UNITED EVANGELICAL CHURCH, established in Germany, 1817, by the union of portions of the Lutheran and Reformed churches. Such a union had been attempted without success in 1529, 1631, 1661, and by Frederick I. of Prussia, 1703-22. Frederick William I. published several decrees having the same object in view. It was favored also toward the end of the 18th c. by the progress of rationalism, which made many the ologians of both churches indifferent concerning doctrinal controversies, because they had lost faith in the doctrines themselves. Schleiermacher proposed to establish an out ward church-unity, leaving disputed points in scientific theology still open for discussion. At the tercentenary of the reformation in 1817 a visible union was established, limited, however, at first, as many of its advocates supposed, to a common church government, and a common celebration of the Lord's-supper. In this movement the government of Prussia has always been the leader. The clergy in Berlin having published a declamation in faior of it, the minister of the interior confirmed it, and issued a decree that the organization should be called the Evangelical Christian church. The Lord's-supperwas to be celebrated by adhering strictly to the scriptural words of institution. The progress of the union was disturbed by the king's recommending the court liturgy to all the con gregations of the kingdom; and when, in 1S34. the royal decree ordered its introduction into all congregations—united and 'non-united—many strict Lutherans left the united church. During the rest of that reign the government endeavored to force them back, but Frederick William IV. hiving, in 1845, granted liberty of worship, they organized
an independent Lutheran church; the rest of the old Lutheran, and the Raorne 1 church, including about 10,000,000 persons, being nominally connected with the United Evangelical church. One party of these regarded the union as only an external subjec tion to a common church government, while in doctrine the churches might be Lu theran, Reformed, or united; a second party, comprising the chief theological faculties, built its doctrines on the Bible, together with the dogmas common to the Lutheranand Reformed symbols; and a third, rejecting the authority, both of thi.. Lutheran mid Reformed symbols, and professing to hold simply to the Bible, claimed the right of sub. jectiog even its authenticity to critical inquiry. In 1816 the king convoked a geners1 synod to complete the organization of the .church; and the work. having been inter rupted by the revolution of 1848, was resumed in 1856. A similar union of with the Reformed has been accomplished in several other of the German states; W11113 of the rest some are too exclusively Lutheran, and some too exclusively Reformed to warrant the attempt. In 1875 the United Evangelical church of ail Germany had 26,718,823 members. A branch of this church was organized in the United States at St. Louis in 1840, and, after several divisions and reunions, now includes 7 synods, having about 300 ministers and 40,000 members. As late as 1876 the German language was exclusively used in all its congregations.