Pietism and Methodism Chp. 24
John Wesley and Pietism
Pietism arose as a response to theological dogmatism, philosophical rationalism, and the devastation of the Thirty Years' War, emphasizing personal devotion and religious experience.
German Pietism: Spener and Francke
Philipp Jakob Spener (1635-1705)
Considered the father of pietism, Spener, born into an aristocratic Lutheran family in Alsace, sought to foster personal faith among his parishioners beyond preaching and sacraments.
Collegia Pietatis
Spener founded bible study and devotion groups called . In 1675, he published Pia Desideria, which outlined a program of piety and is considered the fundamental charter of pietism.
Key Ideas from Pia Desideria
- Emphasized the Lutheran doctrine of the universal priesthood of believers, suggesting less distinction between laity and clergy.
- Advocated for a more intense devotional and study life among the laity.
- Proposed small groups for bible study.
- Insisted on examining theological candidates for genuine Christian faith.
- Urged preachers to focus on obedience to God's word rather than displaying academic knowledge.
Spener's aim was not to attack church doctrines but to emphasize personal faith, viewing it as essential to penetrate the riches of Christianity.
Reformation Completion
Spener envisioned pietism as a completion of the Reformation, disrupted by doctrinal debates. He received support from across Germany but faced opposition from Lutheran orthodoxy.
Emphasis on Sanctification
Spener, influenced by Reformed teachers, stressed the need for sanctification, aligning him more with Calvin than Luther, who focused on justification by grace.
Luther's focus was mainly on justification by faith alone, paying little attention to sanctification. Whereas Calvin and the reformed tradition, while agreeing with Luther on justification, insisted that the God who justifies is also the one who sanctifies and that god offers to believers the power for holiness of life
Apocalypticism
Spener's apocalyptic views, predicting the fulfillment of Revelation, made him vulnerable to criticism when his predictions failed.
Challenge to Comfortable Church
The core issue was whether faith should merely sanction common morality or call believers to a transformed life. Pietists challenged the comfortable church.
August Hermann Francke
Francke, a follower of Spener, emphasized the joy of Christian life and the importance of praise to God. As a professor at Halle, he focused on the relationship between baptism and Lutheran theology.
Francke described his religious experience as a transformative moment where doubts vanished, and he felt certain of God's grace in Jesus Christ. He was able to call god not only god but also father. Sadness and anxiety immediately left his heart, and he was suddenly overcome by a wave of joy such that he praised and magnified god aloud who had granted me such grace.
Pietism's Influence
Pietism advocated a living, personal faith, not necessarily tied to a specific experience, and spread across the Lutheran tradition and among German Reformed.
Gerhard Tersteegen
A key figure in reformed pietism was F.A. Lampe (1683-1729), known for his hymns, sermons, and books spreading pietism, He avoided the technical language typical of orthodoxy and thus won a wide following among the laity and bitter opposition from academic theologians.
Protestant Missions
Pietism significantly contributed to the birth of Protestant missions. The reformers of the century, involved as they were in a struggle for the survival of Protestantism, paid little attention to the non Christian world.
Missionaries to India
In 1707, the King of Denmark commissioned Franca to send missionaries to colonies in India. Bartolomir Siegenbock and Heinrich Ruchschaub founded the mission of Trancabar.
University of Halle
Under Franca's direction, the University of Halle became a training center for missionaries.
Zinzendorf and the Moravians
Nikolaus von Zinzendorf
Zinzendorf, Spener's godson, profoundly religious from childhood, studied under Franca. He later joined a community of Moravian Hussites in Ehrenhut and directed them.
Moravian Missions
In 1731, meeting Eskimos converted by Hans Egeda sparked Zinzendorf's interest in missions. The Moravian community at Erenhut became deeply involved, sending missionaries to the Caribbean in 1732. Soon, Moravian missionaries were in Africa, India, South America, and North America
Moravian Impact
Within 20 years, the Moravian movement, starting with 200 refugees, had more missionaries than all Protestant churches since the Reformation.
Conflicts and Legacy
Conflicts with Lutheran authorities persisted. Zinzendorf was banned from Saxony. The Moravian church, though small, significantly impacted the missionary awakening. Its greatest impact was on John Wesley.
John Wesley and Methodism
Encounter with Moravians
In 1735-1736, John Wesley encountered Moravians en route to Georgia. Their calm during a storm impressed him and led him to question his own faith.
Welsey, who was also chaplain of the vessel, came to the bitter realization that he was more concerned about himself than about his fellow travelers. After the storm, the Moravians told him that they could behave so bravely because they did not fear death, and the young man began to doubt the depth of his own faith.
Advice from Moravians
After reaching Savannah, Wesley sought advice from the Moravians, questioning his personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
He said, my brother, I must ask you one or two questions. Have you the witness within yourself? Does the spirit of god bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of god? I was surprised and knew not what to answer. He observed it and asked, do you know Jesus Christ?
I paused and said, I know he is the savior of the world. True, replied he. But do you know he has saved you? I answered, I hope he has died to save me. He only added, do you know yourself?
As a postscript to that conversation, the young Anglican pastor commented, but I fear they were vain words.