Evangelical Church of Romania
Encyclopedia
The Evangelical Church of Romania , a Protestant denomination, is one of Romania
's eighteen officially recognised religious denominations.
theologians Dumitru Cornilescu (whose Bible translation is used by neo-Protestant churches in Romania) and Tudor Popescu (a former priest at the Cuibul cu barză Church
). Also known as Tudorites, the deeply pietistic
movement, regarded as the only neo-Protestant church with Romanian origins, originated in a profound religious experience of Popecu's. Following this, he began to preach repentance and faith, questioning the significance attached by Orthodoxy to the saints, icon
s and the sacraments
, and emphasising the centrality of the Bible instead of the liturgy. Eventually excommunicated and barred from addressing Orthodox congregations, he was lent an auditorium by an affiliate of the Anglican Mission to the Jews in Bucharest. Much to the consternation of his former church, he was able to firmly establish his work, drawing large crowds with his very popular preaching.
Under the leadership of Popescu and Cornilescu, several hundred followers built a 1000-seat mother church in 1926, which still drew close to eight hundred worshipers on an average Sunday morning in the early 1990s. At the request of government authorities, some of whom Popescu deeply impressed, the new movement registered as an association in 1927 and, in order to be distinguished from other groups, took the name Christians of the Scriptures. Shortly thereafter, churches opened in Ploieşti
, Câmpulung
, Târgovişte
, Rucăr
, Buzău
, Piteşti
, Bârlad
, Braşov
and other places.
In 1939, despite differences in dogma and worship, the National Renaissance Front
regime compelled the Christians of the Scriptures to merge with the Christian Evangelicals, resulting in the Christian Evangelical Church. The resultant church had two branches: branch I, which practised believer's baptism
, and the Tudorite branch II, which employed infant baptism
. (The difference stemmed from the tradition whence each emerged: Plymouth Brethren
and Romanian Orthodox, respectively.) Outlawed under the World War II
-era regime of Ion Antonescu
, in 1946, the Evangelical Christians were recognised as a religious body by the Romanian state, with the Tudorites once again merged into the Plymouth Brethren church, and also including a splinter group called "Christians" centred at Ploieşti
. (For an overview of the church's development under the Communist regime
, see Christian Evangelical Church of Romania
.) Following the 1989 Revolution
and the fall of the regime, the two branches split at a general conference held in Bucharest a month later. They separated ostensibly over the issue of baptism, with the second emerging as the Evangelical Church of Romania.
and in the counties of Ilfov
, Argeş
, Braşov
, Constanţa
, Dâmboviţa
, Ialomiţa
, Prahova
and Vaslui
. (culte2) The church considers all members to be brothers, has no clergy or hierarchy, is completely reliant on a lay ministry, and considers Christ as its head. At the national level, there is a brethren assembly of elected representatives, which supervises and coordinates church life, as well as a leadership committee that represents the church in its dealings with the state. Members are not required to make contributions for the upkeep of the church. The church's justification for baptism by immersion is that the early Christians had this practice, but it stresses the importance of personal belief in Christ and not just baptism. During services, members sing together fervently without benefit of a choir or instruments. Bible readings and expositions, as well as prayers, are also featured, and services' spontaneity leads to considerable member participation, with individual churches enjoying strong autonomy.
The church published a semimonthly newsletter, Adevărul Creştin ("The Christian Truth"), as well as other theological works. It has relations with the Union of the Free Evangelical Churches in Germany as well as with evangelical churches in the Netherlands and the United States, but has no direct outside equivalent.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
's eighteen officially recognised religious denominations.
History
The church originated between 1920 and 1924, the work of the young Romanian OrthodoxRomanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
theologians Dumitru Cornilescu (whose Bible translation is used by neo-Protestant churches in Romania) and Tudor Popescu (a former priest at the Cuibul cu barză Church
Cuibul cu barza Church
The Cuibul cu barză Church dedicated to the Saint Stephen is a Romanian Orthodox church located on Ştirbei Vodă Street in Bucharest's Sector 1...
). Also known as Tudorites, the deeply pietistic
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
movement, regarded as the only neo-Protestant church with Romanian origins, originated in a profound religious experience of Popecu's. Following this, he began to preach repentance and faith, questioning the significance attached by Orthodoxy to the saints, icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s and the sacraments
Sacred Mysteries
The term sacred mysteries generally denotes the area of supernatural phenomena associated with a divinity or a religious ideology.-Pre-Christian religious mysteries:...
, and emphasising the centrality of the Bible instead of the liturgy. Eventually excommunicated and barred from addressing Orthodox congregations, he was lent an auditorium by an affiliate of the Anglican Mission to the Jews in Bucharest. Much to the consternation of his former church, he was able to firmly establish his work, drawing large crowds with his very popular preaching.
Under the leadership of Popescu and Cornilescu, several hundred followers built a 1000-seat mother church in 1926, which still drew close to eight hundred worshipers on an average Sunday morning in the early 1990s. At the request of government authorities, some of whom Popescu deeply impressed, the new movement registered as an association in 1927 and, in order to be distinguished from other groups, took the name Christians of the Scriptures. Shortly thereafter, churches opened in Ploieşti
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
, Câmpulung
Câmpulung
Câmpulung , or Câmpulung Muscel, is a city in the Argeş County, Wallachia, Romania. It is situated among the outlying hills of the Transylvanian Alps, at the head of a long well-wooded glen traversed by the Râul Târgului, a tributary of the Argeş.Its pure air and fine scenery render Câmpulung a...
