Lutheranism as Evangelical and Catholic

The Augsburg Confession declares that our Churches, with common consent, teach that "one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered." (Augsburg Confession, Article VII)

During Advent, my thoughts are often drawn to consider the catholic or universal aspects of Lutheranism. As some observers have claimed, the Lutheran Church is the Western Catholic Church cleansed and reformed. The early Lutherans viewed the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a continuation of the Christian Church throughout its history, stripped of certain abuses associated with the papacy. Lutherans maintained a 'high' understanding of the sacraments. In interpretations of Scripture, orthodox Lutheran theologians made extensive use of the early church fathers. They saw continuity in Christian history. They understood Lutheranism as a renewal movement within and for the universal Christian Church. They were evangelicals but not in the popular Anglo-American sense. Lutherans were/are evangelical (evangelisch) because they believe in justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as proclaimed in Holy Scripture.

Lutheranism differs historically from other kinds of Protestantism. Lutheranism is the Reformation heritage that unambiguously confesses belief in the gracious power of the sacraments of  Baptism and the  Eucharist. (Some but not all Anglicans have had sacramental views similar to those of orthodox Lutheranism.) The Book of Concord maintains that salvation is received through the means of grace: God's Word and the two Sacraments directly instituted by Christ. The Augsburg Confession states that "in doctrine and ceremonies nothing has been received on our part against Scripture or the Catholic Church" (Augsburg Confession, Conclusion). 

In 19th-century Lutheranism, the concept of "Evangelical Catholicism" developed as a vision of the nature of the Church. The term Evangelical Catholic focuses on theology rather than ritual. The term is not strictly defined, and it has been expressed in different ways. What all these expressions have in common is a focus on the biblical Gospel combined with a respect for universal Christian principles and practices across the ages.

The central characteristic is evangelical faith in the biblical good news of redemption through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God the Son. In thought and experience, this evangelical faith has been guarded and expressed through the catholic or universal teachings and practices of Christianity. To best appreciate the biblical Gospel, one must consider what has been believed by faithful Christians across varied times, places, cultures, and ecclesiastical structures. In this truly catholic context, one can appreciate the importance of factors such as the canon of Scripture, the ancient creeds, the two dominical sacraments, and ordained leadership. There is a constant give and take between the evangelical and the catholic; they depend upon each other for their best expression.