The termEvangelical Catholic (fromcatholic meaninguniversal andevangelical meaningGospel-centered) is used inLutheranism, with those calling themselves Evangelical Catholic Lutherans or Lutherans of Evangelical Catholic churchmanship stressing thecatholicity of historic Lutheranism in liturgy (such as theMass), beliefs (such as theperpetual virginity of Mary), practices (such asgenuflection), and doctrines (such asapostolic succession).^[A][1][2] Evangelical Catholics teach that Lutheranism at its core "is deeply and fundamentally catholic".^[3] The majority of Evangelical Catholic Lutheran clergy and parishes are members of mainstream Lutheran denominations (such as theChurch of Sweden), though certain Lutheran denominations, such as theLutheran Church - International, have a solidly Evangelical Catholic churchmanship.^[1] Various apostolates and religious orders exist, which herald Evangelical Catholic principles within Lutheranism.^[1]

It is closely related to the movement ofHigh church Lutheranism, which aims to emphasize and restore traditional liturgical practices to Lutheranism.

TheAugsburg Confession found within theBook of Concord, a compendium of belief of theLutheran churches, teaches that "the faith as confessed by Luther and his followers is nothing new, but the true catholic faith, and that their churches represent the true catholic or universal church".^[4] When the Lutherans presented the Augsburg Confession toCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1530, they believed it "showed that each article of faith and practice was true first of all to Holy Scripture, and then also to the teaching of the church fathers and the councils".^[4]

The Augsburg Confession further states that:

...one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered.^[5]

In Lutheranism, the termEvangelical Catholic orAugsburg Catholic has a specific meaning. Lutheran Protestantism differs historically from most other kinds of Protestantism in that Lutheranism is the only historical Protestantdenomination that confesses belief in threesacraments:regeneration in HolyBaptism,Confession as the sacrament ofAbsolution, and theReal Presence of Christ inHoly Eucharist.^[6][7] In Anglicanism and Methodism, two other Protestant traditions, there has also been a sacramentalism similar to that in orthodox Lutheranism, especially in thehigh church movement. The Book of Concord states, contrary to "Enthusiast" belief, that salvation can be received only through themeans of grace: God's Word and sacraments.^[8] The Augsburg Confession stresses that "in doctrine and ceremonies nothing has been received on our part against Scripture or the Catholic Church."^[8] Article XXIV of the Augsburg Confession "Of the Mass" states: "Falsely are our churches accused of abolishing the Mass; for the Mass is retained among us, and celebrated with the highest reverence." Some Lutheran church bodies claim to also have retained thehistorical episcopate andapostolic succession. The evangelical feature of Lutheranism isjustification by faith, as defined byLaw and Gospel andsimul iustus et peccator. The termevangelical has a different origin and meaning in Lutheranism than in "Evangelicalism". (In German, there is a difference betweenevangelisch andevangelikal; in Swedish, there is a corresponding difference betweenevangelisk andevangelikal). In the Lutheran tradition,evangelical (evangelisch) refers to the gospel, with the specific meaning of "grace centered". The opposite ofevangelical is not "catholic" or "liberal", butlegalistic.^[9]

The Lutheran Church traditionally sees itself as the "main trunk of the historical Christian Tree" founded by Christ and the Apostles, holding that during the Reformation, theChurch of Rome fell away.^[10][11]

In early Lutheranism, theGnesio-Lutherans compiled the first modern critical history of the world, theMagdeburg Centuries, to show that the Lutheran Church was a continuation of the Christian church throughout its history, though stripped of abuses originating from the pope. Gnesio-Lutherans such asJoachim Westphal andAndreas Musculus had a "high" understanding of the sacraments, and therefore were strongly opposed to any compromise withCalvinism andZwingliism, as well as with Roman Catholic doctrine. In the era ofLutheran orthodoxy, theologiansMartin Chemnitz andJohann Gerhard (especially in hisConfessio Catholica) made extensive use ofpatristic sources. They saw the continuity of the pre-Reformation church in Lutheranism, which they understood not as a re-formation of the church, but rather a renewal movement within and for the Christian church, from which the Roman church did truly represent.

