This is the Catholic Faith
We Lutherans are often accused of heresy by Roman Catholics by means of a clever and ironic rhetorical trick. Roman Catholics will sometimes claim that Jesus founded the Catholic Church, and therefore the Catholic Church is the only true church.
And they are right! At least about Jesus founding the Catholic Church.
But where they err is their appropriation and misuse of the word “Catholic.” They refer to themselves as “The Catholic Church” - omitting the adjective “Roman.” They posit that their jurisdiction and bureaucratic structure alone is Catholicism. This is especially ironic given the meaning of the word “catholic” - which I suppose almost none of them know what it means.
Moreover, while they deny that the Eastern Orthodox churches are Catholic, they accept their ministry and sacraments as valid. Of course, they can do no other given that the ancient Eastern jurisdictions have never been under the authority of the Bishop of Rome. The Roman Catholic Church also recognizes the Eastern Fathers as saints of the Church - although they have never accepted nor been subjected to the authority of the pope!
Moreover, the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque Vult) explicates what it means to be Catholic: what the Catholic faith is. This ecumenical creed says nothing about the papacy or Roman jurisdiction.
But even worse than the Roman Catholic misuse of the term “Catholic” is its disuse among us Lutherans. For the opposite of “catholic” is “heretic.” This is how the term has been used through nearly two millennia of church history:
In the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. For that is truly and in the strictest sense 'catholic,' which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true, which the whole church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors.
The Roman Catholic Church, during the time of the Reformation, began to derisively refer to our churches as “Lutheran” - implying that they were heretical, not catholic. The early “Lutherans” took great umbrage at this, and would not concede this point. But in time, Lutherans have come to treat the Roman Catholic Church as if it were right: that we are not Catholic Christians. And sadly, until recently, the vast majority of the laity - and even, it seems, a lot of our clergy - were ignorant of the Book of Concord.
Fortunately, that has been undergoing a change - which has led to a renaissance of Lutherans embracing their unabashed Catholicity and moving away from the broad-brush “Protestant” label that unites us rhetorically (and in the case of the Prussian Union, literally) with Reformed churches that do not confess and worship as we do. The reason the founders of the LCMS came to America in the first place was to escape this compelled union that forced us into a compromised theology of the sacraments - as well as the worship practices that go along with such a theology.
And so here are some quotes from the Book of Concord itself that assert the catholicity of our churches and our faith. And by the way, our confessional documents never describe our churches or our faith as either Lutheran or Protestant.
Ecumenical Creeds:
“I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church...”
“And I believe in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.”
“Whosover will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic faith.”
“So, we are forbidden by the catholic religion to say, There be three Gods or three Lords.”
“This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.”
Augsburg Confession:
“This is about the Sum of our Doctrine, in which, as can be seen, there is nothing that varies from the Scriptures, or from the Church Catholic, or from the Church of Rome as known from its writers. This being the case, they judge harshly who insist that our teachers be regarded as heretics.”
“Inasmuch, then, as our churches dissent in no article of faith from the Church Catholic, but only omit some abuses which are new, and which have been erroneously accepted by the corruption of the times, contrary to the intent of the Canons, we pray that your Imperial Majesty would graciously hear both what has been changed, and what were the reasons why the people were not compelled to observe those abuses against their conscience.”
“They ask only that they would release unjust burdens which are new and have been received contrary to the custom of the Church Catholic.”
“[I]n doctrine and ceremonies nothing has been received on our part against Scripture or the Church Catholic. For it is manifest that we have taken most diligent carer that no new and ungodly doctrine should creep into our churches.”
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession:
“In reference to original sin we therefore hold nothing differing either from Scripture or from the Church catholic, but cleanse from corruptions and restore to light most important declarations of Scripture and of the Fathers, that had been covered over by the sophistical controversies of modern theologians.”
“For we know that we believe aright and in harmony with the Church catholic of Christ.”
“Thus also the Church is defined by the article in the Creed which teaches us to believe that there is a holy Catholic Church.”
“The article of the Church Catholic or Universal, which is gathered together from every nation under the sun, is very comforting and highly necessary.”
“In this matter our consciences are not in danger, because , since we know that our Confession is true, godly, and catholic, we ought not to approve the cruelty of those who persecute this doctrine.”
“The fact that we hold only Public or Common Mass [at which the people also commune , not private Mass] it is no offense against the Church catholic.”
Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope:
“And in my humble opinion I judge that all these agree with Holy Scripture, and with the belief of the true and genuine catholic Church.”
The Epitome to the Formula of Concord (Introduction, 3) contains the word “catholicae” in the Latin, “allgemeinen” in the German, and is rendered “universal” in the English of the Triglot (777).
The words we use in our confession of the faith are important. The Roman Catholic Church, by redefining words, has convinced a lot of people that it is “the” Catholic Church, and none other. Sadly, Lutherans fall for this ploy by surrendering the word “Catholic” to those Christians under papal jurisdiction. In so doing, they are unwittingly confessing the doctrine of the papal church! Like our confessional forbears, we should not concede this point. The defense of our catholicity is why the Augsburg Confession was written in the first place.
Nor do I recommend that we buy into the artificial distinction between “Catholic” and “catholic.” Capitalization is a point of grammar and style, not of theology. We are not second-class citizens of the Lord’s Kingdom. We are not - as some people refer to us - “Catholic Light.” We are Catholic Christians, and in the terminology of the Rev. John Brentz, we should be so bold as to confess our churches as “the true and genuine catholic Church.”
“This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.” Amen.