Evangelic churches
The history of the evangelic Églises plunges its roots in the great movement of Réforme of the 16th century.
As of its beginnings, the Protestant Reform was expressed in several directions. If Luther remains a central figure of this period, other reformers rose to dispute the drifts of the Christianity of their time. If they are in agreement with Luther on the essential points of its doctrines, they will however refuse to be regarded as its disciples or its successors.
Evangelic Churches
Currently, one speaks much about the evangelic Churches, but what are they? It is extremely difficult to give a definition of it, so much are large their number and their diversity. For better including/understanding, it is necessary to refer to their history.
The Reform
In the beginning, the Reform is not a question of ecclesiology or policy, but a spiritual experiment. The Justification by the Faith is not at the beginning a dogmatic question, but the spiritual experiment of Luther (1483-1546) which goes enraciner in a “compost” already prepared by Pierre Valdo (fine 12th century) in France, Italy and Suisse, John Wyclif (1320-1384) in England and Jean Huss (about 1369-1415) with Prague and in Bohemia. Excommunicated by the Pope, Luther constitutes with its disciples what will become the “evangelic Church Lutheran”.
The experiment of Luther will be spread in Europe and in particular in Switzerland, where Zwingli (1484-1531), the reformer of Zurich, follows the same line as Luther but in a more radical way. It founds the “reformed” tradition which will open out with Calvin. It purifies the worship, reforms the operation of the Church and the design that it has some, while being based on the Word of God (it is the Sola Scriptura of Luther).
Zwingli is more radical in its ideas. It is aware that the Reform is related to the policy: so that it can settle in Zurich, it is advisable not to oppose the authorities. One needs the agreement and the support of its municipal officials. It thus moderates its will of Reform not to shock.
First Churches of “Professing”, Anabaptists and Mennonites
Certain disciples of Zwingli, whose Conrad Grebel, disputes this attitude: they did not extirpate the authority of the Pape to place the Church under the authority of a municipal council without doctrinal competence. They want to go further in the Reform.
Catholics and Lutherans agreed to say that the Church was the religious expression of a political space. The religion of the prince was obligatorily that of his subjects.
The Disciple S dissidents of Zwingli affirm that the Church is not conditioned by the policy but is community of the disciples of Jesus. One does not enter randomly the Church of his birth. One enters the Church because one confesses his Faith in Jesus-Christ. It is fundamental and perfectly revolutionist for the time. Follow of persecutions, more for political reasons that theological, because for the first time one dissociates the State and the Church. One finds in the New Testament that the Baptême could not be given to a child; he owes the being with that which is capable of Profession of faith and of engagement to follow the Christ. The Church is thus the community of the believers and one enters there while confessing his Faith. In 1523, a new community will be born where the members will baptize themselves between them by confessing their Faith: it is the first “free Église”, the first Church of “professing” which one becomes member, not by the birth but by the Profession of faith.
Repression is brutal. The members of this Church will disperse in Switzerland, the valley of the the Rhine and Eastern Europe. Persecution involves the development of these Churches, because only the most convinced there remain faithful. Into a persecution, the Pasteur S, educated and able to teach, frame the others, fall the first; do not remain any more, at the end, that very strong temperaments, very courageous, very enthusiastic: the “charismatic leaders” who obligatorily are not best trained, nor most moderate. Consequently, all the “skids” are possible.
The members of these Churches “anabaptists” (they refuse the baptism of the children) in 1525 publish a Confession of Faith, the first of the Reform: “ the Christians must try to be Disciple S of Jesus-Christ in a radical way ”. They read the “Sermon on the Mountain” in a total way. They are the first radically non-violent community. The Christian cannot be Magistrat, cannot condemn to death, nor to be Soldat, it is a radically evangelic community (which makes think of the brothers Saint François). The characteristic of the Church is, for them, to be, on this Earth, the sign of a new reality, the sign of the Kingdom. A former Dutch catholic priest originating in Plank, Menno Simons (1496-1561) will take over David Joris and will gather, alleviate, organize, structure these communities which one will call “Mennonites”. Mennonites: first movement anabaptist within Protestantism, will be universally persecuted. Joristes (or Davidistes) as for them entirely will be striped chart of the world.
Puritans, Baptists and Quakers
In England, the Church became Anglican but the “Puritains” still want a Church purer, like that of Calvin. Another movement thinks that the local Churches must be Churches of “professing” (see Protestantisme and Profession of faith): they are the “congregationalists”. These English will not adhere to radical non-violence, they are the “Baptistes”. Driven out then returned to England, they will develop. Persecuted again, they will leave for America.