With regard to the nature of the church, Lutheran theology therefore holds that:^[11]

There can only be onetrue visible Church. Of this our Catechism speaks in Question 192: "Whom do we call the true visible Church?"Answer: "The whole number of those who have, teach and confess the entire doctrine of the Word of God in all its purity, and among whom the Sacraments are duly administered according to Christ's institution." That there can be but one true visible Church, and that, therefore, one is not just as good as another stands to reason because there is only one truth, one Bible, one Word of God. Evidently that Church which teaches this truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, is the true visible Church. Christ says John 8, 31. 32: "If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Again Christ says Matt. 28, 20: "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." WhatsoeverHe has commanded us,His Word, and nothing else, we should teach. And again,all things which He has commanded us we should teach. That, therefore is the true visible Church which does this. But that all visible Churches do not this is plain from the fact that they do not agree among themselves. If every Church would teach the whole truth and nothing but the truth as God has revealed it, there could be no difference. So, then, by calling other denominations Churches, we do not mean to say that one Church is just as good as another. Only that one is the true visible Church which teaches and confesses the entire doctrine of the Word of God in all its purity, and in whose midst the Sacraments are duly administered according to Christ's institution. Of all Churches, this can only be said of our Lutheran Church.^[11]

Evangelical Catholics of Lutheran churchmanship cherish the practice ofChristian monasticism; after the Reformation, many monasteries and convents adopted the Lutheran faith and continuedreligious life, including layoblates. Examples include monasteries such asAmelungsborn Abbey nearNegenborn andLoccum Abbey inRehburg-Loccum, as well as convents such asEbstorf Abbey near the town ofUelzen andBursfelde Abbey inBursfelde.^[12]

New religious orders were established by Lutherans throughout the centuries such asÖstanbäck Monastery, a Benedictine community inSala, Sweden and Saint Augustine's House, a monastery inMichigan. MotherBasilea Schlink established the charismaticEvangelical Sisterhood of Mary inDarmstadt, which contains the motherhouse where the Lutherannuns reside. TheOrder of Lutheran Franciscans is a religious institute affiliated with theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America.^{[citation needed]}

Lutherans had different views regarding religious imagery than Reformed Christians.^[13][14]Martin Luther in Germany allowed and encouraged the display of religious imagery in churches, seeing the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a continuation of the "ancient, apostolic church".^[14] Lutheran altarpieces liketheLast Supper by the younger Cranach were produced in Germany, especially by Luther's friendLucas Cranach, to replace Catholic ones, often containing portraits of leading reformers as the apostles or other protagonists, but retaining the traditionaldepiction of Jesus. As such, "Lutheran worship became a complex ritual choreography set in a richly furnished church interior."^[15] Lutherans proudly employed the use of thecrucifix as it highlighted their high view of thetheology of the Cross.^[14][16] Stories grew up of "indestructible" images of Luther that had survived fires by divine intervention.^[17] Thus, for Lutherans, "the Reformation renewed rather than removed the religious image."^[18] As such, "Lutheran places of worship contain images and sculptures not only of Christ but also of biblical and occasionally of other saints as well as prominent decorated pulpits due to the importance of preaching, stained glass, ornate furniture, magnificent examples of traditional and modern architecture, carved or otherwise embellished altar pieces, and liberal use of candles on the altar and elsewhere."^[19]

Lutherans strongly defended their existing sacred art from a new wave of Reformed-on-Lutheran iconoclasm in the second half of the century, as Reformed rulers or city authorities attempted to impose their will on Lutheran populations in the "Second Reformation" of about 1560-1619.^[14][20] Against the Reformed, Lutherans exclaimed: "You black Calvinist, you give permission to smash our pictures and hack our crosses; we are going to smash you and your Calvinist priests in return".^[14] TheBeeldenstorm, a large and very disorderly wave of Calvinist mob destruction of images and church fittings that spread through theLow Countries in the summer of 1566 was the largest outbreak of this sort, with drastic political repercussions.^[21] This campaign of Reformed iconoclasm "provoked reactive riots by Lutheran mobs" in Germany and "antagonized the neighbouring Eastern Orthodox" in the Baltic region.^[22]

Lutheran Mariology is informed by the Augsburg Confession and honours Mary as "the most blessed Mother of God, the most blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ," and "the Queen of Heaven."^[23][24] TheSmalcald Articles, aconfession of faith of the Lutheran churches, affirm the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary.^[25] Lutherans of Evangelical Catholic churchmanship tend to stress a continuity with these pre-Reformational beliefs that have been upheld by many Lutherans theologians sinceMartin Luther himself.^[26][27] As a sign of reverence for and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Martin Luther advocated the use of the original version of theHail Mary prayer before it was modified at the Roman Catholic Church'sCouncil of Trent (that is, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.")^[28] The 1522Betbüchlein (Prayer Book) retained the Ave Maria.^[29]

