered unique to "high church". A small number of evangelical catholic congregations reaffirm Melanchthon's wider use of the word "sacrament" (in the Apology and in Loci Communes) by considering Holy Matrimony
, Unction, Confirmation, and Holy Orders
to be Sacraments.
with varying degrees of chant
ing, the use of organ
music, crucifix
es, silver chalice
s, hosts and the use of vestments for Holy Communion has always been characteristic of Lutheran worship. The use of hosts has been an important way to express belief in Real presence
. The return of the weekly Mass, sign of the cross
, eucharistic prayer and regular use of vestments in all churches are results of the liturgical movement
, but things like altar servers, Gospel processions, incense
, aspersions, a complete eucharistic prayer (i.e. including the epiclesis
rather than merely Christ's Words of Institution
) are regarded as "high church". Also genuflection
, together with the elevation
of the host and chalice, is often regarded among more Protestant-minded Lutherans as Roman Catholic practices, although Martin Luther
himself held these practices and they were part of early Lutheranism. In Lutheran churches the use of altar bell
s during the elevation (to draw the attention of the congregation during the Words of Institution) was occasionally practiced until the 18th century. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
during the moment of Elevation is also a Lutheran practice. However, except in special occasions of Swedish High Church societies and among the most high-church of the North American Lutheran Churches like the Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church
, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
is seldom practised, even in high church circles. Unlike in Anglican Church, use of "fiddleback" chasuble
s are not seen as an adherence to Roman Catholic practice, because they were traditionally used in Lutheran churches in Germany until the Enlightenment and in Nordic countries
until the Liturgical movement
. Today they are more rare and are not necessarily favoured by clergy in Nordic countries
because of the associations with the former era of liturgical decline.
Norway
Germany
North America
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
movement that emphasizes worship practices and doctrines that are similar to those found within both Roman Catholicism and the Anglo-Catholic
Anglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
wing of Anglicanism
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
. In the more general usage of the term it describes the general High Church characteristics of Nordic countries such as Sweden, Finland and Estonia in the Baltics. The mentioned countries, once a part of the Swedish Empire
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
, have more markedly preserved Catholic traditions and introduced far less reformed theology.
Background
The terms High ChurchHigh church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
and Low Church
Low church
Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
do not originally belong to the Lutheran tradition; historically, these have been applied to particular liturgical and theological groups within Anglicanism. The theological differences within Lutheranism have not been nearly so marked as those within the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
; Lutherans have historically been unified in the doctrine expressed in the Book of Concord
Book of Concord
The Book of Concord or Concordia is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since the 16th century...
. However, quite early in Lutheranism, polarities began to develop owing to the influence of the Reformed tradition, leading to so-called "Crypto-Calvinism
Crypto-Calvinism
Crypto-Calvinism is a term for Calvinist influence in the Lutheran Church during the decades just after the death of Martin Luther . It denotes what was seen as a hidden...
". The Pietist
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
movement in the 17th century also moved the Lutheran church further in a direction that would be considered "low church" by Anglican standards. Pietism and rationalism
Rationalism
In epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
led not only to the simplification or even elimination of certain ceremonial elements, such as the use of vestments, but also to less frequent celebration of the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
, by the end of the era of Lutheran Orthodoxy
Lutheran Orthodoxy
Lutheran orthodoxy was an era in the history of Lutheranism, which began in 1580 from the writing of the Book of Concord and ended at the Age of Enlightenment. Lutheran orthodoxy was paralleled by similar eras in Calvinism and tridentine Roman Catholicism after the...
. Unlike in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
however, there has been very little iconoclasm
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
in Lutheran churches and church buildings have often remained richly furnished. Also some monasteries continued as Lutheran after Reformation. Loccum Abbey
Loccum Abbey
Loccum Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the town of Rehburg-Loccum, Lower Saxony, near Steinhude Lake.-History:...
and Amelungsborn Abbey
Amelungsborn Abbey
Amelungsborn Abbey, also Amelunxborn Abbey near Negenborn and Stadtoldendorf, in the Landkreis of Holzminden in the Weserbergland, was the second oldest Cistercian foundation in Lower Saxony, Germany, after Walkenried Abbey...
in Germany have the longest traditions as Lutheran monasteries.
In old church order
Church Order (Lutheran)
The Church Order or Church Ordinance means the general ecclesiastical constitution of a State.The early Evangelical Church attached less importance to ecclesiastical ritual than the pre-Reformation Church had done...
s, however there was much variation which could now be described as "high church" or "low church". One example of the more Catholic ones is the Swedish Church Ordinance 1571
Swedish Church Ordinance 1571
The Swedish Church Ordinance of 1571 was the first complete Swedish church order following the Swedish Reformation in the 1520s.The main originator of the ordinance was archbishop Laurentius Petri. Petri had been archbishop since 1531, and had published many doctrinal texts. He had in vain tried to...
. Agenda
Agenda (liturgy)
The name Agenda is given, particularly in the Lutheran Church, to the official books dealing with the forms andceremonies of divine service.- The Term; its Equivalents Before the Reformation :...
of the church order of Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
(1540) contained unusually rich provision for ceremonial usages. This legacy of Brandenburgian Lutheranism has later been visible in Old Lutherans
Old Lutherans
Old Lutherans refers to those German Lutherans who refused to join the Prussian Union in the 1830s and 1840s.Attempted suppression of the Old Lutherans led many to immigrate to Australia and the United States, resulting in the creation of significant Lutheran denominations in those countries.The...
' resistance to compromise in the doctrine of Real Presence
Real Presence
Real Presence is a term used in various Christian traditions to express belief that in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is really present in what was previously just bread and wine, and not merely present in symbol, a figure of speech , or by his power .Not all Christian traditions accept this dogma...
. Other church orders following closely to pre-Reformation rites and ceremonies were Palatinate-Neuburg
Palatinate-Neuburg
Palatinate-Neuburg is a former territory of the Holy Roman Empire, founded in 1505. Its capital was Neuburg an der Donau. Its area was about 2,750 km², with a population of some 100,000.-History:...
(1543, retaining a eucharistic
prayer) and Austria (1571, prepared by David Chytraeus
David Chytraeus
David Chytraeus or Chyträus was a German Lutheran theologian and historian.His real surname was Kochhafe, which in Classical Greek is χυτρα, from where he derived the Latinized pseudonym "Chyträus".Chytraeus was professor of the University of Rostock and one of the co-authors of the Formula of...
