Everything about High Church Lutheranism totally explained
High Church Lutheranism is the European name for the
Lutheran movement that emphasises worship practices and doctrines that are similar to those found within both
Roman Catholicism and the
Anglo-Catholic wing of
Anglicanism. In North America the term
Evangelical Catholicism is used instead. However, if one understands Lutheran liturgical practice and theology according to Augsburg Confession and Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV, much of what is perceived by many as "high church" is simply official Lutheran practice.
Background
The terms
High Church and
Low Church don't 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 due to influences 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 to the simplification or even elimination of certain ceremonial elements, such as the use of vestments by the end of the era of
Lutheran orthodoxy. Unlike in the
Church of England however, there has been little
iconoclasm in Lutheran churches and church buildings have often remained richly furnished.
(External Link
)(External Link). In old
church orders, however there was much more 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.
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.
(External Link)
In the 20th century the terms "High Church" and "Low Church" began to be used to describe differences within the Lutheran tradition. However, this terminology isn't 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 movements are in
neo-Lutheranism,
confessional Lutheranism,
Anglo-Catholicism and the
Liturgical Movement. These Lutheran high church movements have been much less significant than, for example, Anglo-Catholicism within the
Church of England. 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. In this respect there are resemblances to the
Oxford Movement in Anglicanism. Often it has been marginalised and resisted by advocates of
liberal theology and
pietism. High Church movements have in some cases, especially in Scandinavia, fallen into crisis because of the issue of
ordination of women. Still they've influenced whole church bodies, and in some cases have developed liberal expressions. In Europe a certain amount of high church interest has been based on aesthetics, tastes in
paraments,
vestments and ceremonies, without any theological argumentation. 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 the most remarkable Lutheran high church movement by its influence on the whole church body is in the
Church of Sweden, originally influenced by the
Anglo-Catholic movement within the Church of England at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. 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 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. Today one of the leading figures of the high church movement is Bishop emeritus
Bertil Gärtner who is against the ordination of women. The nucleus of the movement is
arbetsgemenskapen Kyrklig Förnyelse (Swedish Church Union) together with numerous religious societies and communities.
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 Union, resulting in the simple spread of Calvinist concepts from the Reformed Churches by "osmosis," Lutheranism has been often influenced by quite
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. Whether "high church" or not, the 19th century Lutheran pastor, Wilhelm Loehe, of Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, Germany, certainly did much to contribute to Lutheran liturgical renewal in Germany and beyond, due to his missionary work. 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 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's 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 Society 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. Other associations are
Bund für evangelisch-katholische Einheit (Federation for Evangelical-Catholic Unity), including
St. Jakobus- Bruderschaft),
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Kirchliche Erneuerung in der Evang.-Luth. Kirche in Bayern (Working Group for Church Renewal 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 and several religious communities.
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.
North America
Portions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada have "high church" emphases, with there being high church congregations that range from theologically liberal to conservative. The
Society of the Holy Trinity is largest high church society in North America. Theologically it's moderate and relatively conservative in ecumenical openness. The most ornate liturgy is to be found in the small Evangelical Catholic Lutheran Churches, a few parishes of the
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and in many Lutheran seminaries of all Lutheran varities across North America which celebrate Solemn High Mass with ceremonial similar to that found in Anglo-Catholic parishes
(External Link) (External Link). The devotional guild the Society of St. Polycarp was also founded within the LCMS
(External Link). The most important high church journals are
Lutheran Forum, published by
American Lutheran Publicity Bureau (ALPB). and
Pro Ecclesia, a published by the
Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology in cooperation with the
American Lutheran Publicity Bureau (ALPB).
Valparaiso University, an independent Lutheran institution, has also continued in their own high-church tradition. The development of this high-church tradition is a unique blend between the movements within the various Lutheran church bodies. Students also play a key role in crafting these services. Another significant contributor to the high-church values of Valparaiso University if 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 the
Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church,
Lutheran Orthodox Church and several other small, biblically and theologically conservative high church
Evangelical Catholic Lutheran Churches 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 are actively working toward a form of visible, corporate reunion with the Roman Catholic Church. However, as is the case among Anglicans, "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 Society of the Holy Trinity, the Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood, the Society of Saint Polycarp, and the Good Shepherd Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana (www.ctsfw.edu).
Other Countries
The
Church of Norway is generally very pietistic and the high church movement is more isolated and much smaller than in Sweden. It has been promoted by
Ordo Crucis (External Link) and
Bønne- og arbeidsfellesskapet Kirkelig Fornyelse.
In the
Church of Denmark the high church movement is marginal. It is promoted by
Sct. Ansgar Broderskab (External Link). Praying of the
Daily office has been promoted by
Teologisk Oratorium (External Link) (most well 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.
Academic Theology
Through
ecumenism high church ideas have been accepted more widely in academic theology. E.g. recent ecumenical
Lutheran research in the
Mannermaa School has begun to see Luther as a Catholic teacher. High church Lutherans in North America often use the term
Evangelical Catholic (first used by Swedish archbishop
Nathan Söderblom) instead of
high church, because it's felt to be more theologically precise. Within high church Lutheranism there has been less movement towards Roman Catholicism than within Anglo-Catholicism.
There are some well known Lutheran theologians, such as
Richard John Neuhaus and
Reinhard Hütter who have become
Roman Catholic, while others such as
Jaroslav Pelikan have joined
Eastern Orthodoxy.
(External Link).
Theology and spirituality
High Church Lutheranism stresses certain elements of the Church:
sacraments, ordained ministry,
liturgy and continuity of the church, all of which are traditional Lutheran theology, but were thought to have been neglected due to
Pietism and the
Age of Enlightenment. Sometimes there's also emphasis on
Apostolic Succession,
ecumenism and
Mariology. 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).
High church spirituality is characteristically more
theocentric than that of pietistic and rationalistic Lutheranism. In addition to the
Theology of the Cross there's 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
incarnation for example the following, by the people, of the life of Christ through communal worship.
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
(External Link) (External Link). In high church Lutheran spirituality the Mass is considered the central act of worship as it encapsulates central Christian doctrines such as the relationship between the members of the
Trinity and the one, but eternally efficacious, sacrifice of
Christ on
Calvary.
One divide withing high church Lutheranism is in the matter of the direction of 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 isn't 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 eucharistic prayers, the epiclesis, and the role of the laity in the liturgy.
Often the praying of the
Divine office is also characteristic to high church Lutheran spirituality.
Confession as a sacrament is sometimes rare part of Lutheran tradition and isn't considered unique to "high church". A small number of high church Lutheran 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.
Liturgical practices
Formal liturgy based on the western Catholic
Mass with varying degrees of
chanting, the use of
organ music,
crucifixes, silver
chalices,
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
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, a complete eucharistic prayer (for example 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 Scandinavian Lutheran churches the use of
altar bells 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 among the most high church of the North American Lutheran congregations such as the
Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church,
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is seldom practised, even in High Church circles.
Further Information
Get more info on 'High Church Lutheranism'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://high_church_lutheranism.totallyexplained.com">High Church Lutheranism Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