TheWreath of Christ, also known as the Pearls of Life, is a set ofprayer beads developed by the Swedish Evangelic-Lutheran bishopMartin Lönnebo.^[30] They are a devotion used by communicants in the Lutheran churches.^[31]

Many Lutheran women of Evangelical Catholic churchmanship wear aveil during prayer and worship.^[32] The General Rubrics of theEvangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America, as contained in "The Lutheran Liturgy", state in a section titledHeadgear for Women: "It is laudable custom, based upon a Scriptural injunction (1 Cor. 11:3-15), for women to wear an appropriate head covering in Church, especially at the time of divine service."^[33]

Traditions, such asepiscopal polity andapostolic succession are also maintained and seen as essential by Lutherans of Evangelical Catholic churchmanship; theChurch of Sweden for example teaches that "Since this ordinance was very useful and without doubt proceeded from the Holy Ghost, it was generally approved and accepted over the whole of Christendom. . . . It belongs to the office of the Bishop that he in his diocese shall ordain and govern with Priests, and do whatsoever else is required."^[34] TheEvangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Church of Sweden continue the apostolic succession of bishops who ordain priests through thelaying on of hands.^[35][36]

What made the Church of Sweden an evangelical-catholic church was to Archbishop Söderblom the fact that the Reformation in Sweden was a 'church improvement' and a 'process of purification' which didnot create a new church. As a national church, the Church of Sweden succeeded in bringing together medieval Swedish tradition with the rediscovery of the gospel which the Reformation brought with it. Archbishop Söderblom included the historic episcopate in the tradition-transmitting elements. The Church of Sweden was, according to Söderblom, in an even higher degree than the Anglican Church avia media. —Together in Mission and Ministry: The Porvoo Common Statement^[37]

Such a view sees the congregational form of church governance as non-Lutheran and not reflective of Lutheranism's identity as a catholic Church; theEvangelical Catholic Church, a Lutheran denomination based in North America, taught:^[34]

A so-calleddemocratic form of Church polity, or congregational rule/autonomy, where the children rule the father, is unscriptural, non-Catholic, non-Lutheran, and a subversion of God's natural, revealed Order. The form of Church government practiced by the LC-MS and ELCA (and almost all other expressions of American Lutheranism) was condemned by Fr. Luther when Philip of Hesse (perhaps the most prominent Prince within the Reformation Movement next to the Elector of Saxony), prevailed upon the synod at Hamburg in 1526 to adopt a form of congregational government ordered by a constitution accepted by all. In January 1527 Dr. Luther convinced Philip to repudiate this plan for congregational government. Such polity (i.e.,congregationalism) undermines The Gospel and usually leads to the distorted view that, because The Faithful area royal priesthood (I Pet. 2:9), all Christians (the priesthood of all believers) possess the public office of the ministry. Such a teaching (i.e., the mandate or justification of a congregational form of Church polity) is not found in Holy Scriptures; such a practice does not conform to the teachings of Dr. Luther. That is why, without a doubt, the Lutheran Confessions nowhere mention such a "doctrine". The congregational (or priesthood of all believers) form of Church polity has no foundation in the Scriptures, the canons of the undivided Church, the Lutheran Confessions, or the writings of Dr. Martin Luther. For this reason the canons ofThe Evangelical Catholic Church state that the parish Pastor isthe spiritual father of his parish (XIII,1).^[34]

These views have proved to be influential in all of Lutheranism, especially whenecumenical agreements between churches are made; in the largest Lutheran denomination in United States, for example, "all episcopal installations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America take place with the participation of bishops in the apostolic succession."^[38]

In the 19th century, "Evangelical Catholicism" was seen as a vision for the Church of the future. The term was used by Lutherans such asErnst Ludwig von Gerlach andHeinrich Leo within the post-Prussian Union church in Germany who were inspired by the church of the Middle Ages, and byneo-LutheranFriedrich Julius Stahl.^[39]

The termEvangelical Catholic is often used today instead of the term "High Church Lutheranism" because it is a theological term. It is comparable to the term "Anglo-Catholic" within Anglicanism. Evangelical Catholic Lutheranism is inclusive of the theologically, biblically, and socially conservative ultra-high church Lutheranism of those within theConfessional Lutheran movement who follow the lateArthur Carl Piepkorn, theEvangelical Catholic Orthodoxy ofGunnar Rosendal, the more theologically moderate highecclesiology ofCarl Braaten, the very liberalEvangelical Catholicity ofNathan Söderblom, or even the more liberal Catholicism ofFriedrich Heiler, and the ecumenical vision ofHans Asmussen andMax Lackmann, as well as the strongly Roman Catholic-orientedAnglo-Lutheran Catholic Church and the moreEastern Orthodox-orientedEvangelical Catholic Church.^{[citation needed]}

