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__NOTOC__ The terms catholic evangelical and evangelical catholic combine two descriptive words that often seem contradictory to post-Reformational ears. They are relatively new constructions that are sometimes used by Christian believers who consider themselves both "catholic" (i.e. part of the "one holy catholic and apostolic Church" described in the Nicene Creed; cf. Ephesians 4:1-7) and "evangelical" (i.e. holding to and proclaiming the apostolic gospel of divine grace; cf. Galatians 1:6-9). They are sometimes used by individuals, groups, congregations, or denominations that wish to express their ecumenical attitude toward Christians worldwide and/or toward the historic Church, or their more traditional liturgical preferences (in the case of evangelicals), or their less formal worship preferences (in the case of catholics).

Catholic Evangelical

When used in the nominative case, catholic evangelical (where of course evangelical is the noun with catholic modifying) more specifically refers to evangelical Protestant Christians who desire to be understood as identifying themselves with the historic Christian Church in its development and its creeds, etc. These Christians tend to believe in progressive illumination (which is different from the progressive revelation that most evangelicals believe ended with the Apostles appointed by Christ), and believe that the early ecumenical councils and the Protestant Reformation were both part of that progressive illumination of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they remain separated from the Bishop of Rome. They may include those who would also be considered Lutheran, Anglican, Reformed, Baptist, or Pentecostal, etc.

Evangelical Catholic

Likewise, in the nominative case evangelical catholic (where of course catholic is the noun with evangelical modifying) can refer to either evangelical Protestant Christians who consider themselves catholic first, and perhaps seek closer communion with Rome, or particular churches that are in communion with the Roman Catholic Church and also want to identify themselves more closely with evangelical Protestants, or who want to describe themselves according to a more open worship style or a penchant for evangelism. They may include specific Roman Catholic churches, or churches that are not in union with the Bishop of Rome.

In Lutheranism the term evangelical catholic (cf. Evangelical Catholic Lutheran) has a special meaning. It is often used instead of High Church Lutheranism (as are the terms Anglo-Catholic and Old Catholic in their respective traditions) because it is a more theological term. The term evangelical has a very different origin and meaning in Lutheranism than in evangelicalism generally. The Augsburg Confession stresses that "in doctrine and ceremonies nothing has been received on our part against Scripture or the Catholic Church". In the era of Lutheran orthodoxy, theologians especially like Matthias Flacius and others in the Gneiso-Lutheran party, Martin Chemnitz, and Johann Gerhard, who were deeply rooted in patristic theology, saw the continuity of Catholicism in Lutheranism, understanding it to be not a re-formation of the Church, but rather, a renewal movement within and for the Catholic Church, from which they had been involuntarily and temporarily separated. The Gneiso-Lutheran party, especially, were strongly opposed to any compromise with Calvinism and Zwinglianism. They were strongly opposed to Peter Melancthon, the Phillipists, and the accommodations they made with the Calvinists in the preparation of the Formula of Concord.

Evangelical Catholic Lutheranism is not strictly defined, and it can mean, for example, the theologically, biblically, and socially conservative ultra-high church Lutheranism of the Evangelical Community Church - Lutheran and the Athanasian Catholic Church of the Augsburg Confession, the relative high church confessional lutheranism found in some parts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, the more theologically liberal high eccesiology of Carl Braaten, the very liberal evangelical catholicism of Nathan Söderblom, or the even more liberal catholicism of Friedrich Heiler. In recent years, the term, Evangelical Catholic, has even been adopted by "high-church" elements of the Methodist and Reformed Churches.

See also

External links

Christianity | Christian denominations | Christian evangelicalism | Protestantism | Lutheranism | Catholic ecumenical and interfaith relations

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Catholic Evangelical".

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