High Church Lutheranism - High Church Movements

High Church Movements

The roots of 20th century Lutheran High Church Movement are in preceding 19th century neo-Lutheranism, confessional Lutheranism, 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, 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 Churches, 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 paraments, 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.