Early German Pietism: The Positive and Negative Effects Spener had on Evangelicalism and how it Impacted Today’s Christianity

  

The German Pietist theology of Spener gave emergence to the Evangelical movement which had impacted Christianity through today and can inspire today’s Christian to work together in unity to carry the salvific message of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

Introduction

Early German Lutheran Pietism was a movement born out of a war-weary land of devout orthodox Lutherans. One particular devout Lutheran known as the “Father of Pietism” comes to mind, Philipp Jakob Spener. Spener was born during the second half of the Thirty Years War. His parents dedicated him to God as a child and raised him in the way of the Lord. They gave him all the opportunity that he needed to become successful and he did. His life and ministry encouraged continued religious reform. Explored below is the person of Philipp Jakob Spener, Pietism, Evangelicalism, Moravians, the positive and negative effects of Spener on Evangelicalism and Moravians, and finally how Spener’s Pietism impacted today’s American Christianity. The German Pietist theology of Spener gave emergence to the Evangelical movement which had impacted Christianity through today and can inspire today’s Christian to work together in unity to carry the salvific message of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

Chapter 1 – Setting the Stage

Who is Philipp Jakob Spener?

No one of us lives to himself; no one of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lords; if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For that reason Christ has died and risen and become alive again, that he might be Lord over the dead and the living. Psalm 90:12: Teach us to reflect that we may be truly wise. Psalm 39:5: But Lord, teach me that there is an end to me and that my life has its term and I must [exist] therein. – Philipp Jakob Spener[1]

 

Philipp Jakob Spener (1635-1705) is known often as the “Father of Pietism.” He was born in 1635 at Rappoltsweiler. Spener’s godmother, Agatha von Rappoltstein, and her chaplain Joachim Stoll nurtured his religious growth. Agatha was a strong influence on Spener to be pious in everyday living. Spener would not participate in any frivolous drinking or dancing. Stoll became Spener’s spiritual mentor and introduced Spener to Arndt’s devotional work, “True Christianity” and the work of English Puritans which ignited in Spener his first “spark of true Christianity.”[2] Stoll “was of a kind to balance the quietistic other-worldliness of the Countess.”[3] Spener went to university prep in Colmar when he was 15. He went to university in Strasbourg by the age of 16, which was a Lutheran university. He received his Master of Arts there and went on to obtain his Doctor of Theology there as well. “By the age of 24, Spener had completed his theological education.”[4] In 1666 Spener became the senior minister in Frankfurt am Main.

The people in Spener’s life that encouraged his unique theology were his parents (devout Lutherans); his godmother, Countess Agatha von Rappolstein; the preacher and mentor, Joachim Stoll; the principal at Colmar, Joachim Klein; administrator Johann Schmidt; Johann Conrad Dannhauer; Sebastian Schmidt; and the authors: Johann Arndt, Hunnius, Lewis Bayly, Daniel Dyke, Richard Baxter, and Emmanuel Sonthom.[5] Although Spener was ridiculed for reading non-Lutheran works, he considered the ways in which he learned piety through them. “They urge a continual self-examination and an aggressive clearing away of every impediment to holy living.”[6] Spener also innovatively formed the collegia pietatis or “pious gathering” in 1670. They were small gatherings in his home that focused on sermons, discussions on sermons, devotional readings, and personal edification.[7]

What is Pietism?

There was a Thirty Years War (1618-48) fought in Germany. This war ridden land was devastated by the collapse of agriculture, famine, and universities closed. Germany lost around eight million people. That is more people lost than the holocaust at an estimated 5.9 million Jews (fatefully also in Germany). “Pietism was a war-weary reaction to the perceived scholastic theology of Lutheranism that seemed to the Pietists more a ‘dead orthodoxy’ than a vibrant faith.”[8] Pietism began in German Lutheranism. It was a post-reformation reform of the Lutheran religion. From the beginning of his post in Frankfurt, “He was convinced of the necessity of a moral and religious reformation within German Lutheranism.”[9] Pietism was much like Evangelicalism as it was a movement and did not set out to form its own church or change Lutheran doctrine. Spener wanted reform in Lutheranism, not to form Pietism. Just like Luther before him wanted to reform Catholicism, not form Lutheranism.

