Within the broader context of the entire Reformation era, we can see there are in essence five major groups in play. These groups are the Roman Catholics, Lutherans, the Reformed, the Anabaptists, and the Anglicans. For our purposes, we will focus mainly on the Lutherans and the Reformed, and how they relate to each other as well as the Roman Catholic church. This is not to say that there is nothing worth learning about the Anglicans or the Anabaptists. Both of these groups were also present during this era, one being more conservative than the other, as Anglicans are quite clearly closer (for lack of a better term) to the magisterial continental Reformers than the excessively radical Anabaptists.
This post is not intended to be a sort of overall summary of the Reformation era. It is meant to address how each of these two major theologies of the Reformation view not only each other historically and contemporarily, but also how they relate to and see the Papacy and the Roman Church.
My observation through the years has been that the Lutherans and the Reformed view the Reformation era very differently. This is, as we will endeavor to show, very much due to a divergence in doctrine.
Reformed Views
For the Reformed Christian, the Lutherans and the Reformed are the two great churches that trace their roots back to this historical period. The contemporary Reformed Christian tends to see the Reformation as one entire reform of the church. For this reason, nearly all Reformed teachers have a deep admiration for the magisterial Lutherans, and specifically for Dr. Martin Luther. This can be shown in many ways.
First, there are many Reformed teachers and believers that tend to see Luther (not to mention St. Augustine of Hippo of the 4th and 5th century) as, to put it crudely, as a sort of proto-Calvinist. It is argued that Luther laid the groundwork and then Calvin and his contemporaries completed it. It is argued that Luther did not reform far enough by some Reformed adherents. Nevertheless, Luther is regarded by many as the fountainhead of the Reformed Reformation. Modern Reformed Christians like to point to certain aspects of Luther's theology in an attempt to demonstrate that Luther was indeed, for the most part, the beginning of the Reformed Reformation. Specifically, they will point to works written by Luther such The Bondage of the Will. Modern Reformed efforts have been made to cast Luther as a Calvinist in some ways. Here is one such example: "Double or Nothing: Martin Luther's Doctrine of Predestination" by Brian Mattson (the-highway.com)
If the reader indulges us here and reads Mattson's paper, you will notice a few things. First, per Mattson, Luther was clearly a double predestinarian in the vein of St. Augustine, which agrees with Reformed Theology. Second, Luther's magnum opus was The Bondage of the Will. (As opposed to say, the Small or Large Catechism or all of his works on Scripture and Theology) Third, Lutheranism rejected Luther's teachings on some things and followed off in another direction. These ideas that Mattson is trying to defend are incorrect when we look at the life, theology, and work of Luther.
Very few Reformed scholars and teachers have a disdain for Luther, as they view him as the primary figure of the Reformation, which is culminated with Reformed Theology. R.C. Sproul, a big name in contemporary Reformed Theology, is quite normative for the Reformed when he counts Luther as his most admired and favorite Reformer. Sproul gave numerous lectures on Luther, nearly always casting Luther in an admiring and positive manner.
Not all Reformed believers attempt to turn Luther into a Calvinist or proto-Calvinist, although it would seem to be the prevailing treatment and stance on Luther in the Reformed camp. As an aside, James Swan, a Reformed blogger over at Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics (beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com) is in many ways a breath of fresh air, as he allows Luther to be Luther for the most part. To wit, he does not try to make Luther a Calvinist.
Because of these things, the majority of Reformed Christians (not all, Reformed casts a big umbrella) tend to not only be very positive and fond of Luther, but they also tend to be very positive of Lutheran Theology and Lutherans in general. They see us as part of the same Reformation and on the same team, so to speak. It is commonly asserted by Reformed teachers that Calvin and Luther were not that far apart (Westminster West is big in this regard. See writings by contemporary Reformed Theologians such as Michael Horton and R. Scott Clark. Much of their work and ideas are readily accessed online. See The Heidelblog | Recovering the Reformed Confession for example) and efforts are made quite often to find commonalities and link the two theologies together. Ther Lutheran teachers, on the other hand, see things very differently.
Lutheran Views
For Lutherans, both teachers as well as laymen, the Reformation is viewed very differently, and in this lay blogger's opinion, given the historical and theological documents, rightfully so.
Therefore, it is surprise to many Reformed Christians that Lutherans do not see Lutheran and Reformed as the two great theologies that sprung from the Reformation. Rather, we see these as two totally different theological movements. We see Lutheranism as the conservative Reformation. On the contrary, we see Reformed Theology as a radical Reformation - more of a revolt and the beginning of a new strain of Christianity; a new theology that departs from catholicity on many key doctrines. That is not to say Reformed Theology is as radical as say, the Anabaptists, whose modern offspring today would be sects and cults such as the Amish or the Mennonites.
To see the Lutheran perspective, one needs only to look at the actual historical attempts at ecumenicism between the two camps. There were numerous major events as well as theological documents that took place in the Reformation era that lend creedence to how we see the relationship or lack thereof between the two.