).
An interesting fact is that William Augustus Mühlenberg, father of the Ritualist movement in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, was originally Lutheran and came from a Lutheran family.
In Europe, after long influence of Pietism
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
, theological rationalism
Neology
Neology , the name given to the rationalist theology of Germany or the rationalisation of the Christian religion. It was preceded by slightly less radical Wolffism....
and finally 19th century German Neo-Protestantism, there was developed a ground for 20th century High Church or Evangelical Catholic Movement. the terms "High Church" (Evangelical Catholic) and "Low Church" (Confessing Evangelical) began to be used to describe differences within the Lutheran tradition. However, this terminology is not characteristic of a Lutheran's identity as it often the case for an Anglican.
High church movements
The roots of 20th century Lutheran High Church Movement are in preceding 19th century neo-LutheranismNeo-Lutheranism
Neo-Lutheranism was a 19th century revival movement within Lutheranism which began with the Pietist driven Erweckung, or Awakening, and developed in reaction against theological rationalism and pietism...
, confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran is a name used by certain Lutheran Christians to designate themselves as those who accept the doctrines taught in the Book of Concord of 1580 in their entirety, because they believe them to be completely faithful to the teachings of the Bible...
ism, Anglo-Catholicism
Anglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
and the Liturgical Movement
Liturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
. The Lutheran high church movement has been much less significant than, for example, Anglo-Catholicism within the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
. High church Lutheranism has often been (especially in Scandinavian churches) a theologically orthodox revival movement at least among clergy, with a strong ecclesiology
Ecclesiology
Today, ecclesiology usually refers to the theological study of the Christian church. However when the word was coined in the late 1830s, it was defined as the science of the building and decoration of churches and it is still, though rarely, used in this sense.In its theological sense, ecclesiology...
, standing in opposition to State church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
and "Folk church" ideologies, which parallel Erastianism within Anglican Church. In this respect there are resemblances to the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
in Anglicanism. The range within High Church Movement varies across a spectrum from moderate to papalist. The Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
has led to a breakthrough for the High Church Movement, which is slowly gaining support.
In Northern Europe, the term High Church has been often used pejoratively, and was not necessarily ever used by pioneers of the movement, who identified themselves as Catholics of the Augsburg Confession.
nevertheless the term "high church" has established itself at least in Sweden
and Germany. Especially in North America, term "high church" is avoided, because it is seen not to take seriously Lutheran confession and historical tradition as evangelical Catholic. The term "high church" has also been criticized by theologians like Hermann Sasse
Hermann Sasse
Hermann Otto Erich ctonSasse was a Lutheran theologian and author. He was considered one of the foremost confessional Lutheran theologians of the 20th century....
(in German context) as not to integrate itself into authentic Lutheran tradition. Among "low church" Liberal Protestant
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
, Confessing Evangelical, or Pietist Lutherans, Evangelical Catholic Lutheranism is seen as a violation of Reformation ideals.
While the Church authorities have often by various actions tried to prevent
the formation of Catholic parishes within the European State Church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
es, the Catholic
movement has been preserved by many confraternities
Sodality
In Christian theology, a sodality is a form of the "Universal Church" expressed in specialized, task-oriented form as opposed to the Christian church in its local, diocesan form . In English, the term sodality is most commonly used by groups in the Catholic Church, where they are also referred to...
,
religious orders, and monastic communities. It is growing in countries such as Norway.
High Church movements have in some cases, especially in Northern Europe, fallen into crisis because of the issue of ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
. In Norway the issue has resulted the establishment of the Nordic Catholic Church
Nordic Catholic Church
The Nordic Catholic Church is a church body in Norway of High Church Lutheran origin, under the auspices of the Polish National Catholic Church and Scranton Union....
. In Germany, on the other hand, the primary issue has been the lacking historical episcopate
Historical episcopate
The episcopate is the collective body of all bishops of a church. In the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Old-Catholic, Moravian Church, and Independent Catholic churches as well as in the Assyrian Church of the East, it is held that only a...
and Apostolic Succession
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...
.
Still the Catholic movement has influenced whole church bodies, and in some cases has developed liberal expressions. The liturgical emphasis does not always indicate Catholic Lutheranism, for in Lutheran Church there has been influence of the Liturgical Movement
Liturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
also apart from Catholic movement. Thus in Europe a certain amount of "high church" interest has been based on aesthetics, tastes in parament
Parament
A Parament or Parement; , a term applied by ancient writers to the hangings or ornaments of a room of state. Later it has referred to the liturgical hangings on and around the altar, as well as the cloths hanging from the pulpit and lectern, as well as the ecclesiastical vestments and mitres...
s, vestments and ceremonies, without any theological argumentation or sense of historical continuity. Similarly, interest in mediaeval church buildings may have no concerns regarding the theology behind the form of worship taking place within these buildings.
Sweden
Historically Sweden, including the former Swedish province of Finland, has had a more elaborate form of liturgy, which preserved more than other Nordic countries links to the medieval catholic tradition. Hence the most remarkable Lutheran high-church movement by its influence on the whole church body has been in the Church of SwedenChurch of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
, influenced at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries by the Anglo-Catholic part of the Church of England. The first religious order within the high church movement was the Societas Sanctae Birgittae
Societas Sanctae Birgittae
Societas Sanctæ Birgittæ is a High Church Lutheran religious society with character of third order for priests and laity, men and women in the Church of Sweden....
, and it still exists. The movement spread intensively through the activity of Fr. Gunnar Rosendal
Gunnar Rosendal
Gunnar Rosendal was a Swedish Lutheran priest, Doctor of Theology, and parish priest of Osby...
, the hymn writer Fr. Olov Hartman and the retreat director Fr. Jan Redin. The more subtle high church influence of Bishop Bo Giertz
Bo Giertz
Bo Harald Giertz , was a Swedish Confessional Lutheran bishop and Christian novelist....
has been remarkable especially among Pietists. The early high church movement caused the emergence of retreat centres, more frequent celebration of the Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, and lively historical-critical study of Holy Scriptures.