Pietism is the periodic tendency within church history to emphasize Christian living and focusing less on the formality of church order. The doctrinal traits of Pietism are:

1)      Its experiential character—Pietists are people of the heart for whom Christian living is the fundamental concern;

2)      Its biblical focus—Pietists are, to paraphrase John Wesley, “people of one book” who take standards and goals from the pages of Scripture;

3)      Its perfectionistic bent—Pietists are serious about holy living and expend every effort to follow God’s law, spread the gospel, and provide aid for the needy;

4)      Its reforming interest—Pietists usually oppose what they regard as coldness and sterility in established church forms and practices.[10]

One trait which Noll did not number is the small gathering of home fellowships which is indicative of the Pietist movement. The spreading of the gospel as laid out in number three of the list above is also indicative of the Evangelical movement.

What is Evangelicalism?

Although it is hard for the church to come to a consensus about how to define Evangelicalism, much of the traits of Pietism match the traits of Evangelicalism. Evangelicalism is a cross-cultural, interdenominational movement that began just a short three hundred years ago. It was born out of the first Great Awakening of Europe and slowly made its way to the colonies. Since Evangelicalism crosses boundaries, there are differences of doctrine. But all can agree that “Evangelicals are gospel people.”[11] What is known as fact is that Evangelical is an English word that comes from the Greek word evangelion which means “good news” or “glad tidings.” The gospel is the good news of the Bible. Evangelicals spread the good news.

The theologian, Alister McGrath has concocted a six-point conviction for Evangelicalism, and they go as follows:

1.      The supreme authority of Scripture as a source of knowledge of God and a guide to Christian living.

2.      The majesty of Jesus Christ, both as incarnate God and Lord and as the Savior of sinful humanity.

3.      The lordship of the Holy Spirit.

4.      The need for personal conversion.

5.      The priority of evangelism for both individual Christians and the church as a whole.

6.      The importance of the Christian community for spiritual nourishment, fellowship and growth.[12]

                      

The words are different but there is much similarity between the traits of Evangelicalism and Pietism. Such as the supreme authority of the Scriptures, the spreading of the gospel and providing aid for the needy, Pietists are people from the heart and Evangelicals are gospel people. Is that not what Christianity is all about? Jesus told his disciples to go and spread the word, “And Jesus came up to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’” Matthew 28:18-20.[13] Evangelicals are disciples. The gospel of Mark was written not by an apostle, but by a disciple of Paul that went with Paul on his first missionary journey. The apostles and disciples were missionaries, creating churches where they evangelized.

Who are Moravians?

Spener’s godsons name was Count Nikolas von Zinzendorf, and he was August Hermann Francke’s pupil. Francke was also a German Pietist and innovator in his own right. Zinzendorf organized refugees from the area known as Moravia and gave them a place to stay on his property, they called this settlement Herrnhut. He also resurrected the Moravian brethren and pastored them. They were Pietists and carried this Pietistic message almost around the whole world. They influenced well known people such as John Wesley, who had his own Evangelical awakening because he met these Moravians on his way to the colony of Georgia. “Wesley later fell under the influence of Count Zinzendorf ’s Moravians and came to the conclusion that apart from grace, we can do nothing to insure or fulfill our salvation. Once grace is imparted to us, however, we are then empowered to take up the cross and follow Christ in faithful obedience to his commands.”[14] The Wesley brothers had their own sphere of influence. They had been deeply committed to their missionary efforts and social interactions. After their meeting the Moravians, their conversion experience helped them converge their living faith and the act of loving one’s neighbor. “The conversions of the Wesleys and the idea of assurance of salvation helped ignite the Methodist revival.”[15] Their influence can still be seen among modern day Methodists. The impact of Spener on Zinzendorf is obviously found in his Moravian friends, and around the world.

Chapter 2 – The Effects and Impact of Spener

The Positive Effects of Spener on Evangelicals and Moravians

The complete and total authority of the Holy Scriptures are one of Spener’s positive effects on Evangelicalism and Moravians. In Spener’s Pia Desideria, he quoted Erasmus by stating that where the Scriptures are neglected true religion collapses.[16] “He concludes that the foundation for a better church could be created through a biblical understanding of faith, repentance, personal holiness, and evangelism.”[17] Spener replaced the concept of verbal inspiration of Scriptures with personal interpretation through the Holy Spirit.[18] Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to all believers to interpret the Scriptures for all those that desire it. “But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” John 16:13. Spener influenced Christianity by believing in the “priesthood of all believers.”[19] He believed that all believers were charged with the transmission of the gospel, which makes all believers a priesthood or ministers of the faith. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you our of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you have received mercy” 1 Peter 2:9-10.