It is unfair to claim that these two camps did not attempt to unify. Numerous attempts were made. We can point to the Marburg Colloquy of 1529, where Zwingli and Oecolampadius met with Luther and Melanchthon to discuss theology. Other big names from the era were also present, such as Martin Bucer and Justus Jonas. The Colloquy was called by Landgrave Philip of Hesse, who desired a unified Protestant theology, mainly for political purposes. Luther was skeptical of this right from the start. Zwingli, however, desired this union and attempted to find common ground even where there was none. How can I make a statement like that about Zwingli? Zwingli later wrote a document that backed off the Marburg articles of agreement. In short, Zwingli and the Swiss camp were of the opinion that differences on the Lord's Supper should not prevent an allied political front with the Lutherans, over against Charles V and the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy. Luther, on the other hand, found this arrangement repugnant. Luther's aim was always doctrinal purity. This is evidenced when, at the conclusion of Marburg, Luther refused to extend fellowship to Martin Bucer, saying that they were "of a different spirit." Bucer, in his efforts, tried to continually work at finding compromise. Luther would have none of it.
Enter Philip Melanchthon. Melanchthon, as we know, was the author of some of the Lutheran confessional documents found in the Book of Concord. Specifically, it was Melanchthon who penned the Augsburg Confession of 1530, as well as the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, a defense written in response to Rome's response to the Original Augsburg Confession. Melanchthon is also responsible for the Confessional document entitled The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope. Melanchthon was indeed a very large figure in Lutheranism as well as the Reformation considered as a whole.
Melanchthon, however, later in life, became quite the compromiser and also fell into some theological errors, which were rejected by the final Lutheran Confessional documents, the Epitome and Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord. These Confessional documents were put together by second generation Lutherans, led by Martin Chemnitz and Jacob Andreae, among others.
This brings us to a couple topics. Where did Melanchthon compromise and where did he err? There are, as we will point out, a lot of different things going on here.
Melanchthon desired Christian unity. Nobody can say this goal, when considered by itself, is a bad goal. It is a noble one. However, the manner in which Melanchthon went about this has been rejected completely by Confessional Lutheranism.
The first compromise we will point to is the Variata of 1540. The Variata was, to put it simply, a revision of the Augsburg Confession that was meant to promote unity and acceptance of Calvin and Reformed Theology. In the Variata, the rejection of the Calvinist doctrine on the Lord's Supper is removed. The Variata is viewed in Lutheran circles as non-Confessional as well as compromising and erroneous. In other words, Lutheranism flatly rejects the Variata. So here we see Melanchthon compromising the Lutheran doctrine of the Lord's Supper in order to bring about more unity with the Reformed.
The second compromise we can point to is Melanchthon's attempt to compromise with Rome. Melanchthon was, sadly, the author of the Leipzig Interim of 1548, a document designed to compromise with Rome.
Reverend A. Brian Flamme is quoted,
"Long story short, the Evangelicals looked to Philipp for guidance and stability amidst the coming onslaught, but his efforts fell short. The Reformation church broke apart and Philipp fell out of favor because of his compromises with the Papists and Reformed on matters of ceremonies, Christ's presence in the Supper, and the role of human will in conversion." (Philipp Melanchthon - Lutheran Reformation)
Philipp was opposed by a group of Lutherans that came to be known as the Gnesio (genuine) Lutherans, who were in the main correct, although they were not above error either. Quoting the Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord,
"Matthias Flacius maintained that original sin is not an accident, but the very substance of fallen humanity. The Lutherans (including the Philippists) were practically unanimous in opposing this error. Accident refers to something that 'just happens to be there.' It is a characteristic that is not essential to a person or thing...In the Augsburg Confession, Lutheranism insisted that original sin is so deep a corruption of human nature that it prevents a person from contributing anything to his or her own salvation. After Luther's death Melanchthon suggested that a person can, and in fact does, cooperate with God's grace in salvation."
"Article I of the Formula of Concord, therefore, had to make clear what the Bible teaches. Since the fall, human nature is not sin itself, but it is sinful. The Formula wisely points out that to suggest God created sin would mean that God's Son assumed sin itself into divinity in the Incarnation. What is more, if sin is part of a person's very substance, then it too will be resurrected on the Last Day to spend eternity in heaven, an absurd idea, in view of Scripture."
So, in response to Melanchthon's compromise and addition of a synergistic cause in salvation, Flacius responded with his own error - to make sin part of the actual substance of humanity. The Formula sets forth the proper teaching, rejecting both of these errors.
If one takes the time to study the history here, they will see clearly that the common Reformed argument, that Lutherans followed Melanchthon and not Luther, is patently false. Confessional Lutheranism rejects the compromises of Melanchthon as well as his later errors after Luther's death.
In actuality today, it is the Reformed who generally are the ones who attempt to do the compromising with the Lutherans, insisting that we are not really that far apart from each other, and that Luther and Calvin were mainly on the same team, so to speak. Confessional Lutheranism rejects this line of thought outright, pointing to the doctrinal history of the two churches as well as the historical data that has been discussed.
