Waldensian Evangelical Church

Last updated

Waldensian Evangelical Church
Chiesa Evangelica Valdese
Stemma 01.jpg
Seal of the Waldensian Church
Type Religious sect
Orientation Waldensian
Scripture Christian Bible
Theology Reformed theology
Polity Presbyterian
Associations Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches
Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy
World Alliance of Reformed Churches
World Council of Churches
Waldensian Evangelical Church of the River Plate
Territory Italy, Switzerland
Founder Peter Waldo
Origin 12th century AD
Lyon, France
Congregations170 in Italy
7 in Switzerland
Members25,000
Official website https://www.chiesavaldese.org/

The Waldensian Evangelical Church (Chiesa Evangelica Valdese, CEV) is a Protestant denomination active in Italy and Switzerland that was independent until it united with the Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy in the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches. Founded in the 12th century by Peter Waldo as a proto-Protestant group, since the 16th century Reformation it has adopted Calvinist theology and blended into the wider Calvinist tradition. It is one of several Protestant denominations with pre-Reformation roots, and is appraised by various denominations of Protestantism as its major successor.

Contents

The Church, after the Protestant Reformation, adhered to Calvinist theology and became the Italian branch of the Calvinist churches. [1] [2] As such, the church is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. [3]

In 1967, the church had 30,000 members in Italy (plus some 15,000 affiliates in Argentina and Uruguay), [4] and was a founding member of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI), [5] an ecumenical body comprising mainly historical Protestant denominations. In 1975 the CEV united with the Methodist Evangelical Church (5,000) to form the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches. [2] [6] [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldensians</span> Christian movement

The Waldensians, also known as Waldenses, Vallenses, Valdesi, or Vaudois, are adherents of a church tradition that began as an ascetic movement within Western Christianity before the Reformation. Originally known as the Poor of Lyon in the late twelfth century, the movement spread to the Cottian Alps in what is today France and Italy. The founding of the Waldensians is attributed to Peter Waldo, a wealthy merchant who gave away his property around 1173, preaching apostolic poverty as the way to perfection.

Waldensian Church may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United and uniting churches</span> Union of Protestant churches of different creeds

A united church, also called a uniting church, is a denomination formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations, a number of which come from separate and distinct denominational orientations or traditions. Multi-denominationalism, or a multi-denominational church or organization, is a congregation or organization that is affiliated with two or more Christian denominations, whether they be part of the same tradition or from separate and distinct traditions.

<i>Finlandia</i> Tone poem by Jean Sibelius

Finlandia, Op. 26, is a tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was written in 1899 and revised in 1900. The piece was composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from the Russian Empire, and was the last of seven pieces performed as an accompaniment to a tableau depicting episodes from Finnish history. The premiere was on 2 July 1900 in Helsinki with the Helsinki Philharmonic Society conducted by Robert Kajanus. A typical performance takes between 7½ and 9 minutes depending on how it is performed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protestant Church of Switzerland</span> Swiss association

The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The PCS is not a church in a theological understanding, because every member is independent with their own theological and formal organisation. It serves as a legal umbrella before the federal government and represents the church in international relations. Except for the Evangelical-Methodist Church, which covers all of Switzerland, the member churches are restricted to a certain territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Italy</span>

Religion in Italy has been historically characterised by the dominance of the Catholic Church since the East–West Schism, but, over the years, due to immigration, the influx of Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Protestants, Buddhists and Hindus, as well as proselytism, religious pluralism has increased. Italy also features a pre-Christian Jewish community and one of the largest shares of Jehovah's Witnesses in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Italy</span>

Christianity in Italy has been historically characterised by the dominance of the Catholic Church since the East–West Schism. However, the country is also home to significant Christian minorities, especially Orthodox Christians, Protestants and Jehovah's Witnesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Communion of Reformed Churches</span> International Christian organization

The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Reformed (Calvinist) churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations in 108 countries, together claiming an estimated 80 million people, thus being the fourth-largest Christian communion in the world after the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. This ecumenical Christian body was formed in June 2010 by the union of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC).

The Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches is an Italian united Protestant denomination.

The Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy, known also as Italian Methodist Church, is a Protestant church in the Methodist tradition active in Italy that is in full communion with the historical Waldensian Evangelical Church in the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches. It part of the World Methodist Council.

The Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy is an ecumenical Protestant body in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe</span> Fellowship of Protestant churches

The Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe is a fellowship of over 100 Protestant churches which have signed the Leuenberg Agreement. Together they strive for realizing church communion, especially by cooperation in witness and service to the world. Prior to 2003 the CPCE was known as the "Leuenberg Church Fellowship".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protestantism in Italy</span> The largest minority of Christian denominations in Italy

Protestantism in Italy comprises a minority of the country's religious population.

The Lutheran Evangelical Church in Italy is a Protestant denomination in the Lutheran tradition in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelical Church of the River Plate</span>

The Evangelical Church of the River Plate is a United, Protestant denomination with congregations in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It is named after the Río de la Plata Basin, where the majority of its congregations are located. The IERP was affiliated with the Evangelical Church in Germany from 1934–1965, when it became independent. The church ordains women as ministers and supported civil unions and same-sex marriage. It has approximately 27,500 members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Janavel</span>

Joshua Janavel, also written Giosuè Gianavello was an Italian condottiero and defender of the Waldensian Evangelical Church. He was involved in the Piedmontese Easter of 1655, and in the Glorious Homecoming of 1689.

The Evangelical Christian Church of the Brethren is an Italian Protestant denomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ljudevit Vuličević</span> Serbian writer

Ljudevit Vuličević was an Italian-language writer and cleric who was known for his Serbian and pan-Slavic patriotism.

References

  1. Consulenza sull'interfaccia e la realizzazione del codice. "Chiesa Evangelica Valdese - Unione delle chiese Metodiste e Valdesi". chiesavaldese.org. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  2. 1 2 "Pope: Forgive Catholic persecution of evangelical Christians". 22 June 2015.
  3. "World Alliance of Reformed Churches". warc.jalb.de. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  4. Consulenza sull'interfaccia e la realizzazione del codice. "Chiesa Evangelica Valdese - Unione delle chiese Metodiste e Valdesi". chiesavaldese.org. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  5. "F C E I - sito web ufficiale della Federazione delle Chiese Evangeliche in Italia". fedevangelica.it. Archived from the original on 2013-02-24. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  6. Consulenza sull'interfaccia e la realizzazione del codice. "Chiesa Evangelica Valdese - Unione delle chiese Metodiste e Valdesi". chiesavaldese.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  7. "Per un patto tra la Chiesa Assemblee di Dio e la Chiesa valdese" (PDF). 20 September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2014.