He also believed in the transmission of the gospel and the aiding the poor and needy which can only be done through missions. The beginning of the missionary movement began with Spener. Also, the collegia pietatis helped to engage many more to the Pietistic Evangelical mission to carry the message. They used this type of gathering for discipleship purposes and advance the missionary objective. The Moravians are perfect examples of this principle since they almost literally missioned the entire world. Indirectly, Spener influenced the Moravians through his godson Count Zinzendorf who created Herrnhut, a refugee camp for those Moravians seeking refuge from religious persecution from the resurgent Catholicism in Moravia and Bohemia.

The Negative Effects of Spener on Evangelicals and Moravians

“Many Pietists, of whom the Moravians are a good example, used extravagantly sentimental language as they focused devotion upon the wounds of Christ or developed heterodox views such as Zinzendorf's Trinity of Father, Mother, and Son.”[20] Many of the Moravians were embarrassed by this and it only lasted a few years. Some scholars have interpreted Spener’s influence on other religions as radical, such as the Hassidic movement in Judaism, Jansenism in Catholicism, also Pentecostalism in Christianity.[21] Although Spener cautioned that Pietism should not become a movement of lunatics, fanatics, and quacks, still there were those that strayed to the fringe of Pietism. Pentecostalism is an evangelical charismatic reformation movement and was originally indoctrinated by a Methodist preacher in 1901. The defining doctrine of Pentecostalism is the “initial evidence” of the second baptism of the Holy Spirit during the conversion of the soul creates glossolalia and that this should be normative for every Christian.[22]

Spener preferred regeneration (broader view) to conversion (narrow view). Only after the “bath of regeneration” (baptism), along with inner obedience, and receptivity of the soul can the soul be “illuminated” and thus is the regeneration process that is only performed by God. If one falls outside the realm of piety, one must go through the regeneration process again.[23] Unlike Spener, Zinzendorf strayed from biblical exegetic sermons and mostly spoke unrehearsed to the congregation of Moravians.[24] “There was a nearly morbid preoccupation with mutual correction, repentance, ‘dying to self’ (which Spener called the first principle of Christianity), and ‘worldliness’ (which was to be rooted out entirely)”[25] This belief system resulted in the refutation of marriage, unconventional dress and language to set them apart from the “world,” passivism, and the rejection of oath taking.[26]

How Spener Impacted Today’s American Christian Society

Spener’s influence has broadened its scope beyond the Pietistic movement, Evangelicalism, or the Brethren Church. Today’s Christian interdenominational church believes in:

·         The baptism of children and adults after the age of maturity;

·         Taking care of the poor, needy, and elderly;

·         The transmission of the gospel through missions;

·         The indwelling of the Holy Spirit;

·         The complete authority of Scriptures;

·         Daily reading of the word, prayer, and introspection;

·         Home fellowships, small home groups;

·         Discipleship

·         The salvific work of Jesus Christ on the cross; and

·         That Christians live in the world but are not of the world, they are set apart for God’s purpose.

Conclusion

Philipp Jakob Spener is commonly known as the “Father of Pietism” because he helped initiate the movement in the Lutheran denomination. His work was extensive and far reaching. Through the Evangelical movement, and the Moravians, Pietism was spread throughout the world. There were negative effects and positive effects but ultimately the Christian faith owes much of its doctrine to Spener and his contemporaries. The German Pietist theology of Spener gave emergence to the Evangelical movement which had impacted Christianity through today and can inspire today’s Christian to work together in unity to carry the salvific message of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

[1] Allen C. Deeter, “An Historical and Theological Introduction to Philipp Jakob Spener’s Pia Desideria: A Study in Early German Pietism” (PhD diss., Princeton University, 1963): 85, accessed April 27, 2018, ProQuest Dissertation Publishing.

[2] John D. Woodbridge and Frank A. James III, Church History Volume Two: From Pre-Reformation to the Present Day (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013): 261.

[3] Deeter, “Historical Introduction,” 88.

[4] Jeffrey Dale Brown, “The Holy Scriptures as the Key Authority in Philipp Jacob Spener’s Proposals of Reform for the Evangelical Church” (PhD diss., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2000): 25, accessed May 17, 2018, ProQuest Dissertation Publishing.

[5] I collected these names from Deeter and Brown’s dissertations.

