Von: nbenson@stjohnschurch.org (Ned H. Benson)
  Datum: 01.10.98, 09:50:01
Betreff: Meaning of Evangelische

>>Can you tell me what denomination "Evangelisch" might be?

>This would be better understood to be Luthern if the complete American
>title would be used - Evangelical Luthern. I came from an area in western
>PA where most of the Luthern churches were careful to identify themselves
>as Ev. Luthern.

The meaning of "Evangelische" is very important in Germanic genealogy
research. In Germany since the early 1800s "Evangelische" has  indicated
"non-Catholic," or what Americans call "Protestant." Since the early
1800s there were two main streams of Christian faith: Evangelische and
Katholisch.  Later other  smaller groups appear: Methodisch,
Presbyterianisch, usw.

However, from the time of the Reformation until the early 1800s, there
were two streams of "Evangelische:"
Evangelische Lutheranische   and Evangelische Reformierte, the former
what we would call "Lutheran," and the latter designating "Reformed."
"Reformed" indicated the Protestant stream with theological roots in the
Swiss Reformation of Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich and John Calvin in Geneva.
These distinctions were maintained by German immigrants to the USA after
the two streams were forced by governmental authority to merge in
Germany. No such pressure in the USA, so the separate streams remained
intact well into the 20th century.

Though "friendly" with one another, the two streams must not be casually
mushed togehter: they tried, without success, to reach common
understanding, and the dividing issue was the nature of Christ's
presence in Holy Communion. It is a development of major theological and
ecclesiological significance that the major Lutheran body in the USA
(the ELCA) and the major Reformed churches (Presbyterian, Reformed,
United Church of Christ) reached common acceptance only this year
(1998!), settling the theological dispute by mutual recognition,
something Melanchthon (Lutheran) and the Reformed theologians didn't
manage in the 16th century.

Western PA Lutherans identified their churches as Ev. Lutheran to
distinguish them from Ev. Reformierte. My German ancestors from
Wuerttemberg, from Hessen, and from Westffalen were definitely and
decidedly Ev. Reformierte and they made it very clear that just because
they spoke German and had German surnames they WERE NOT Lutheran! In the
USA they were members of the Deutsche Ev. Reformierte Kirche -- which
became the Evangelical and Reformed Church, which in the late 1950s
merged into what is now the United Church of Christ.

So if you are searching for German church records in the USA, don't just
look at Lutheran churches. Your ancestors may have been, like mine were,
Reformierte. If so records will be in a current day United Church of
Christ congregation, or at a UCC seminary - Lancaster PA in the east,
Eden in St. Louis in the mid-west.

--
Dr. Ned H. Benson
St. John's Church - Reno, Nevada
Paternal Line: Benson-Pinnick-Korngiebel-Schreckengast-Crocker
Maternal Line: Scheihing-Munk-Roemer-Weller
Scheihing/Scheyhing Homepage at
http://www.glasscity.net/users/firebird/family.htm