Berneuchen Movement (german: Berneuchener Bewegung) is part of the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

Liturgical movement The Liturgical Movement was a 19th-century and 20th-century movement of scholarship for the reform of worship. It began in the Catholic Church and spread to many other Christian churches including the Anglican Communion, Lutheran and some other Pro ...

in Germany. It originates from

German Youth Movement The German Youth Movement (german: Die deutsche Jugendbewegung) is a collective term for a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896. It consists of numerous associations of young people that focus on outdoor activities. The movement ...

. The movement was born in 1920s, after the radical changes caused by

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The founders felt, that it was necessary to give to the spiritual life a greater and more perfect concrete form, in order to throw off the influence of

liberal theology Religious liberalism is a conception of religion (or of a particular religion) which emphasizes personal and group liberty and rationality. It is an attitude towards one's own religion (as opposed to criticism of religion from a secular position, ...

. The group met annually in the Berneuchen Manor near Neudamm in the

New March The Neumark (), also known as the New March ( pl, Nowa Marchia) or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder, Oder River in territory which became part of History of Polan ...

, which gave the name for the circle. In 1926 the circle published the ''Berneuchener Buch'', written by

Karl Bernhard Ritter Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austria ...

Wilhelm Stählin Wilhelm Stählin (24 September 1883, Gunzenhausen, Bavaria – 16 December 1975, Prien am Chiemsee, Bavaria) was a German Lutheran theologian, bishop, preacher and one of the major initiators of the Liturgical Movement in German Protestantism in ...

, and Wilhelm Thomas. Berneuchen societies today include Berneuchener Dienst,

Evangelische Michaelsbruderschaft The Evangelische Michaelsbruderschaft (EMB) (''Evangelical Brotherhood of St. Michael'') is a German religious Brotherhood belonging to Berneuchen Movement as a part of Lutheran Liturgical Movement. Founded in Michaelmas 1931 in the Upper Chapel ( ...

and Gemeinschaft Sankt Michael, and its centre is the

Kirchberg convent The Kirchberg convent (also the Monastery Kirchberg) is a monastery located in Sulz am Neckar in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. The monastery is considered to be one of the most historically important religious buildings in Baden-Wuerttemberg. It a ...

, the "Berneuchener Haus" near

Sulz am Neckar Sulz am Neckar is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Neckar, 22 km north of Rottweil, and 19 km southeast of Freudenstadt. Sulz am Neckar came in the possession of the Hohe ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

. The Berneuchen movement has put emphasis e.g. on Bible reading,

daily office In the practice of Christianity, canonical hours mark the divisions of the day in terms of Fixed prayer times#Christianity, fixed times of prayer at regular intervals. A book of hours, chiefly a breviary, normally contains a version of, or sel ...

and celebration of Eucharist. The movement has been an important field of Christian

ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

. The annual "Das Gottesjahr" was published 1921-1940 and since 1952 the journal "Quatember" has been edited four times a year by Berneuchen societies.

References

''The Ecumenical Vanguard: The History of the Una Sancta Movement''
by

Leonard Swidler Leonard J. Swidler (born January 6, 1929) is Professor of Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he has taught since 1966. He is the co-founder (in 1964, with Arlene Swidler) and editor ...

. * Giewald, A. & Thomann, G. "The Lutheran High Church Movement in Germany and its liturgical work: an introduction", Lulu.com, 2011.

External links

Official website
Lutheran liturgy and worship Catholic–Protestant ecumenism German Youth Movement Lutheranism in Germany {{lutheran-stub