In Scandinavia, where High Church Lutheranism andPietist Lutheranism has been highly influential, theEvangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland,Mission Province of the Church of Sweden, and theEvangelical Lutheran Diocese of Norway entered into schism with theirnational churches due to "the secularization of the national/state churches in their respective countries involving matters of both Christian doctrine and ethics”; these dioceses are inaltar and pulpit fellowship with one another through theCommunion of Nordic Lutheran Dioceses and are members of the confessionalInternational Lutheran Council with their bishops having secured their lines ofapostolic succession from other traditional Lutheran churches, such as theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya.^[40][41][42]

TheEvangelical Lutheran Church in Canada defines its doctrinal basis as such: "We derive our teachings from the Holy Scriptures and confess the three ecumenical creeds of the Christian church. We hold to orthodox catholic theology as enunciated in the ecumenical councils of the first five centuries of Christianity."^[43] Some small "Evangelical Catholic" church bodies include theEvangelical Catholic Church,Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church,Lutheran Church - International, and theLutheran Episcopal Communion. TheNordic Catholic Church in Norway has roots in High Church Lutheranism. However, most Evangelical Catholic Lutheran clergy and Evangelical Lutheran parishes are part of mainstream Lutheran denominations such as theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America, theEvangelical Church in Germany, and theChurch of Sweden.^[1] Many Lutherans hold beliefs that would be characterized as being of the Evangelical Catholic churchmanship of Lutheranism, but prefer to be called simply as "Lutherans" as they view the catholic nature of Lutheranism to be inherent in Lutheranism and prefer to stress the unity within Lutheranism as a whole.^[3][1]

In 1976,Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, suggested that the Augsburg Confession might be possible to recognise as a Catholic statement of faith. This did not happen due to differences in understanding of the theology on justification.^[9][44] Various Roman Catholic leaders and theologians, such asCardinal Kurt Koch have proposed the idea of Lutheran Ordinariates within the Catholic Church, which would allow Lutherans to join the Catholic Church and retain aspects of their liturgy and traditions.^[45][46] Lutherans of Evangelical Catholic churchmanship, however, have opposed conversion to Roman Catholicism, arguing that the "riches of the catholic tradition are already ours, and at our best we embrace that heritage".^[3]

Apart from its usage in Lutheranism,Evangelical catholic (catholic is the noun withevangelical modifying) can refer variously to:

• Evangelical Protestants who consider themselves to becatholic in the sense that they identify with the historicChristian Church. They believe that the earlygeneral councils and theProtestant Reformation were both part of the progressive illumination of theHoly Spirit;^{[citation needed]}
• Roman Catholics who in continuity with the long tradition of the Church and empowered byPope Benedict XVI's proclaimedNew Evangelization stress the centrality and salvific universality of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the necessity of proclaiming it, in many ways identifying with theevangelical movement.^{[citation needed]}

As used by theRoman Catholic Church, the termevangelical Catholic refers to Roman Catholics infull communion with theHoly See inRome and who hold the four characteristics ofevangelicalism. The first is a strong theological and devotional emphasis on theChristian scriptures, often holding to aprima scriptura position regarding the Deposit of Faith. Secondly, evangelical Catholics stress justification by faith alone. A personal need for interior conversion is the third defining mark, and, consequently, the fourth is a deep commitment to evangelization.

Evangelical Catholics see these evangelical emphases as the core of the 2,000-year tradition of Catholic Christianity. Evangelical preaching movements such asSt. Dominic's, who was called theVir Evangelicus (evangelical man), are a common point of reference. To Catholics, the term 'evangelical' refers to its etymological root—the Greek wordeuangelion—which means 'good news' or 'Gospel', not toProtestantEvangelicalism. To Catholics, being evangelical is understood in the context of the adherence to thedogma andSacred Tradition of theCatholic Church and in a Catholicinterpretation of Scripture, and not in the doctrinal and ecclesiological upheavals of theProtestant Reformation.

