Pr Joshua Yong

Part II – From Expansion to Ecumenism

What should we make of the Lutheran Church today? By the 18^th Century, Lutheranism was divided into three main camps – a liberal camp, a traditional camp, and a moderate camp. While there were early attempts to slow down the influence of liberalism, those endeavours were short-lived – Lutheranism as a whole would continue its decline, culminating in its participation in the ecumenical movement.

The Expansion of Lutheranism

In the early 19^th Century, Frederick William III of Prussia who was Calvinist wanted to unify the Lutheran and Reformed churches in Prussia. Thinking that there was no major difference between the two churches, he tried to institute a merger between the two churches and he wanted to implement the same order of worship for them. The Lutherans who opposed the merger were known as the “Old Lutherans”. Some of them strongly opposed the merger, forming churches that were separate from the government, and were persecuted as a result. Others left for the United States, Canada and Australia. The Lutherans who migrated to the United States joined the earlier immigrants who had arrived in the 1740s and settled in New York, Carolina and Pennsylvania. In 1847, the conservative German Evangelical Lutheran Synod was established in Missouri. During that time, the Old Lutherans and New Lutherans, who rejected liberalism, were able to slow down the inroads of modernism amongst Lutheran churches from the 1840s to the 1870s.

During this time, the Lutheran Church gave greater attention to missions. While the Reformation had spread Lutheranism throughout Europe and Scandinavia, the 19^th Century saw Lutheranism expanding to Africa. Lutheran churches were soon established in many African countries and by the 21^st Century, many of these churches in other parts of the world were even more vibrant than the churches in Europe.

Lutheranism initially expanded in Latin America to cater to European immigrants, but they soon had outreaches to the locals.

Lutheranism also expanded to Asia. It reached India in the 1840s and in the late 1800s it came to Japan, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The Organisation of Lutheranism

Different Lutheran churches organised themselves differently in different countries and regions.

In Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, Lutheran churches are generally Episcopalian in church governance.

In Germany, in the 17^th and 18^th Centuries, Lutheran churches adopted a Presbyterian type of synodical governance. From the middle of the 18^th Century, Lutheran churches in Germany came under the control of the monarch and the German state. This carried on until the end of World War I, where, upon the establishment of the German Republic, Lutheran churches began to adopt a synodical governance once again.

In the United States, Lutheran churches are mainly congregational locally but are organised into synods on a regional level. The largest Lutheran body in America is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). 

In 1923, different Lutheran denominations from all over the world gathered and met in Eisenach, Germany for the first Lutheran World Convention. In 1947, this convention consolidated itself and became the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), a global Lutheran organisation that represents various Lutheran churches. Today, the LWF is the largest association of national Lutheran churches that encompasses 145 Lutheran denominations in 98 countries, and has over 77 million members worldwide. It is estimated that there are 80 million Lutherans in the world.

The Ecumenism of Lutheranism

Most Lutheran churches today are part of the ecumenical movement. The LWF is a proudly ecumenical organisation. They state brazenly on their website that “to be Lutheran is to be ecumenical” (https://lutheranworld.org/what-we-do/unity-church). Since 1964, Lutheran churches, primarily represented by the LWF, have been in constant dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church.

These dialogues culminated in the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. On the 31^st October 1999 in Augsburg, Germany, the Roman Catholic Church and the LWF signed this joint declaration declaring their agreement that they now have a “common understanding of our justification by God’s grace through faith in Christ.” By signing this document with the Roman Catholic Church, the LWF undermined what Luther defended and taught 500 years ago during the 16^th Century Reformation. It must be noted that the Roman Catholic Church has not changed in its understanding of the doctrine of Justification by Grace. As recently as 2013, Pope Francis reaffirmed the doctrines and the canons of the Council of Trent. He said the Catholic Church “of this age revives and reflects upon the most glorious Tridentine doctrine.” Tridentine describes the doctrine that relates to the Council of Trent. In this council, curses were pronounced on those who believe in the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ alone.

Sadly, this same document of joint declaration was signed by the World Methodist Council in 2006 and by the World Communion of Reformed Churches (which represents 80 million members of Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed, Uniting and Waldensian Churches) in 2017.

In Singapore, the Lutheran churches are represented by the Lutheran Church in Singapore (LCS). The LCS is a member of the ecumenical LWF and the World Council of Churches.

It is very sad to see the Lutheran Church returning to Rome. This is the result of compromise. The Word of God has warned us that before the return of our Lord, there will be a “falling away first…” (2 Thess 2:3-4). This ecumenical movement exemplifies this falling away. Knowing that Christ is coming again very soon, it is most needful for us to “…earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).