The strong social passion of the Catholic Movement within Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
never took root in the same way in Sweden. The ordination of women as clergy began in 1958, and caused a split within the Swedish high church party. One branch with liberal leanings accepted this step whilst the other did not. Later, one of the leading figures of the high church movement was Bishop emeritus Bertil Gärtner
Bertil Gärtner
Bertil Edgar Gärtner was a Swedish Lutheran bishop of Gothenburg , and professor of New Testament's exegesis at Princeton Theological Seminary, United States....
who is against the ordination of women. He was even predecessor to Bo Giertz as bishop of Gothenburg. He died in 2009. His role in the High Church movement fell on Bishop emeritus Biörn Fjärstedt, the former bishop of Visby
Visby
-See also:* Battle of Visby* Gotland University College* List of governors of Gotland County-External links:* - Visby*...
. The Svensk Pastoraltidskrift is the traditionalist journal of the High Church Movement in Sweden. The nucleus of the movement is arbetsgemenskapen Kyrklig Förnyelse
Arbetsgemenskapen Kyrklig Förnyelse
Arbetsgemenskapen Kyrklig Förnyelse , the Swedish Church Union, is the umbrella organisation for the Lutheran High Church movement in the Church of Sweden....
(Swedish Church Union) together with numerous religious societies and some monastic communities like Östanbäck monastery
Östanbäck monastery
Östanbäck Monastery is a Lutheran Benedictine monastery for men in the Church of Sweden, located outside Sala in Sweden.-History:The background of the monastery lies in the Lutheran High Church Movement...
, Alsike Convent, and Sisterhood of Saint Francis
Franciscan orders in Lutheranism
Franciscan spirituality was not favoured by Reformation, but later the 20th centuryHigh Church Movement has given birth to Franciscan orders among revival of religious orders and confraternities in Lutheran Churches.-Third orders:...
. Some other organisations are St. Laurence Foundation
St. Laurence Foundation
The St. Laurence Foundation is an independent student hostel in Sweden for students at Lund University. The fundation belonging to the Catholic movement of the Church of Sweden. It was founded in 1938. Daily office is prayed and Mass celebrated in St. Laurence Church connected to the hostel.When...
, St. Ansgar Foundation and Förbundet För Kristen Enhet, which works for reunion of Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
and Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. The Church Coalition for Bible and Confession is organisation similar to Anglican Forward in Faith
Forward in Faith
Forward in Faith is a movement operating in a number of provinces of the Anglican Communion. It represents a traditionalist strand of Anglo-Catholicism and is characterised by its opposition to the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate and, more recently, to more liberal Anglican...
. Also Anglican Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament is a devotional society in the Anglican Communion dedicated to venerating the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist...
is active partly within Church of Sweden.
Germany
In Germany, the high church movement is much smaller than in Sweden. Because of several unions between Lutheran and Reformed churches since the Prussian UnionPrussian Union (Evangelical Christian Church)
The Prussian Union was the merger of the Lutheran Church and the Reformed Church in Prussia, by a series of decrees – among them the Unionsurkunde – by King Frederick William III...
, resulting in the simple spread of Calvinist concepts from the Reformed Churches by "osmosis," Lutheranism has often taken on a Reformed context. The high church movement within the Evangelical Church in Germany
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
has been much less influential than in Sweden and perhaps less integrated to the state Lutheran tradition. Still the movement is strongly involved in ecumenism
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
and the Liturgical Movement
Liturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
.
The case is much different in the Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church
Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church
The Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church is a confessional Lutheran church body of Germany. It is a member of the European Lutheran Conference and a member of the International Lutheran Council . The SELK synod has about 36,000 members in 200 congregations...
in Germany. This church is a confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran is a name used by certain Lutheran Christians to designate themselves as those who accept the doctrines taught in the Book of Concord of 1580 in their entirety, because they believe them to be completely faithful to the teachings of the Bible...
church in full "pulpit and altar fellowship" (full communion) with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Because of the confessional Lutheran direction, there is a high church movement in that Church.
The German high church movement began in Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
Jubilee 1917, inspired by publication of Stimuli et Clavi
Stimuli et Clavi
Stimuli et clavi i. e. theses adversus huius temporis errores et abusus: Spieße und Nägel d.i. Streitsätze wider die Irrnisse und Wirrnisse unserer Zeit ....
, 95 theses by Heinrich Hansen
Heinrich Hansen
Heinrich Hansen was a German Lutheran theologian and the father of the Lutheran High Church movement in Germany....
. This resulted in the founding of Hochkirchliche Vereinigung Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses
Hochkirchliche Vereinigung Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses
Hochkirchliche Vereinigung Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses is a Lutheran High Church organisation in Germany. It was founded in Berlin, October 1918, inspired by High Church theses Stimuli et Clavi 1917 by Heinrich Hansen...
(High Church Union of the Augsburg Confession) the following year. Subsequently other high church associations and societies also arose, distinguished from other Lutheran bodies by restored apostolic succession
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...
(mostly through Hochkirchliche St. Johannes-Bruderschaft, which is part of the HVAB, along with the Evangelische Franziskaner-Tertiaren.
The Catholic movement gained new strength by the Sammlung movement by Hans Asmussen and Max Lackmann
Max Lackmann
Max Lackmann was a German Lutheran ecumenist.Lackmann studied theology at Bonn and Basel as a pupil of Karl Barth. He wrote against Nazi ideology, and he had to move from Germany to Basel. When he returned to Germany, he was ordained in 1940 and became pastor in Confessing Church...
. Other associations are Bund für evangelisch-katholische Einheit
Bund für evangelisch-katholische Einheit
Bund für evangelisch - katholische Wiedervereinigung e.V. is a German Lutheran High Church organisation, founded in 1960.The League was established for continuation of the Sammlung movement of Hans Asmussen by some of its...
(League for Evangelical-Catholic Unity), including St. Jakobus- Bruderschaft), Arbeitsgemeinschaft Kirchliche Erneuerung in der Evang.-Luth. Kirche in Bayern (Working Group for Church Revival in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria), Humiliatenorden
Humiliatenorden
Evangelische Humiliatenorden is a German High Church Lutheran religious order, founded in 1921.The foundation of the Humiliatenorden was inspired by Friedrich Heiler. It is third orderlike with temporal vows. The order is Lutheran in its accentuation of sola gratia, while it is Catholic in its...
, St. Athanasius-Bruderschaft, Hochkirchlicher Apostolat St. Ansgar
Hochkirchlicher Apostolat St. Ansgar
Hochkirchlicher Apostolat St. Ansgar is one of the smaller German Lutheran High Church societies.The background of the Apostolate St Ansgar was in late 1960s...
