Apostolic Church (Eurth)
 Apostolic Church | |
|---|---|
| Ecclesia Apostolica Den apostoliske kirke | |
 | |
| Type | Latin Christian |
| Classification | Continuing church |
| Orientation | Catholic |
| Scripture | Bible, Apostolicon |
| Theology | Nicolaitan theology |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Governance | College of Bishops |
| Structure | Communion |
| Don | Stefan Rendahl |
| Don | Stefan Rendahl |
| Particular churches sui iuris | 24: Latin Church, and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches |
| Dioceses | |
| Parishes | 221,700 |
| Language | Ecclesiastical Latin and native languages |
| Liturgy | Western and Eastern |
| Headquarters | Holy See |
| Founder | Jesus, according to sacred tradition |
| Origin | 1st century Holy Land, Roman Empire |
| Clergy | |
The Nicolaitan Church, also referred to as the Rosicrucian Church or the Marianite Church, and known to its communicants variously as the Remonstrant Church, the Apostolic Church, or simply the Church, is a Christian church on Eurth. It is the established religion in Isenheim, and the Church in Isenheim is the mother polity of the global communion, which consists otherwise of a number of regionally and nationally organized missionary dioceses. The Archbishop of Granstad, Primate of the Church in Isenheim and the ruler of the country, is also ordinary of the Nicolaitan Church.
The textual foundations of the Nicolaitan Church are the Bible and the Apostolicon, which it holds contain the essential teachings of the Christian faith that are necessary for membership in the Church and thus salvation. The Nicolaitan Church teaches that it is a remnant of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church personally established by Jesus Christ and that it is infallible insofar as it repeats the truths revealed by Christ and doctrinally defined by the Apostles and the Fathers of the Church in sacred tradition. It teaches that continuing infallibility in matters of faith and morals was lost to the Church as a result of the diarchic compromise of papal authority by the Tacolic-Salvian Catholic Church, holding that there can be only one successor to Saint Peter.
The Church recognizes seven sacraments, and teaches that these sacraments, validly instituted in The Salvian Church (but not the Tacolic Church) among others, are the manifestation of the visible church "against which the gates of hell will not prevail" and through which eternal life is made possible, despite the loss of infallibility and the visible papacy. The Church teaches that the greatest of these sacraments is the Eucharist, bread and wine which, in the sacramental union, becomes the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. The Eucharist is the focal point of the Mass, the communal liturgical ritual of the Church, which is modeled closely on the Latin Rite of the Salvian Church and can only be celebrated by a minister ordained via laying of hands by a Bishop, under the principle of apostolic succession.
The Nicolaitan Church teaches that salvation is achieved by the Grace of God alone and that, as a result of original sin, man is totally depraved and unable to truly respond to God's call, but that through prevenient grace we are given the ability to freely choose the path of righteousness. It encourages devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus, ascribing to her the titles Mother of God and Mediatrix of All Graces.
The Nicolaitans are unique in advocating the direct, secular authority of bishops as not only acceptable, but as a positive application of the gospel message. As a result, they have often faced persecution from hostile governments outside of Isenheim, one of the main reasons for the Church's failure to attract a significant international following. In recent decades, the Church's teachings on women, sexuality, and soteriology have attracted criticism from other Christian groups and non-Christians.
Social teachings