[6] Deeter, “Historical Introduction,” 92.

[7] Woodbridge and James, Church History, 261.

[8] Ibid., 260

[9] Ibid., 261.

[10] M. A. Noll, “Pietism,” in The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter Elwell, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001): 857.

[11] Douglas A. Sweeney, The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005): 6.

[12] Alister McGrath, Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1995), 55–56, quoted in Douglas Sweeney, The American Evangelical Story (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005): 6.

[13] Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages cited are from the NASB95 version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995).

[14] Donald G. Bloesch, “Evangelicalism,” Dialogue: A Journal of Theology 47, no 1 (Spring 2008): 17-18, accessed April 27, 2018, ATLASerials.

[15] Michelle A. Clifton-Siderstrom, “The Convergence Model of Pietist Ethics: Faith Active in Love (Gal. 5:6),” Political Theology 11, no. 4 (2010): 504, accessed April 27, 2018, ATLASerials.

[16] Brown, Holy Scriptures, 56.

[17] Ibid.

[18] Douglas Kennard, “Evangelical Views on Illumination of Scripture and Critique,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 49, no. 4 (Dec. 2006): 797, accessed April 27, 2018, ProQuest Central.

[19] Kelsey L. Fitting-Snyder, review of “Reclaiming Pietism: Retrieving an Evangelical Tradition by Roger E. Olson and Christian T. Collins Winn,” Seminary Ridge Review 18, no. 1 (Fall 2015): 102, accessed April 27, 2018, ATLA.

[20] Deeter, Historical Introduction, 223.

[21] Jonathan Strom, “Problems and Promises of Pietism Research,” Church History 71, no. 3 (September 2002): 538, accessed April 27, 2018, ATLASerials.

[22] V. Synan, “Pentecostalism,” in Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter Elwell.

[23] Baird Tipson, “How Can the Religious Experience of the Past be Recovered? The Examples of Puritanism and Pietism,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 43, no. 4 (December 1975): 701, accessed April 27, 2018, ATLASerials.

[24] Brown, Holy Scriptures, 161.

[25] Deeter, Historical Introduction, 225.

[26] Ibid.

Bibliography

Bloesch, Donald G. “Evangelicalism.” Dialogue: A Journal of Theology 47, no. 1 (Spring 2008): 16-20. Accessed April 27, 2018. ATLA.

Brown, Jeffrey Dale. “The Holy Scriptures as the Key Authority in Philipp Jacob Spener’s Proposals of Reform for the Evangelical Church.” PhD diss., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2000. Accessed May 15, 2018. ProQuest Dissertation Publishing.

 

Clifton-Soderstrom, Michelle A. “The Convergence Model of Pietist Ethics: Faith Active in Love (Gal. 5:6).” Political Theology 11, no. 4 (2010): 490-506. Accessed April 27, 2018. ATLA. DOI:10.1558/poth.vl 1Ì4.490.

 

Deeter, Allen C. "An Historical and Theological Introduction to Philipp Jakob Spener’s 'PIA DESIDERIA': A Study in Early German Pietism [with] Appendix - Volume Two: Translation of the 'PIA DESIDERIA.’" PhD diss., Princeton University, 1963. Accessed April 27, 2018. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

 

Fitting-Snyder, Kelsey L. Review of Reclaiming Pietism: Retrieving an Evangelical Tradition, by Roger E. Olson and Christian T. Collins Winn. Seminary Ridge Review 18, no. 1 (Fall 2015): 102-104. Accessed April 27, 2018. ATLA.

 

Kennard, Douglas. “Evangelical Views on Illumination of Scripture and Critique.” JETS 49, no. 4 (December 2006): 797-806. Accessed April 27, 2018. ProQuest Central.

 

McGrath, Alister. “Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity.” Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1995: 55–56. Quoted in Douglas Sweeney, The American Evangelical Story. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005.

Noll, M. A. “Pietism.” In The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001.

Strom, Jonathan. “Problems and Promises of Pietism Research.” Church History 71, no. 3 (September 2002): 536-554. Accessed April 27, 2018. ProQuest.

Synan, V. “Pentecostalism.” The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001.

Sweeney, Douglas A. The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2005.

Woodbridge, John D. and Frank A. James III. Church History Volume Two from Pre-Reformation to the Present Day: The Rise and Growth of the Church in Its Cultural, Intellectual, and Political Context. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2013.