, Bekenntnisbruderschaft St. Peter und Paul
Bekenntnisbruderschaft St. Peter und Paul
Bekenntnisbruderschaft St. Peter und Paul is a German High Church Lutheran religious society....
, Kommunität St. Michael in Cottbus
Cottbus
Cottbus is a city in Brandenburg, Germany, situated around southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree. As of , its population was .- History :...
, Congregatio Canonicorum Sancti Augustini
Congregatio Canonicorum Sancti Augustini
Congregatio Canonicorum Sancti Augustini is a German High Church religious community of clergy and laymen....
, and some religious communities like Priory of St. Wigbert
Priory of St. Wigbert
Priory of St Wigbert is an ecumenical Benedictine monastery for men, belonging to the Lutheran Church of Thuringia. It is located in Werningshausen near Erfurt in Germany. This community includes Congregatio Canonicorum Sancti Augustini...
.
Other organisations, such as Berneuchen Movement
Berneuchen Movement
Berneuchen Movement is part of the Lutheran Liturgical movement in Germany. It originates from German Youth Movement.The movement was born in 1920s, after the radical changes caused by World War I...
and Kirchliche Arbeit Alpirsbach
Kirchliche Arbeit Alpirsbach
Kirchliche Arbeit Alpirsbach is one of the organisations of the protestant Liturgical Movement in Germany and was previously called Alpirsbach Circle. Its center is Alpirsbach Abbey located near Freudenstadt in the Black Forest. Kirchliche Arbeit Alpirsbach has been influenced by theology of Karl...
are regarded as part of the Liturgical Movement
Liturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
, although the former is theologically high church and in co-operation with High Church associations and religious fraternities.
North America
The 19th century Old Lutheran and also Neo-Lutheran (e.g. Charles Porterfield KrauthCharles Porterfield Krauth
Charles Porterfield Krauth was a pastor, theologian and educator in the Lutheran branch of Christianity. He is a leading figure in the revival of the Lutheran Confessions connected to Neo-Lutheranism in the United States.- Education and parish ministry :He was born in Martinsburg, Virginia...
) influence in North America was strong. The missionary work of Wilhelm Loehe, from Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, Germany, did much to contribute to Lutheran liturgical renewal in Germany and beyond. Loehe's influence can be seen in the Lutheran migration to Australia and North America. In North America this was seen in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the Iowa Synod.
The evangelical catholic movement was born later than the European movement. Its forerunners include Arthur Carl Piepkorn, Berthold Von Schenk
Berthold Von Schenk
Berthold von Schenk was a pastor of Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and pioneer of Lutheran liturgical renewal.Rev. Von Schenk was trained for ordained ministry at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and served first as pastor of a mission congregation in St. Louis, Bethesda Lutheran Church...
, and Fr. Arthur Kreinheder
Arthur Kreinheder
Father Arthur Carl Kreinheder, C.S.C. was an American Lutheran Benedictine monk and founder of a Lutheran religious order, The Congregation of the Servants of Christ.Kreinheder was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota...
. Portions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada's largest Lutheran denomination, with 152,788 baptized members in 624 congregations, with the second largest, the Lutheran Church–Canada, having 72,116 baptized members...
have evangelical catholic emphases. Evangelical catholic congregations range from theologically liberal to conservative. The Society of the Holy Trinity
Society of the Holy Trinity
The Society of the Holy Trinity is a Lutheran ministerium dedicated to the renewal of the Lutheran church and ministry...
is the largest evangelical catholic religious society in North America. Theologically, it is moderate and relatively conservative in ecumenical openness. The most ornate liturgy is to be found in the small Evangelical Catholic Lutheran Churches, some parishes of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and in many Lutheran seminaries of all Lutheran varieties across North America which celebrate Solemn High Mass with ceremony similar to that found in Anglo-Catholic parishes. The Society of Saint Polycarp, a devotional guild, was also founded within the LCMS. The most important evangelical catholic journals are Lutheran Forum, published by American Lutheran Publicity Bureau (ALPB), and Pro Ecclesia, published by the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology in cooperation with the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau (ALPB).
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...
, an independent Lutheran institution, developed by the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, has also continued in its own evangelical catholic tradition. The development of this tradition is a unique blend between the movements within the various Lutheran church bodies. Students play a key role in crafting these services. Another significant contributor to the evangelical catholic values of Valparaiso University is the presence of the annual Liturgical Institute on its campus.
Like some previously mentioned German religious clerical fraternities, in the United States the Evangelical Catholic Church
Evangelical Catholic Church
The Evangelical Catholic Church is an Independent Catholic Church which is theologically Lutheran, embracing the Augsburg Confession . Its membership numbers under 500. It was incorporated in Arizona in 1976. It practices infant communion....
and in recent years other small, biblically and theologically conservative high church evangelical catholic Lutheran Churches like the Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church
Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church
The Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church , formerly the Evangelical Community Church-Lutheran , is a church in the Lutheran Evangelical Catholic tradition. The ALCC claims to be unique among Lutheran churches in that it is of both Lutheran and Anglo-Catholic heritage and has also been significantly...
, the International Lutheran Fellowship
International Lutheran Fellowship
The Lutheran Church-International is an American religious denomination. Its president from 1966 to 1998 was Pastor E. Edward Tornow of North Dakota. It is was formerly known as the International Lutheran Fellowship. Its president is Archbishop Robert W. Hotes....
, the Lutheran Orthodox Church
Lutheran Orthodox Church
The Lutheran Orthodox Church is a very small Lutheran Church in the United States. The church claims Apostolic Succession for its clergy. It does not consider itself a Protestant denomination but an Evangelical Catholic denomination, saying that this was the perspective of Martin Luther, the...
, the Association of Independent Evangelical Lutheran Churches, the Evangelical Marian Catholic Church, and the Lutheran Episcopal Communion
Lutheran Episcopal Communion
Now the pivotal point in history for the Lutheran Episcopal Communion in the history of Christianity was when Dr.Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences to the door of the Castle Church, in Wittenberg, Germany. With these theses Dr...
have succeeded in restoring the historic Apostolic Succession
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...
from Old Catholic
Old Catholic Church
The term Old Catholic Church is commonly used to describe a number of Ultrajectine Christian churches that originated with groups that split from the Roman Catholic Church over certain doctrines, most importantly that of Papal Infallibility...
churches. Additionally, some have moved from decentralized, democratic congregationalist polity
Congregationalist polity
Congregationalist polity, often known as congregationalism, is a system of church governance in which every local church congregation is independent, ecclesiastically sovereign, or "autonomous"...
to highly centralized episcopal polity
Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...