Always in England, George Fox is withdrawn in the countryside and develops a very mystical spirituality: relation with God, accent very light on the institutions, biblical rooting extremely extremely, announces Évangile: they are the “Quakers”, communities directly directed by the action of the Saint Spirit. The group is characterized by the tolerance, marked by the non-violence and thus the conscientious objection, assistance with wounded and rebuilding after the wars.
Pietism, liberalism and Moravians
In Germany, at the 17th century, the reform becomes more orthodoxe. In the Church Lutheran, two currents appear: “liberalism” (claim of the freedom of the intelligence compared to orthodoxy) and “pietism”, evangelic source of the movement. Pasteur Lutheran Spener (1635-1705) returns to the experiment of the hello by the Faith, to an experiment close to God and a Community relation. It is the return to the Prière, with the spiritual life. This spiritual alarm clock combines teaching and works missionaries.
Fresh impulse is given to XVIIIe by the arrival of descendants of the disciples of Jean Huss driven out by the persecution of their country, the Moravie. The piety of the “Moravian Brothers” is merry, romantic and sentimental, the “religion of the heart” being centered on the expiatory sacrifice of Christ, with a worship for its blood and its wounds, that some judged morbid. After a few hazardous years, the Moravians will establish to them Théologie, which will be orthodoxe and acceptable by all the Protestant confessions. New communities essaiment in Europe and America, and the missionary activity was important.
It is still in Germany that in 1708 the group was born from the Brothers from Schwarzenau, inspired by the anabaptism and the pietism, and who will develop in particular in North America, under the name of Brethren, after the emigration of the Brothers persecuted in Europe.
Méthodistes
In England, it is the beginning of the industrial era. The Church established Anglican is rich while poverty increases. The Church is absent from English cities. John Wesley (1703-1791) wire of Pasteur Anglican and a very pious mother, nourishes by the reading of “the Imitation of Jesus-Christ”, becomes Prêtre Anglican, share in America, makes the meeting of Moravian brothers, returns to England, saw a strong spiritual experiment by listening to the “Comment of the Epistle to the Romans” of Luther and from there will preach itself in the streets of the dechristianized industrial cities. The many new converts are not admitted by the Church Anglican, it is thus Wesley which will inform them and to form them being studied the reading and of the Bible but also of the Fathers of the Church, of the writings of Luther and St François the Dirty ones. This movement will grow in England and will also develop in America. They are the “Méthodistes Churches”. With Wesley the stress is laid on sanctification, i.e. on the transformation of the person by the work of the the Holy Spirit, with the image of Christ. Wesley is at the origin of a great movement of alarm clock which will touch America and Europe.
Birth and development of the pentecotism
In America, Baptists and methodists évangélisé the black slaves trailed in the churches by their Masters. Abolished slavery, the blacks continue to adhere to the Faith, but do not want to find itself with their former Masters in the same churches and will create new ones always in the movements Baptist and methodist. The expression of the Faith, by these former slaves, tinted spirituality of the Alarm clock and traditions African, is quite different from that of the white: dance and songs (Negro-spiritual S which will give rise to the Blues). It is the origin of the current “pentecotist”. Little time after, occurs large the earthquake of San Francisco which disturbs much the spirits. This alarm clock will be spread like a powder trail in America. The faithful ones of this current are rejected traditional Churches and create the Pentecôtistes Churches. Since 1920-1930, the whole world is touched.
Spirituality comes from Wesley, ecclesiology is Baptist (confession of the Faith, baptism by immersion, congregationalism), but there is a new accent: the baptism in the Holy Ghost who is designed not as conversion but is given to the believer for testimony. These Churches will develop enormously, often in negative reaction against the instituted Churches.
In France, the Churches pentecotists developed and were often external with the Protestant culture, paradoxically, much closer to the catholic culture: for example, Pasteur has more the authority of a priest than that of Pasteur of a Church congregationalist or presbytérienne.
Always in France, this revival pentecotist develops in Churches pentecotists purely but touches also other Churches, as the Churches Baptists of which some will become “charismatic” while remaining Baptists. The Churches of a strict pentecotism will develop without contact with the other Churches, will have evil to be said “Protestant”, but will be said “Christian” or “evangelic”.
Towards 1960, this current charismatic will have, initially with the the United States then in Europe and a little everywhere in the world, an influence on the other Churches non-pentecotists, the Churches Protestant, but also the Catholic church and the orthodoxe Église, with the birth of the “charismatic Renouveau”. To the difference of what had occurred previously, this revival will develop inside the Churches of origin, where it will be accommodated in a various way.