We can also point to other historical documents that show we are not incorrect here. The Consensus Tigurinus is one such document. The Consensus was composed by none other than John Calvin himself in 1549. It can be found here: Consensus Tigurinus (1549) · BookOfConcord.org
In the Consensus, we see the following ideas set forth:
In article 16, we see the idea that the elect alone receive Christ. The reprobate receive nothing but bread and wine. In article 17, Calvin rejects that idea that the Lord's Supper conveys grace. In article 20, Calvin separates the benefit of the Lord's Supper from the administration of it. In article 22, Calvin asserts that to read the Institution of the Lord's Supper is done by "preposterous interpreters" and that they are figurative.
All of this coming from a man who tried to concoct a via media between Luther and Zwingli. Clearly, Calvin sees and rejects the Lutheran position.
In Summation
What Calvin, and all other persons who attempt to create unity between the Reformed and the Lutherans miss, is that this doctrine is so essential to our life and salvation that we will never compromise it in any way, shape, or form. In practice, those who attempt compromise on this topic are guilty of reducing the Lord's Supper to a secondary doctrine. We utterly reject this view. In short, the Lord's Supper, and everything that entails, is absolutely essential in doctrine. Memorialism is not the Lord's Supper. Nor is Calvin's theory of spiritual eating by faith. Unless Christ's true body and blood is also received orally, in your mouth, it is not the Lord's Supper.
There have been historical attempts to compromise on this doctrine and combine the two churches. One such example was the Prussian Union in Germany. In fact, the synod of which I am a member, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, is a result of Lutherans rejecting the Prussian Union and emigrating to the United States, where they were free to practice Lutheranism, apart from Reformed Theology in the church.
These things are why, when Reformed teachers attempt to say that the Reformed and Lutherans are not too far from each other, we say, not so fast. In fact, we are miles apart. Certainly, there are similarities. But, how can we compromise and be in communion with a church that does not have a valid Lord's Supper because they reject precisely what it is and what it does.
This point cannot be missed. When certain Reformed teachers say we are really close doctrinally, two major things are in play. First, they are expecting Lutherans to accept their stance on the Lord's Supper, which we see as completely false and invalid. Second, they are betraying the fact that they really aren't that familiar with Lutheran doctrine and teaching, and probably have never read Lutheran treatments of these topics. This is betrayed every time a Reformed teacher links the Lutheran doctrine on the Lord's Supper with consubstantiation, a theory we flatly reject.
At the end of the day, these two theologies are two different churches. They started in different places by different persons. They simply happened to occur in the same historical era. The attempt at ecumenicism has been done ad nauseum, especially in the 16th century. They failed then and they are bound to fail now, unless one side or the other compromises on doctrine. Seemingly, it always seems to be the Lutherans who are being asked to compromise on the Lord's Supper and accept the Reformed doctrine as a true expression of the real presence, which we adamantly reject.
In some ways it's a shame we are so different on these things. Yet, this is how it has to be and there is no way around it without compromise on numerous doctrines which we as Lutherans consider essential to Christianity. We simply cannot play kum-ba-ya with theology we see as erroneous. Nor will we ever relegate an essential truth such as the Lord's Supper to a secondary status. There is a reason why the Lord's Supper is one of the six chief parts in the Small Catechism. It is that important.
So how does ecumenism look? Well, we certainly can work together in civil society for the common good. We certainly can honor each other in our vocations. We definitely can discuss theology with each other and do so in a friendly and Christ-like manner. The White Horse Inn is a fantastic example of this.
But let us not pretend that we are really close theologically or that we should be in communion. That is just dishonest. Let's be honest with each other. We are a long way apart, and we should not pretend that we are not.
We are fortunate at this blog to have numerous people here who have been on both sides of this fence. Generally speaking, Reformed Christians are a bit shocked and taken aback when they see how Lutheranism views the Reformation. And in some ways, I too think like a Calvinist. I like logic. I like everything nice and neat. And Systematic Theology in Calvinism does that. The same applies to lifelong Lutherans when they see how the Reformed see the Reformation. A friend of mine made a good observation that he shared with me. In post-World War II America, there was and is a sentiment that we all just need to put our theological differences aside and bind together to fight the Communists. But historically, this is not how it has been, especially in light of the documents and Confessions of the 16th century. We are, as a whole, in very concrete ways, guilty of allowing our American ideals and individualism effect our doctrine. We still put American flags by our altar sometimes and it certainly does not belong there. We can still be thankful that we are allowed to freely worship without deifying the state. Other nations are not as fortunate. May we pray fervently to get past this!
We can start by being honest with each other. Softening our stances to be ecumenical, is, to put it bluntly - sin. We are bearing false witness and breaking the 8th commandment. Let us therefore strive for honesty in our discussions. That is where we need to start.
+Pax+
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