; worship using the liturgies of the Roman Catholic Church exclusively; and work actively toward a form of visible, corporate reunion with the Roman Catholic Church. As is the case among Anglicans, however, "high church" movements have proven to be more attractive to the clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
than to the laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
.
In North America, Lutheran liturgical renewal has also been seen in such organizations as the defunct St. James Society, the journal The Bride of Christ, the journal Gottesdienst, the defunct journal Motley Magpie, the Society of the Holy Trinity
Society of the Holy Trinity
The Society of the Holy Trinity is a Lutheran ministerium dedicated to the renewal of the Lutheran church and ministry...
, the Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood (influenced by German Evangelisch-Lutherische Gebetsbruderschaft
Evangelisch-Lutherische Gebetsbruderschaft
Evangelisch-Lutherische Gebetsbruderschaft is a German Lutheran religious society for men and women, based on the doctrines of the Holy Bible and Book of Concord, with regular prayer for the renewal and unity of the Church.Prayer Brotherhood was founded in Leipzig by Lutheran theological students...
), the Society of Saint Polycarp, the Society for the Preservation of the Evangelical Lutheran Liturgy, and the Good Shepherd Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary
Concordia Theological Seminary
The Concordia Theological Seminary is an institution of theological higher education of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod , located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, dedicated primarily to the preparation of pastors for the congregations and missions of the LCMS...
in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The most fundamental division in evangelical catholic circles is between those who are determined, come what may, to remain Lutheran and those who are at least willing to consider that their catholicity might one day edge into Roman Catholicism.
On February 21, 2011, it became public that Catholic authorities in Rome have invited the Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church to join the Catholic Church through the provisions of Anglicanorum Coetibus and that the ALCC has officially and unconditionally accepted that invitation.
Other countries
The Church of NorwayChurch of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
is generally pietistic. The Pietism
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
movement in Norway (embodied to a great extent by the Haugean
Haugean
Haugean was a pietistic state church reform movementintended to bring new life and vitality into a Norwegian State Church which had been often characterized by formalism and lethargy....
movement fostered by Hans Nielsen Hauge
Hans Nielsen Hauge
Hans Nielsen Hauge was a noted revivalist Norwegian lay minister who spoke up against the Church establishment in Norway. Hauge is considered an influential personality in the industrialization of Norway...
) has served to reduce the distance between lay and clergy in Norway. The high church movement is more isolated and much smaller than in Sweden. It has been promoted by Ordo Crucis
Ordo Crucis
Ordo Crucis is a High Church Lutheran religious society for men, priests and lay, in Church of Norway.The Order was founded in 1933 by professor Hans Ording, parish priest Odd Godal and Alex Johnson, later Bishop of Hamar....
, Bønne- og arbeidsfellesskapet Kirkelig Fornyelse, Pro Ecclesia, and Samråd på Kirkens Grunn.
In the Church of Denmark
Church of Denmark
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, Church of Denmark or Danish National Church, is the state church and largest denomination in Denmark and Greenland...
the high church movement is marginal. It is promoted by Fællesskabet Kirkelig Fornyelse. Praying of the Daily office has been promoted by Teologisk Oratorium (the best-known member having been Regin Prenter
Regin Prenter
Regin Prenter was a Danish Lutheran priest and theologian.Prenter studied theology at Copenhagen, where he belonged to the founding circle of Theologisk Oratorium and became friend of Fr Gabriel Hebert, SSM. He had candidate's degree in theology in 1931 and became priest in Hvilsager-Lime and the...
) and by Selskabet dansk Tidegærd.
The Church of Iceland
Church of Iceland
The National Church of Iceland, or Þjóðkirkjan, formally called the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, is the state church in Iceland. Like the established churches in the other Nordic countries, the National Church of Iceland professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity. Its head is the...
and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the national church of Finland. The church professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion....
have also had high church groups and interest has been expressed among both clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
and laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
, though to a very small extent. After the soviet era, in Baltic Lutheran Churches, including archbishop Jānis Vanags
Janis Vanags
Jānis Vanags is the archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia . Vanags is seen as a "conservative" on theological or moral issues and opposed women's ordination as well as homosexuality...
, there has been interest to High Church Movement. In Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church is a Lutheran church in Estonia. EELC is member of the Lutheran World Federation...
the movement is promoted by a confessional Society of the Augsburg Confession.
Academic theology
Through ecumenismEcumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
, evangelical catholic ideas have been accepted more widely in academic theology, e.g. recent ecumenical Lutheran research in the Finnish School of Tuomo Mannermaa
Tuomo Mannermaa
Tuomo Mannermaa is professor emeritus of ecumenical theology at University of Helsinki. He is known especially for his theological criticism of the Leuenberg Concord and his research on the relationship between justification and theosis in the theology of Martin Luther...
has begun to see Martin Luther as a Catholic teacher. This school of thought includes also Carl Braaten
Carl Braaten
Carl E. Braaten is an American Lutheran theologian.-Biography:Carl Braaten has been one of the leading theologians and teachers in the Lutheran church for the past 50 years...
and Robert Jenson
Robert Jenson
Robert W. Jenson is a leading American Lutheran and ecumenical theologian.-Student years:Jenson studied classics and philosophy at Luther College in the late 1940s, before beginning theological studies at Luther Seminary in 1951. Due to a car accident he missed most of his first-year seminary...
. Roman Catholic view of Luther in research has changed to positive since Joseph Lortz
Joseph Lortz
Joseph Lortz was a Roman Catholic Church Historian. He was a highly regarded Reformation historian and ecumenist.- Life :...
. In 1976 Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) suggested that the Augsburg Confession
Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession, also known as the "Augustana" from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Lutheran reformation...
might possibly be recognized as a Catholic statement of faith. This however did not happen. Within evangelical catholic Lutheranism, there has been less movement towards Roman Catholicism than within Anglo-Catholicism. Owing to liberalism in Lutheran churches, some well known Lutheran theologians, such as Richard John Neuhaus
Richard John Neuhaus
Richard John Neuhaus was a prominent Christian cleric and writer. Born in Canada, Neuhaus moved to the United States where he became a naturalized United States citizen...
and Reinhard Hütter
Reinhard Hütter
Reinhard Hütter or Reinhard Huetter is a formerly Lutheran, now Catholic, theologian who is currently Professor of Christian Theology at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC.He was born at 1.11.1958 in Lichtenfels ....