, Târgovişte
Târgoviste
Târgoviște is a city in the Dâmbovița county of Romania. It is situated on the right bank of the Ialomiţa River. , it had an estimated population of 89,000. One village, Priseaca, is administered by the city.-Name:...
, Rucăr
Rucar
Rucăr is a commune in the north-eastern part of Argeş County, Romania. At the 2002 census, the population of the commune was 6,207. It is composed of two villages, Rucăr and Sătic....
, Buzău
Buzau
The city of Buzău is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Wallachia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carpathian Mountains and the lowlands of Bărăgan Plain.The city's name dates back to 376 AD when the name...
, Piteşti
Pitesti
Pitești is a city in Romania, located on the Argeș River. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated on the A1 freeway connecting it directly to the national capital Bucharest,...
, Bârlad
Bârlad
Bârlad is a city in Vaslui County, Romania. It lies on the banks of the Bârlad River, which waters the high plains of eastern Moldavia....
, Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
and other places.
In 1939, despite differences in dogma and worship, the National Renaissance Front
National Renaissance Front
The National Renaissance Front was a fascist Romanian political party created by King Carol II in 1938 as the single monopoly party of government following his decision to ban all other political parties and suspend the 1923 Constitution, and the passing of the 1938 Constitution of Romania...
regime compelled the Christians of the Scriptures to merge with the Christian Evangelicals, resulting in the Christian Evangelical Church. The resultant church had two branches: branch I, which practised believer's baptism
Believer's baptism
Believer's baptism is the Christian practice of baptism as this is understood by many Protestant churches, particularly those that descend from the Anabaptist tradition...
, and the Tudorite branch II, which employed infant baptism
Infant baptism
Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. In theological discussions, the practice is sometimes referred to as paedobaptism or pedobaptism from the Greek pais meaning "child." The practice is sometimes contrasted with what is called "believer's baptism", or...
. (The difference stemmed from the tradition whence each emerged: Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
and Romanian Orthodox, respectively.) Outlawed under the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era regime of Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
, in 1946, the Evangelical Christians were recognised as a religious body by the Romanian state, with the Tudorites once again merged into the Plymouth Brethren church, and also including a splinter group called "Christians" centred at Ploieşti
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
. (For an overview of the church's development under the Communist regime
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
, see Christian Evangelical Church of Romania
Christian Evangelical Church of Romania
The Christian Evangelical Church of Romania is a Plymouth Brethren Protestant denomination, one of Romania's eighteen officially recognised religious denominations.-History:...
.) Following the 1989 Revolution
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
and the fall of the regime, the two branches split at a general conference held in Bucharest a month later. They separated ostensibly over the issue of baptism, with the second emerging as the Evangelical Church of Romania.
Organisation
According to the 2002 census, the church had 18,758 members, making up 0.1% of the population; it was the country's 14th largest recognised religious body. As of 2008, there were some 220 churches, mainly in BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
and in the counties of Ilfov
Ilfov County
Ilfov is the county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but after the fall of communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, which act like suburbs or satellites of Bucharest...
, Argeş
Arges County
Argeș is a county of Romania, in Wallachia, with the capital city at Pitești.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 652,625 and the population density was 95/km².*Romanians – 96%*Roma , and other.-Geography:...
, Braşov
Brasov County
Brașov ; ) is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with the capital city at Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" Burzenland and Făgăraș Land.-Demographics:...
, Constanţa
Constanta County
Constanța is the name of a county in the Dobruja region of Romania. Its capital city is also named Constanța.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 715,151 and the population density was 101/km². The degree of urbanization is much higher than the Romanian average. In recent years the...
, Dâmboviţa
Dâmbovita County
Dâmbovița ; also spelt Dîmbovița is a county of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Târgoviște.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 541,763 and the population density was 134/km²...
, Ialomiţa
Ialomita County
Ialomița is a county of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Slobozia.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 296,572 and the population density was 67/km²....
, Prahova
Prahova County
Prahova is a county of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploieşti.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 829,945 and the population density was 176/km². It is Romania's most populated county, having a population density double than the country's mean...
and Vaslui
Vaslui County
Vaslui is a county of Romania, in the historical region Moldavia, with the seat at Vaslui.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 455,049 and the population density was 86/km².*Romanians - over 98%*Romas, other-Geography:...
. (culte2) The church considers all members to be brothers, has no clergy or hierarchy, is completely reliant on a lay ministry, and considers Christ as its head. At the national level, there is a brethren assembly of elected representatives, which supervises and coordinates church life, as well as a leadership committee that represents the church in its dealings with the state. Members are not required to make contributions for the upkeep of the church. The church's justification for baptism by immersion is that the early Christians had this practice, but it stresses the importance of personal belief in Christ and not just baptism. During services, members sing together fervently without benefit of a choir or instruments. Bible readings and expositions, as well as prayers, are also featured, and services' spontaneity leads to considerable member participation, with individual churches enjoying strong autonomy.
The church published a semimonthly newsletter, Adevărul Creştin ("The Christian Truth"), as well as other theological works. It has relations with the Union of the Free Evangelical Churches in Germany as well as with evangelical churches in the Netherlands and the United States, but has no direct outside equivalent.