Timely and Inspiring Prophetic Analysis so you can Prepare.

Almost 500 years after Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation by nailing his 95 Theses against the sale of indulgences and other abuses of the Catholic Church on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, the largest U.S. denomination of Lutherans have approved a declaration that recognizes “there is no longer church-dividing issue” on many points with the Roman Catholic Church.

Luther would be horrified. But the historic document called the “Declaration on the Way, was approved on August 10 by a whopping 931-9 by the 2016 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America church-wide Assembly in New Orleans.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton said, “Though we have not yet arrived, we have claimed that we are, in fact, on the way to unity… This ‘Declaration on the Way’ helps us to realize more fully our unity in Christ with our Catholic partners, but it also serves to embolden our commitment to unity with all Christians.”

The declaration comes as the Lutheran and Catholic churches prepare to kick off a year of celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

The “Declaration” includes 32 “Statements of Agreement” where Lutherans and Catholics no longer have church-dividing differences on issues of church, ministry and the Eucharist. The U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs had previously affirmed those statements.

The “Declaration” also lists remaining differences between the two churches and next steps on addressing them.

In 2013 the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation released a joint document called “From Conflict to Communion” that focused on the progress toward unity of the two churches.

The ELCA has 3.7 million members in the United States and the Caribbean.

“And all the world wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:3.

Source References

• US Lutherans approve document recognizing agreement with Catholic Church