Increasingly, the Roman Catholic Church is appropriating the evangelical witness of the recent popes and their encyclicals, especially Pope Paul VI'sEvangelii nuntiandi (On Evangelization in the Modern World), John Paul II'sRedemptoris missio (The Mission of the Redeemer), and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's DeclarationDominus Iesus (The Lord Jesus), for which Pope Benedict XVI was primarily responsible, when he was previously Prefect of the Congregation. New bibles^{[citation needed]}, catechetical materials, youth ministry programs, and young adult ministries witness to greater evangelical zeal within the Church. College campus ministry and parish ministry are focusing more of their resources on outreach (pre-evangelization and evangelization).^[47] A Catholic organization called the Evangelical Catholic exists for the purpose of equipping Catholic ministries to be evangelical.^[48] InGreenville, South Carolina, a Catholic organization called theCenter for Evangelical Catholicism exists for the purpose of spreading the "New Evangelization" program of thePontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization in Roman Catholic parishes and schools across theUnited States.

Since the call to evangelization is so integral to the Catholic faith and solidly attested to in theecumenical councils, the writings of theChurch Fathers, and papal teaching, the late well-known FatherRichard John Neuhaus (1936-2009), (a former longtimeEvangelical Lutheran pastor) looked to the day when the term 'evangelical Catholic' would be redundant - when identifying as 'Catholic' would imply active evangelization so strongly that the addition of 'evangelical' would be unnecessary.^[49] As a group, they are often not disaggregated in social science research, though there have been recent calls to change this.^[50]

In recent years, the termEvangelical Catholic, has been adopted by high church elements of theMethodist and Reformed churches. This is especially apt among the Reformed, given that one of the older documented uses of the term is byJohn Williamson Nevin andPhilip Schaff, during their efforts (from roughly 1841 forward) torepristinate the theology of theGerman Reformed Church in the United States. In 1849 theMercersburg Review was founded as the organ of their "Mercersburg Theology".

Beginning in 1851,William Augustus Mühlenberg, the Protestant Episcopal clergyman of Lutheran background, and father of theRitualist movement in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America,^[51] also published a periodical called "The Evangelical Catholic." Muhlenberg's vision has influenced theReformed Episcopal Church and some on theFree Church of England.

Already earlier, there was an evangelical revival in theRoman Catholic Church inGermany, involvingBoos,Gossner andFeneberg. This evangelical revivalist movement also spread to German Lutheranism.

TheLusitanian Catholic Apostolic Evangelical Church inPortugal has its origins in theOld Catholic movement of the 19th century. Today it belongs to theAnglican Communion.

In England, Ulric Vernon Herford (1866–1938), irregularly consecrated as Mar Jacobus, Bishop of Mercia & Middlesex, founded The Evangelical Catholic Communion. His succession line was brought to the United States in the 1960s and continues in theSyro-Chaldean Church of North America.^[52]

Some members of variousChristian denominations may use the termEvangelical Catholic to indicate the fact that they areevangelical and maintain theircatholicity. For example,Methodists andPresbyterians believe their denominations owe their origins to the Apostles and the early church, but do not claim descent from ancient church structures such as the episcopate. However, both of these churches hold that they are a part of the catholic (universal) church. According toHarper's New Monthly Magazine:

The various Protestant sects can not constitute one church because they have nointercommunion...each Protestant Church, whether Methodist or Baptist or whatever, is in perfect communion with itself everywhere as the Roman Catholic; and in this respect, consequently, the Roman Catholic has no advantage or superiority, except in the point of numbers. As a further necessary consequence, it is plain that the Roman Church is no more Catholic in any sense than a Methodist or a Baptist.^[53]

— Henry Mills Alden

As such, according to one viewpoint, for those who "belong to the Church," the term Methodist Catholic, or Presbyterian Catholic, or Baptist Catholic, is as proper as the term Roman Catholic.^[53] It simply means that body of Christian believers over the world who agree in their religious views, and accept the same ecclesiastical forms.^[53]

At the end of the 20th century, theConvergence Movement formed new church bodies, including theCharismatic Episcopal Church, theCommunion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, and the King's Family of Churches. It governs by an Episcopal polity, embraces the Charismatic renewal, uses different liturgical versions in worship, both Anglican and Lutheran, and supports church missions and church planting.^[54]

• Porvoo Communion
• Lutheran orders and societies
• Lutheran women's convents
• Branch theory
• Spirituali
• Liturgical Movement
• Robert Jenson
• Society of the Holy Trinity

• Lutheran congregations of Evangelical Catholic churchmanship
• American Lutheran Publicity Bureau
• Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy
• The Society of the Holy Trinity
• Arthur Carl Piepkorn Center for Evangelical Catholicity
• Lutherans are not Protestants by Darel E. Paul, 2001
• Lutheran Church - International

• The Evangelical CatholicArchived 2006-01-04 at theWayback Machine
• Centre for Contemporary Christianity in Ireland
• Center for Catholic and Evangelical Dialogue

• Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology