Lutheran theologian Reverend Carl E. Braaten said, "If Luther were here today he would sound a different call, especially if he knew that his reformation would, in the long run, turn out so many illegitimate offspring."
Dr. Alexander Campbell said, "The worshipping establishments now in operation throughout Christendom, encased and cemented by their respective voluminous confessions of faith, and their ecclesiastical constitutions, are not churches of Jesus Christ but the illegitimate daughters of that mother of harlots—the Church of Rome."
In 1974, the fifth volume of Papal Primacy and the Universal Church: Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue was published in the United States.i On December 31, 1994, the Telegraph of London carried the stunning article with the headline “Germany calls to ask: forgive Luther.” In 1995, the Lutherans sent a delegation to Rome. Newspaper articles appeared in Germany and England stating that the Protestant churches were seeking forgiveness from Rome for the Reformation.
In 1998, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation issued their Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and the world press heralded it as a healing of the rift.
The Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church (ALCC), an ecumenical church that is “part of a pan - Lutheran movement leading to eventual visible, corporate reunion with the Roman Catholic Church,”ii released a statement on the Papacy that included these comments:
The ALCC officially recognizes the historical fact that the Pope is the actual successor to St. Peter, the first Bishop of the Diocese of Rome.
…The ALCC officially and emphatically declares that the Pope is not “the antichrist.” He never was, and he never will be. We also hold that the Roman Catholic Church is not the “apostate church of the antichrist” or “the whore of Babylon.”
…As Evangelical Catholic Lutherans one of our primary goals of the ALCC is visible, corporate union with the Bishop and See of Rome as an entity of Lutheran heritage in whichever form is most practical.
…The ALCC officially believes, teaches, and declares that the Wittenberg (Lutheran)
Reformation was an enormous and tragic mistake which, from its inception, was handled very badly by all sides.iii
The Missouri Lutheran synod also claims that the Pope should not be regarded as the Antichrist.iv
At the main Lutheran church in Berlin, commonly known as Der Dom, Catholics and Lutherans hold communal mass. Service leadership alternates between Roman Catholic and Lutheran theologians. Pictures of Mary have been reintroduced, and the ritual of candle lighting for favors from the virgin is once again common practice.
Ahead to Rome and the South African Churches
i. Paul Empie and T. Austin Murphy (eds), Papal Primacy and the Universal Church: Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue (Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1974).
ii. Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church Online.
iii. Anglo–Lutheran Catholic Church, The Papacy (Kansas City, MO): 2. PDF
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This article is adapted from Truth Matters by Professor Walter J. Veith, an international speaker who has studied Biblical issues in-depth in his quest for truth. His popular series Genesis Conflict brings the debate between Creation and evolution to a new climax as he dissects the arguments with a scientific eye. His highly-acclaimed series Total Onslaught sheds light on the state of the world today as we move to a one-world government and an anticipated apocalypse.
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Read several authors' thoughts on papal Rome's history.
This article highlights quotes from historical and Catholic sources proving the Papacy's aggressive nature.
Persecution in the First Centuries
An Era of Spiritual Darkness The Waldenses
John Wycliffe Huss and Jerome
Luther's Separation From Rome
Luther Before the Diet The Swiss Reformer
Progress of Reform in Germany
Protest of the Princes The French Reformation
The Netherlands and Scandinavia
Later English Reformers
The Bible and the French Revolution
The Pilgrim Fathers Heralds of the Morning
An American Reformer Light Through Darkness
A Great Religious Awakening A Warning Rejected
Prophecies Fulfilled What is the Sanctuary?
In the Holy of Holies God's Law Immutable
A Work of Reform Modern Revivals
Facing Life's Record The Origin of Evil
Enmity Between Man and Satan
Agency of Evil Spirits Snares of Satan
The First Great Deception
Can Our Dead Speak to Us?
Liberty of Conscience Threatened
The Impending Conflict
The Scriptures a Safeguard The Final Warning
The Time of Trouble God's People Delivered
Desolation of the Earth The Controversy Ended
Is Revelation a Sealed Book?
Revelation 1 Commentary
Revelation 1: Jesus, The Heart of Revelation
Revelation 2 Commentary
Revelation 2-3: Letters to Seven Churches
Revelation 3 Commentary
The Lamb and the Sealed Book
Revelation 4 Commentary
Revelation 5 Commentary
Revelation 6 Commentary
Revelation 7 Commentary
Revelation 8 Commentary
Revelation 9 Commentary
Revelation 10 Commentary
Revelation 11 Commentary
Revelation 12 Commentary
Revelation 13 Commentary
Revelation 14 Commentary
Revelation 15 Commentary
Revelation 16 Commentary
Revelation 17 Commentary
Revelation 18 Commentary
Revelation 19 Commentary
Revelation 20 Commentary
Revelation 21 Commentary
Revelation 22 Commentary
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