The “Fundamentalism”
In the years 1920, in the American world, there is a large current of secularization, of general dechristianization of the company, industrialization, urbanization. Vis-a-vis that, the traditional Churches adopt a very liberal attitude. The evangelic Churches will have a strong reaction and will operate a return to a strict orthodoxy. A certain number of writings will confess Protestant orthodoxy: these writings are the “fundamental ones”. They will become the symbols of a rather preserving reaction: one returns to an orthodoxy and a more literal reading of the Writing, with a certain return to the creationism.
Evangelic churches and oecumenical dialog
The dialog évangélique-catholic
For the Catholic church, the design of the dialog is rather broad since the Vatican II; Jean-Paul II reaffirmed in Ut unum sint his dimension personalist: it is not a question only of one exchange of ideas, but as of an exchange of gift, founded on the conviction as the Church of Jesus-Christ is present with degrees in any Church or church community, it is a question of being let challenge by Christ himself by seeing the other faithful ones engaging fully with its continuation.
The dialog between the Roman Catholic church and the evangelic Churches started a long time ago: David of Plessis, member of the Assemblies of God, was present like observer at the Council; the first phase of the dialog with pentecotists was completed in 1976; it is today with its 6th phase. With the world evangelic more “traditional”, the dialog started a little later, with world evangelic Alliance (giving place to the publication of a report/ratio in 2003): with the Baptists, (with whom the dialog was a stopped time); with the mennonites, particularly persecuted (by the Lutherans, reformed and the catholics) in XVIe century. In France, the dialog between the Catholic church and the Federation of the Churches Baptists (FEEB) gave place to the publication of the international report/ratio Rendre testimony with Christ, then baptism with the Church (baptism, cène/eucharistie, Église); the topic of work is today the role and the place of the Virgin Mary. There in addition exists a group of conversations born of a fortuitous meeting between Mgr Daucourt and of Daniel Rivault with the Arch of Jean Vanier. Side evangelic, at the beginning of the personalities non-member of the FPF are indicated by co-optation: catholic side, it acts of a group chaired by a bishop. The work initially concerned the ethical questions, then on the search for a word right of the Churches " historiques" (the term is usual, but not really suitable, considering the seniority of certain evangelic Churches) compared to the evangelic Churches. In 2003, members evangelic of this committee asked that one not reveal by their identity; today, they are officially authorized to dialog, even if they engage only them same. French evangelic Alliance took again on its account this dialog. That is not the whole of the dialog: pastoral meetings, biblical exposures… . Two marriages were celebrated between catholics and members of the Assemblies of God.
One can underline the proximity between Catholic church and Churches evangelic on certain strong doctrinal assertions like on the ethical questions, around the defense of the life. In addition, catholic engagement in favor of the new evangelization and the awakening of the need for strongly reaffirming the Christian convictions join the evangelic position. On the other hand, the difficulty of the mutual image arises, in particular in countries which were massively catholic: much member of the evangelic Churches is of catholic origin, and one thus left this Church because they were not satisfied by it, even if the pastors, which have a better knowledge of the Catholic church, show themselves often more open to the dialog. Reciprocally, number of the catholics are wary of the evangelic Churches and readily suspect them of sectarianism. In addition, the Catholic church has a very structured design of the dialog, whereas the world evangelic very largely consists of Churches congregationalists, where the local communities are independent. However a third about of this Churches is not in federations. That led to designs different from the oecumenical dialog: the Catholic church seeks the unit of the Christians by the unit of the Churches, which is not the case of the évangéliques ones. Lastly, a certain number of evangelic practices (the 3rd vagueness, around the cure) raise questions with the catholics.
The évangélique-reformed dialog (starting from the French situation)
The évangéliques ones since always took part in the FPF, and it is the free evangelic Church, resulting from the movements of alarm clock from XIXe, which took the initiative of the creation of the FPF in 1905. By successive integration, the FPF was found quickly with the Baptists, the apostolic Church, the mission Tzigane (pentecotists), to the last entries, adventists and pentecotists. One more spoke these last years about this integration; undoubtedly because of the fast population growth of these Churches, underlined by the media especially in its excesses; perhaps also because of the growth of the Churches resulting from the immigration, which raises new questions in particular social and inter-cultural. The glance which the company carries on the monk changed, in particular since the fall of the Berlin Wall, with the topic of the shock of civilizations. The questions which one puts compared to the Muslim world are also raised vis-a-vis Protestantism, because it acts an imperceptible world, functioning in network, very different from the catholic model dominating, while in the United States one witnessed a political rise to power of thefundamentalist ones. The growth of the pentecotism, it, is not new (as of the beginning XXe). Sociology it also changed: the movement evangelic of the XIXe century was carried by aristocrats, while the pentecotism is of origin definitely more popular; it in general included/understood hardly theologists trained as in the traditional Churches, preaching is done rather on the mode of testimony. The dialog is thus complexed by the diversity of the cultures of Churches, of expressions of faith.