, have become Roman Catholic while others, such as Jaroslav Pelikan
Jaroslav Pelikan
Jaroslav Jan Pelikan was a scholar in the history of Christianity, Christian theology and medieval intellectual history.-Early years:...
, have joined Eastern Orthodoxy.
Theology and spirituality
The aim of the Evangelical Catholics is to recover the liturgical and confessional heritage of Lutheranism in continuity with the broad tradition that includes Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and the Eastern Orthodox. The Movement stresses certain elements of the Church: DogmaDogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
, sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
s, hierarchy and ordained ministry, liturgy
Christian liturgy
A liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship. Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis....
and continuity of the Church, all of which are traditional Lutheran theology, but were thought to have been neglected because of Pietism
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
and the Age of Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
. There is also emphasis on Catholic concept of priesthood and Apostolic Succession
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...
, ecumenism
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
and Mariology
Mariology
Roman Catholic Mariology is theology concerned with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ as developed by the Catholic Church. Roman Catholic teachings on the subject have been based on the belief that "The Blessed Virgin, because she is the Mother of God, is believed to hold a certain...
. The Catholic concept of priesthood and continuity of the Church sets the movement apart from mainline Lutheranism and the ecumenical openness for some extent distincts the movement from Confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran is a name used by certain Lutheran Christians to designate themselves as those who accept the doctrines taught in the Book of Concord of 1580 in their entirety, because they believe them to be completely faithful to the teachings of the Bible...
ism. The approach to worship may also significantly vary within Confessional Lutheranism.
By theological emphasis the High Church Movement may vary from one country to another. The classical manifesto of the Scandinavian high church revival program is "Kyrklig förnyelse
Kyrklig förnyelse
Kyrklig förnyelse is a manifesto of the Scandinavian Lutheran High Church movement, written by Swedish priest Gunnar Rosendal....
" by Gunnar Rosendal
Gunnar Rosendal
Gunnar Rosendal was a Swedish Lutheran priest, Doctor of Theology, and parish priest of Osby...
(1935). In its beginning the German high church movement was inspired by the 95 theses "Stimuli et Clavi
Stimuli et Clavi
Stimuli et clavi i. e. theses adversus huius temporis errores et abusus: Spieße und Nägel d.i. Streitsätze wider die Irrnisse und Wirrnisse unserer Zeit ....
" by pastor Heinrich Hansen
Heinrich Hansen
Heinrich Hansen was a German Lutheran theologian and the father of the Lutheran High Church movement in Germany....
(1917).
In the same way as Anglo-Catholics have esteemed Caroline Divines
Caroline Divines
The Caroline Divines were influential theologians and writers in the Anglican Church who lived during the reigns of King Charles I and, after the Restoration, King Charles II . This is commonly considered a golden age of Anglican scholarship...
, the Catholic Lutherans, owing to the nature of the Lutheran Reformation, have been able to appreciate many, largely forgotten, Catholic teachings of Reformers like Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
, Laurentius Petri
Laurentius Petri
Laurentius Petri Nericius was a Swedish clergyman and the first Evangelical Lutheran Archbishop of Sweden. He and his brother Olaus Petri are, together with the King Gustav Vasa, regarded as the main Protestant reformers of Sweden...
, Mikael Agricola
Mikael Agricola
Mikael Agricola was a clergyman who became the de facto founder of written Finnish and a prominent proponent of the Protestant Reformation in Sweden . He is often called the "father of the Finnish written language". Agricola was consecrated as the bishop of Turku in 1554, without papal approval...
, George of Anhalt
George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau...
, Martin Chemnitz
Martin Chemnitz
Martin Chemnitz was an eminent second-generation Lutheran theologian, reformer, churchman, and confessor...
, Gnesio-Lutherans
Gnesio-Lutherans
"Gnesio-Lutherans" is a modern name for a theological party in the Lutheran Church, in opposition to the Philippists after the death of Martin Luther and before the Formula of Concord. In their own day they were called Flacians by their opponents and simply Lutherans by themselves...
, Gerhard's Confessio Catholica
Confessio Catholica
Confessio catholica is one of the main works of German Orthodox Lutheran theologian Johann Gerhard . It seeks to prove the evangelical and catholic character of the doctrine of the Augsburg Confession from the writings of approved Roman Catholic authors.Confessio catholica, in qua doctrina...
etc. According to formerly Roman Catholic Friedrich Heiler
Friedrich Heiler
Friedrich Heiler was a German theologian and historian of religion.Heiler came from a Roman Catholic family...
, the Lutheran Church is the proper via media between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
because of its emphasis upon doctrine and because it has preserved the Catholic doctrine of the Sacrament and its liturgical traditions in purer form than Anglican Church in the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
.
Evangelical Catholic spirituality is characteristically more theocentric and christocentric
Christocentric
Christocentric is a doctrinal term within Christianity, describing theological positions that focus more heavily on Jesus Christ, the second person of the Christian Trinity, as opposed to the Godhead / God the Father or the Holy Spirit...
than that of Pietist, rationalistic, and Liberal Protestant Lutheranism. In addition to the Theology of the Cross
Theology of the Cross
The Theology of the Cross is a term coined by the theologian Martin Luther to refer to theology that posits the cross as the only source of knowledge concerning who God is and how God saves...
there is usually emphasis on Christus Victor
Christus Victor
The term Christus Victor refers to a Christian understanding of the atonement which views Christ's death as the means by which the powers of evil, which held humankind under their dominion, were defeated...
, which makes it clear that Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
is more important than Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
. Theocentricism makes salvation history and the cycle of the church year important, from point of view of the incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
.
These stresses have created the need to give an evangelical interpretation to the sacrifice of the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
in order to provide a more theocentric view to Real presence
Real Presence
Real Presence is a term used in various Christian traditions to express belief that in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is really present in what was previously just bread and wine, and not merely present in symbol, a figure of speech , or by his power .Not all Christian traditions accept this dogma...
