The Batak Protestant Christian Church

Authors

Jospeh Ellwanger, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

Publication Date

1-1-1959

Document Type

Article

Keywords

batak church, christian, lutheran, missionary, faith, baptized, barak, indonesia, protestant, rhenish, animistic

Submission Type

Bible Study; Lecture; Sermon Prep

Abstract

When the Batak Protestant Christian Church in Indonesia applied for membership in the Lutheran World Federation in 1951, one of the largest Christian church bodies in the non-West was catapulted out of relative obscurity into a limelight position on the stage of world Lutheranism. Some were quick to question the Lutheran character of the Batak Church. Chiefly they asked these questions: How can the Batak Church be Lutheran when it was founded by the Rhenish Mission Society, a combination of Lutheran and Reformed elements? And how can the Batak Church be Lutheran when it has not officially adopted the 16th-century Lutheran Confessions?

Disciplines

Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Submission Cost

Free

Submission Audience

Laity; Ministers; Scholars

Recommended Citation

Ellwanger, Jospeh (1959) "The Batak Protestant Christian Church," Concordia Theological Monthly: Vol. 30, Article 1.
Available at: https://scholar.csl.edu/ctm/vol30/iss1/1