At the same time, the world evangelic and pentecotist change quickly; these Churches attach today much more importance to the theological formation, and adopted a certain number of intellectual and theological tools of the traditional Churches: there are thus from now on people “bridges”, likely to make “translation”; one can also think of the abstract charismatic groups of the years 1970, which were structured in Churches, with ministries. It is in fact a very fast evolution. There is thus in the FPF a movement of integration in spiral, which is undoubtedly its particular vocation: rassemblor place of a diversity of Churches to its birth, which leads in 1938 to the constitution of the reformed Church of France; the Baptists return then in the FPF and the dialog deepens. The FPF is thus a crucible place, where the dialog is done increasingly narrow, towards more communion. The recent entry of new evangelic Churches in the FPF conforms completely to this pattern. The circulation of the people also made that 30% of the ministers who enter the reformed Church of France, on average, of it do not result. The dialog can thus be made because there are people who know each other beyond the labels, in particular those imposed by the media. Various factors contribute to this dialog: concern of testimony, context socio-policy (hunting for the sects led certain evangelic Churches to come to knock on the door of the FPF, and finally allowed the entry in a dialog and a certain communion, even if that does not lead to an integration); the Protestantism of the FPF is characterized by the fact of accommodating like a richness the diversity of expressions of faith. Certain evangelic Churches adhere to this design and find their place in the FPF. Others not, and will be found better in the FEP (Federation Evangélique de France) which requires a doctrinal unit around a confession of elaborate faith. The borders are thus not where it is believed. Fundamentalisms are much more varied than it does not appear to with it. The dialog which exists in France also exists with the international plan: a platform of the total Christian Forum tries to put together the Churches members of the CEC, the Catholic church, and the Churches evangelic and pentecotists, who represent the ¼ world Christianity; in Nairobi in November 2007 the first meeting between representatives of all the families connected with the church took place.
Synthesis
The world evangelic today is a true mosaic. It reigns there an immense diversity, energy of people extremely open on the theological and oecumenical level, with others extremely closed from these points of view. But between the two, there is place for the variety.
There is also in the organization: épiscopaliennes (under the authority of only one, the bishop), presbytériennes (authority of the council of old) or congregationalist (authority of the whole of the members of the assembly). There is a great diversity of Churches, but this diversity has nothing to do with the diversity which can exist between the Catholic church and the Orthodoxe Church. These Churches have different traditions, but feel in communion the ones with the others: their pastors are trained in the same institutions, their children go in the same camps of young people, on the ground, they work together. There is circulation of the people, the theologists and the ideas between these Churches. The CNEF has gathered for a few years approximately 80% of evangelic which have in heart to today be able to link itself to speak also with one voice. Finally, there are not more differences between the various evangelic Churches than there is not between the various spiritual sensitivities inside the Catholique.< Church! -- doctrinal passage: None asserts being the only Church of Christ, to only be part of the Corps of Christ. -->
Evolutions
The movement evangelic is today in full growth, particularly in Africa, South America and Asia.
In Belgium, it is majority within the Protestantisme and is presented in two great “families”, one being attached to the line born of the movement evangelic and the “Réveils” of the 19th century, i.e. orthodoxe currents , the other, young person (conference of Chicago, 1873), being attached to those which stress the demonstration and the practice of the gifts of the Spirit, that one calls “movement of Pentecost or charismatic”.
In French-speaking Belgium, they gather more than 512 communities, independent, or organized in associations. For a few years, with the birth of the French-speaking evangelic Federation of Belgium (FEFB), a hundred churches have been organized to take a more active share with the public life of the country. This federal synod is represented by the groupings according to: Assemblies of God (ADD) (23 vote), Antioche (12 votes), Association of the Protestant Churches Evangéliques (21 vote), Protestant Assemblée Evangélique (APEB) (9 votes), Apostolique (4 votes), Églises of God (EDD) (15 vote), independent Églises (29 votes), Églises of alarm clock (7 votes), Belgian Mission Evangélique (MEB) (8 votes), Mennonites (1 vote).
In France, one counts about fifty evangelic denominations, and approximately 1800 Churches local including more than 300 independent Churches. That represents a population of approximately 400 000 people. The thirteen greater groups of evangelic Churches are in 2006:
In France, 25% of the evangelic Churches are members of the FPF (Protestant federation of France), and almost as much are members of the FEF (evangelic Fédération of France). 56% are not members of any representative authority (CEBI).
See too
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