Silesian Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession
Encyclopedia
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- SECAC redirects here. You may be looking for the Southeastern Conference Academic ConsortiumSoutheastern Conference Academic ConsortiumThe Southeastern Conference Academic Consortium is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas on the Campus of the University of Arkansas. The consortium was established in 2005 to help coordinate academic efforts among the twelve member institutions of the Southeastern Conference....
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- SECAC redirects here. You may be looking for the Southeastern Conference Academic Consortium
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...
Church in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. Its congregations are located mainly in the Czech part of Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...
. A significant number of the followers belong to the Polish ethnic minority
Polish minority in the Czech Republic
The Polish minority in the Czech Republic is a Polish national minority living mainly in the Zaolzie region of western Cieszyn Silesia. The Polish community is the only national minority in the Czech Republic that is linked to a specific geographical area. Zaolzie is located in the north-eastern...
. There is strong heritage 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 evangelicalism
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
present in the church. In 2009, it reported 15,632 baptized members.
The church body in present form was established after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, but its history traces back to 16th century. Lutheranism started to spread over Teschen Silesia during Luther’s
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...
life. Since 1610 it was subject to counter-reformation. In 1709 a church in Teschen
Jesus Church (Cieszyn)
Jesus Church or Grace Church is a Lutheran Church located in Cieszyn, Poland. It is one of the largest and most important Protestant churches in Poland....
was allowed to Lutherans by Emperor Joseph I
Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg....
and this church became a significant center 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 it played important role in the establishment of Moravian Church. Revivalist movement was strongly present in Teschen Silesia in the beginning of the 20th century too, culminating in 1905. The spiritual leadership of the church during the persecution during the Communist regime
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
was held by pastor Władysław Santarius.
The SECAC is a member of the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
, the Conference of European Churches
Conference of European Churches
The Conference of European Churches was founded in 1959 to promote reconciliation, dialogue and friendship between the churches of Europe at a time of growing Cold War political tensions and divisions. It is an ecumenical fellowship of Christian churches in Europe; its membership consists of most...
, and the Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...
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In 2006 SECAC established formal partnership with Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod
Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the regional ELCA judicatory of the Philadelphia metropolitan area...
; this partnership was terminated in 2009 due to changes in moral policy of ELCA
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...
. SECAC cooperates with AFLC
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations is the fifth largest Lutheran church body in the United States. The AFLC includes congregations in 27 different states, as well as four Canadian provinces. The AFLC is not an incorporated synod, but a free association. Each local congregation is a separate...
and LCMS
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 2.3 million members, it is both the eighth largest Protestant denomination and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Synod...
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Current bishop is Jan Wacławek.
See also
- Stanislav PiętakStanislav PietakStanislav Piętak is Czech theologian and pedagogist.Pietak studied at the Evangelical Theological Faculty of the Comenius University in Bratislava and at the Christian Theological Academy in Warsaw. He received his doctorate from the Comenius University in 2000. He served as pastor in various...
- Johann Adam SteinmetzJohann Adam SteinmetzJohann Adam Steinmetz was a German Lutheran theologian, Pietist, educator and one of the most significant revivalists in 18th century Europe....
- Władysław Santarius
- Jiří TřanovskýJirí TranovskýJiří Třanovský , was a hymnwriter from the Cieszyn Silesia. He was sometimes called the father of Slovak hymnody and the "Luther of the Slavs." His name is sometimes anglicized to George.Třanovský was born in Teschen, and studied at Guben and Kolberg...