Religion Universe: LUTHERANISM (Protestant)

Protestant, Religion Protestant, Protestant Religion. Christianity. LUTHERANISM:

LUTHERANISM

The church reform initiated by Martin Luther in 1517 at Wittenberg, Germany, developed into a movement, became established under political rulers chiefly in Central and Northern Europe, survived in Eastern Europe and elsewhere until granted civic toleration, and spread by massive emigration especially to North America but also to Australia, South Africa and Latin America. It also grew by missionary activity in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In the early 1900s Lutherans numbered about 80 million baptized persons. But at the start of the 21st century, the ravages of two world wars and the omission of the large number estimated within the membership of Germany's united churches has reduced the Lutheran total worldwide to an estimated 64 million.

Lutherans always considered themselves as part of the church* catholic and evangelical, bound to the scriptures, and confessing the faith* set forth in the three ecumenical creeds.* Although Lutherans vary among themselves in ways of worship – wherein the Lord's supper is central – and although they differ among themselves in forms of church organization – whether as national churches as in Scandinavia, or as Free churches as in most other parts of the world – Lutherans are doctrinally and legally identified by the same confession of faith which their political protectors had presented to the imperial diet at Augsburg in 1530. To whatever degree professed, the Augsburg confession (Confessio Augustana) and Luther's small catechism of 1529 (“the Bible of the laity”) have been the chief symbols of mutual recognition among Lutherans for more than 470 years.

Yet this basic concord has been no guarantee against disunity, whether born of doctrinal debates or ethnic, linguistic, cultural or other factors. Twin developments during the 20th century, however, have fostered Lutheran unity in new ways. One has been the creation of a global confessional fellowship, first through the Lutheran World Convention (LWC, founded in 1923) and then, since 1947, through the Lutheran World Federation* (LWF) – based in Geneva and now involving 133 member churches with approximately 60 million members in 73 countries. The other development has been Lutheran participation in the ecumenical movement, both in the World Council of Churches and in a broad range of bilateral dialogues (see dialogue, bilateral ), especially with the Roman Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.*