. E.g. in Sweden there has been discovering of Laurentius Petri
Laurentius Petri
Laurentius Petri Nericius was a Swedish clergyman and the first Evangelical Lutheran Archbishop of Sweden. He and his brother Olaus Petri are, together with the King Gustav Vasa, regarded as the main Protestant reformers of Sweden...
´s theology on the sacrifice of the Mass. According to Wilhelm Loehe, "the whole of Lutheranism is contained in the Sacrament of the Altar. Here all of the chief doctrines of Christianity, especially those highlighted by the Reformation, have their focal point." In evangelical catholic spirituality the Mass is thus considered the heart of Christianity as it encapsulates the one, but eternally efficacious, sacrifice of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
on Calvary
Calvary
Calvary or Golgotha was the site, outside of ancient Jerusalem’s early first century walls, at which the crucifixion of Jesus is said to have occurred. Calvary and Golgotha are the English names for the site used in Western Christianity...
.
One divide within high church Lutheranism is in the matter of the direction of the liturgy. Some follow the understanding of liturgy as "work of the people" whereas others follow the understanding of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV which states that the liturgy is not a sacrifice but squares with the public ministry. A common hallmark of this divergence is the preference of the term "Divine Service" for the liturgy of Holy Communion (from Gottesdienst, Gudstjaenst, Jumalanpalvelus) among those who see the liturgy as chiefly the service of Christ for the Church. This divergence in liturgical theology is also manifested in debates on the eucharistic prayers, the epiclesis, and the role of the laity in the liturgy.
The praying of the Divine office
Divine Office
Divine Office may refer to:* Liturgy of the Hours, the recitation of certain Christian prayers at fixed hours according to the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church* Canonical hours, the recitation of such prayers in Christianity more generally...
is also characteristic to high church Lutheran spirituality. Confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
as a sacrament is part of Lutheran tradition and is not considered unique to "high church". A small number of evangelical catholic congregations reaffirm Melanchthon's wider use of the word "sacrament" (in the Apology and in Loci Communes) by considering Holy Matrimony
Christian views of marriage
Christian views on marriage typically regard it as instituted and ordained by God for the lifelong relationship between one man as husband and one woman as wife, and is to be "held in honour among all...."...
, Unction, Confirmation, and Holy Orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to be Sacraments.
Liturgical practices
Formal liturgy based on the western Catholic MassMass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
with varying degrees of chant
Chant
Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
ing, the use of organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
music, crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
es, silver chalice
Chalice (cup)
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for drinking during a ceremony.-Christian:...
s, hosts and the use of vestments for Holy Communion has always been characteristic of Lutheran worship. The use of hosts has been an important way to express belief in Real presence
Real Presence
Real Presence is a term used in various Christian traditions to express belief that in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is really present in what was previously just bread and wine, and not merely present in symbol, a figure of speech , or by his power .Not all Christian traditions accept this dogma...
. The return of the weekly Mass, sign of the cross
Sign of the cross
The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
, eucharistic prayer and regular use of vestments in all churches are results of the liturgical movement
Liturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
, but things like altar servers, Gospel processions, incense
Religious use of incense
Religious use of incense has its origins in antiquity. The burned incense may be intended as a sacrificial offering to various deity or to serve as an aid in prayer.- Buddhism, Taoism and Shinto in Asia:...
, aspersions, a complete eucharistic prayer (i.e. including the epiclesis
Epiclesis
The epiclesis is that part of the Anaphora by which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit upon the Eucharistic bread and wine in some Christian churches.In most Eastern Christian traditions, the Epiclesis comes after the Anamnesis The epiclesis (also spelled epiklesis; from "invocation" or...
rather than merely Christ's Words of Institution
Words of Institution
The Words of Institution are words echoing those of Jesus himself at his Last Supper that, when consecrating bread and wine, Christian Eucharistic liturgies include in a narrative of that event...
) are regarded as "high church". Also genuflection
Genuflection
Genuflection , bending at least one knee to the ground, was from early times a gesture of deep respect for a superior. In 328 BC, Alexander the Great introduced into his court etiquette some form of genuflection already in use in Persia. In the Byzantine Empire even senators were required to...
, together with the elevation
Elevation (Liturgy)
In Christian liturgy the elevation is a ritual raising of the consecrated elements of bread and wine during the celebration of the Eucharist. The term is applied especially to that by which, in the Roman Rite of Mass, the Host and the Chalice are each shown to the people immediately after each is...
of the host and chalice, is often regarded among more Protestant-minded Lutherans as Roman Catholic practices, although Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
himself held these practices and they were part of early Lutheranism. In Lutheran churches the use of altar bell
Altar bell
In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, in Lutheranism and Methodism, and in some churches of the Anglican Communion, an altar or sanctus bell is typically a small hand-held bell or set of bells. The primary reason for the use of sanctus/altar bell is to create a joyful noise to the Lord as a...
s during the elevation (to draw the attention of the congregation during the Words of Institution) was occasionally practiced until the 18th century. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
during the moment of Elevation is also a Lutheran practice. However, except in special occasions of Swedish High Church societies and among the most high-church of the North American Lutheran Churches like the Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church
Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church
The Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church , formerly the Evangelical Community Church-Lutheran , is a church in the Lutheran Evangelical Catholic tradition. The ALCC claims to be unique among Lutheran churches in that it is of both Lutheran and Anglo-Catholic heritage and has also been significantly...
, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is a devotional ceremony celebrated within the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in some Anglican and Lutheran Churches, Liberal Catholic churches, Western Rite Orthodox churches, and Latinised Eastern Catholic Churches.Benediction of the...
is seldom practised, even in high church circles. Unlike in Anglican Church, use of "fiddleback" chasuble
Chasuble
The chasuble is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian Churches that use full vestments, primarily in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches, as well as in some parts of the United Methodist Church...
s are not seen as an adherence to Roman Catholic practice, because they were traditionally used in Lutheran churches in Germany until the Enlightenment and in Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
until the Liturgical movement
Liturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
. Today they are more rare and are not necessarily favoured by clergy in Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
because of the associations with the former era of liturgical decline.
See also
- Evangelical catholic
- Anglo-CatholicismAnglo-CatholicismThe terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
- Neo-LutheranismNeo-LutheranismNeo-Lutheranism was a 19th century revival movement within Lutheranism which began with the Pietist driven Erweckung, or Awakening, and developed in reaction against theological rationalism and pietism...
