Pietism

Pietism. A late-17th- and 18th-cent. movement within (primarily German) Protestantism which sought to supplant the emphasis on institutions and dogma in orthodox Protestant circles by concentrating on the ‘practice of piety’, rooted in inner experience and expressing itself in a life of religious commitment. The way had been prepared by various writers, but the publication of P. J. Spener's Pia Desideria (1675) was a decisive moment. Spener instituted devotional circles for prayers, Bible reading, etc., but did not in essence deviate from Lutheran doctrine or intend to separate from the Church. Anti-establishment tendencies, sometimes with millenarian expectations, were found in the circles of ‘radical Pietism’; their relationship with the mainstream Lutheran and Reformed Pietism is debated. The more moderate form won support from a large body of pastors. A clash with the orthodox became inevitable when A. H. Francke, who had been instrumental in bringing about a revival among the students of Leipzig, attacked the Leipzig theologians. The newly-founded university of Halle then became the centre of the movement which spread throughout Protestant Germany, taking different forms in different areas. In Halle it developed into a hard-and-fast system of penance, grace, and rebirth, while at Herrnhut it consisted mainly of personal devotion to the Redeemer. In the 18th cent. Pietism was characterized by various philanthropic activities and by its contribution to missionary enterprise. It lasted into the 20th cent.