Confessional Lutheranism
Confessional Lutherans is a name used by certain Lutheran Christians to designate themselves as those who accept the doctrines taught in the Book of Concord of 1580 (the Lutheran "confessional" documents) in their entirety, because they believe them to be completely faithful to the teachings of the Bible. While most Lutheran denominations find the basis of their faith in the Book of Concord, "Confessional Lutherans" maintain that faithfulness to it requires attention to how that faith is actually being preached, taught, and put into practice.
The modern confessional movement called Neo-Lutheranism arose in Germany in the 1830s as a reaction to Pietism on the one side and Rationalism on the other, both of which had arisen in the previous century. It arrived in the United States with the immigration of groups like the Saxons who settled in Missouri under C.F.W. Walther and J.A.A. Grabau's group in Western New York (the Buffalo Synod). Pastors such as F.C.D. Wyneken and Wilhelm Loehe joined the movement as they read the works of Martin Luther and the Book of Concord.
Contemporary Lutheran church bodies that self-identify as confessional tend to be either members of the International Lutheran Council or the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference, as well as some independent Lutheran bodies. Among the members of the ILC are the Lutheran_Church_-_Missouri_Synod, the Lutheran Church - Canada and the Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Germany. Among the CELC are the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Other confessional Lutherans include the Church of the Lutheran Confession (CLC), and the American Association of Lutheran Churches (all of North America).
Lutheran churches identifying as confessional distinguish themselves from other ("mainline") Lutheran bodies by their unconditional adherence to a "quia" understanding of the Book of Concord. That is, they subscribe to the doctrines of the Book of Concord because (Latin: quia) they are in agreement with the Scriptures. While other Lutheran churches consider fidelity to confessional doctrines a vital part of their identity as Lutherans, they are do so in a way sometime referred to as a "quatenus" understanding, that is, adherence to the Book of Concord "insofar as" it is a true and accurate exposition of the Scriptures.[1] These churches may also be labelled "non-confessional". These Lutheran churches, which make up approximately 66.2 million of world Lutherans, are represented by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the major Lutheran churches of Europe (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Germany), and most members of the Lutheran World Federation.
As a practical matter, Lutheran organizations that identify themselves as confessional are generally more conservative in their views of scripture and doctrine than groups that do not. Many self-identified confessional Lutherans are adherents of the High Church Lutheran movement.
Confessional Lutherans represent perhaps 20% of the 70 million Lutherans worldwide, though they would claim to be the most faithful reflection of the Lutheran Confessions of the 16th century and Luther's own teaching.