- Liturgical MovementLiturgical MovementThe Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
- Christian monasticismChristian monasticismChristian monasticism is a practice which began to develop early in the history of the Christian Church, modeled upon scriptural examples and ideals, including those in the Old Testament, but not mandated as an institution in the scriptures. It has come to be regulated by religious rules Christian...
- Society of the Holy TrinitySociety of the Holy TrinityThe Society of the Holy Trinity is a Lutheran ministerium dedicated to the renewal of the Lutheran church and ministry...
http://www.societyholytrinity.org - Society of St. Polycarp http://societyofsaintpolycarp.blogspot.com
- Laurentius Petri GothusLaurentius Petri GothusLaurentius Petri Gothus was the second Swedish Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden, 1575-1579.He was born in 1529 or 1530 in the province Östergötland, from where the name Gothus is derived as the means of separating him from his predecessor as archbishop, Laurentius Petri Nericius.He was a...
- Toivo HarjunpääToivo HarjunpääKalle Toivo Immanuel Harjunpää was Finnish-American Lutheran priest and professor.-Background:Harjunpää was born in Rauma, Finland. Harjunpää was ordained to priesthood February 18, 1936 in Turku Cathedral. His background was in the Finnish "Evangelical Revivalist Movement", originating from the...
- Gabriel HebertGabriel HebertArthur Gabriel Hebert SSM was a monk from Kelham, Nottinghamshire, and a proponent within Anglicanism of the ideas of the Liturgical Movement. As such he was in familiar contact with Benedictine monasteries in Austria and Germany...
Notable persons in the history of High Church Lutheranism
Sweden- Bo GiertzBo GiertzBo Harald Giertz , was a Swedish Confessional Lutheran bishop and Christian novelist....
- Bertil GärtnerBertil GärtnerBertil Edgar Gärtner was a Swedish Lutheran bishop of Gothenburg , and professor of New Testament's exegesis at Princeton Theological Seminary, United States....
- Albert Lysander (priest)Albert Lysander (priest)Albert Lysander was a Swedish Lutheran priest and one of the early pioneers of the Swedish High Church movement.While travelling in England, he visited the Cowley Fathers, Community of the Resurrection, and in London St Paul's Cathedral and All Saints, Margaret Street.Lysander was parish priest of...
- Gunnar RosendalGunnar RosendalGunnar Rosendal was a Swedish Lutheran priest, Doctor of Theology, and parish priest of Osby...
- Eric SegelbergEric SegelbergEric Segelberg was theologian and a priest of the Lutheran Church of Sweden....
- Nathan SöderblomNathan SöderblomLars Olof Jonathan Söderblom was a Swedish clergyman, Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden, and recipient of the 1930 Nobel Peace Prize...
- Yngve BriliothYngve BriliothYngve Brilioth was professor for church history, later for Practical theology in Uppsala, Turku and Lund, Lutheran Bishop of Växjö from 1938 to 1950 and Archbishop of Uppsala from 1950 until 1958. He was the author of a history of the Oxford Movement, written to coincide with its centenary in 1933...
- Yngve KalinYngve KalinYngve Kalin , a Swedish priest in Hyssna and one of the leaders of the traditionalist movement in the Church of Sweden....
Norway
- Mikael Hertzberg
- Stein Eirik Foss
Germany
- Heinrich HansenHeinrich HansenHeinrich Hansen was a German Lutheran theologian and the father of the Lutheran High Church movement in Germany....
- Friedrich HeilerFriedrich HeilerFriedrich Heiler was a German theologian and historian of religion.Heiler came from a Roman Catholic family...
- Helmut EchternachHelmut EchternachHelmut Friedbert Richard Siegfried Echternach was a German Lutheran theologian and pastor, and one of the leaders of the Lutheran High Church Movement in Germany....
North America
- Arthur Carl Piepkorn http://www.piepkorn.info
- Luther D. Reed
- Paul H. D. Lang
- Paul Z. Strodach
- Frank SennFrank SennFrank Colvin Senn is an American Lutheran pastor and liturgiologist. He has been the pastor, since 1990, of , Evanston, Illinois. Senn is also the current Senior of the Society of the Holy Trinity.-Works:...
- Robert W. JensonRobert JensonRobert W. Jenson is a leading American Lutheran and ecumenical theologian.-Student years:Jenson studied classics and philosophy at Luther College in the late 1940s, before beginning theological studies at Luther Seminary in 1951. Due to a car accident he missed most of his first-year seminary...
- Carl BraatenCarl BraatenCarl E. Braaten is an American Lutheran theologian.-Biography:Carl Braaten has been one of the leading theologians and teachers in the Lutheran church for the past 50 years...
- Irl A. GladfelterIrl A. GladfelterIrl A. Gladfelter is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church. As such he is the head of this Lutheran church which is also of Anglo-Catholic heritage....
USA and Canada
- Order of St. Benedict - Lutheran
- Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology
- American Lutheran Publicity Bureau
- Society of the Holy Trinity
- The Society of Saint Polycarp and SSP Blog
- Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood
- The Society for the Preservation of the Evangelical Lutheran Liturgy
- The Bride of Christ: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgical Renewal
- Gottesdienst - A Quarterly Journal of the Evangelical-Lutheran Liturgy
- Saint Augustine's House Lutheran Monastery in Oxford, Michigan
- Word and Sacrament
Germany
- "Luther in Braunschweig", partly in
- Hochkirchliche Vereinigung Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses & Hochkirchliche St. Johannesbruderschaft
- Evangelisch-lutherische Kommunität St. Michael
- Congregatio Canonicorum Sancti Augustini
Sweden
- The Church Coalition for Bible and Confession and
- Förbundet för Kristen Enhet
- Svensk Pastoraltidskrift, by-weekly high church and traditionalist theological journal.
- Alsike convent and the Sisters of the Holy Spirit in
Norway
- Bønne-og arbeidsfellesskapet Kirkelig Fornyelse, a sister organisation of The Church UnionThe Church UnionThe Church Union is an Anglo-Catholic advocacy group within the Church of England.The organisation was founded as the Church of England Protection Society on May 12, 1859 to challenge the authority of the English civil courts to determine questions of doctrine...
in Church of England - The New Norwegian Free Synod (Samling på Kirkens Grunn) Norwegian and
Denmark
- Selskabet dansk Tidegærd - society of Danish liturgy of the hours