Philipp Jakob Spener

Philipp Jakob Spener Reforming the Christian and the Church through the Word by D. FORREST MILLS DR. STEPHEN ECCHER, INSTRUCTOR RESEARCH PAPER Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course HIS 5120 Church History II: Pre-Reformation to Present SOUTHEASTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, WAKE FOREST, NORTH CAROLINA 2014

2 PHILIPP JAKOB SPENER Reforming the Christian and the Church through the Word Let us remember that in the last judgment we shall not be asked how learned we were... to what extent we enjoyed the favor of men... with what honors we were exalted and how great a reputation in the world we left behind us; or how many treasures of earthly goods we amassed for our children... Instead, we shall be asked how faithfully... we sought to further the kingdom of God; with how pure and godly a teaching and worthy an example we tried to edify our hearers amid the scorn of the world... with what zeal we opposed... the wickedness of life; or with what constancy and cheerfulness we endured the persecution or adversity thrust upon us by the manifestly godless world or by false brethren, and amid such suffering praised our God. Pia Desideria launched Spener into the lime light. It called forth an immediate and enthusiastic response, 1 and it generated great criticism. 2 Spener believed he was completing the reformation that Luther had started. 3 Luther had reformed Christian doctrine; now, the Christian life needed reform. 4 Indeed, he himself wrote, In the Reformation by far not everything was accomplished that should have been accomplished... We have to introduce an edifying discipline in the church. 5 Though many saw him completing the Reformation, others saw him desecrating it. 6 Although pietism became a negative connotation amongst his contemporaries, 7 the work led him to become the central symbol of Pietism 8 and the name... 1 Spener, Philip Jacob. Pia Desideria. (Edited by Theodore G. Tappert. Translated by Theodore G. Tappert. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1964), 18. 2 Bemesderfer, James O. Pietism and its Influence upon the Evangelical United Brethren Church. (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Evangelical Press, 1966), 20. McGrath, Alister E. Historical Theology. (Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), 135. Stein, K. James. Philipp Jokob Spener. (Chicago: Covenant Press, 1986), 90. Stoeffler, F. Ernest. The Rise of Evangelical Pietism. (Leiden, the Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1965), 234. Woodridge, John D., and Frank A. James III. Church History. (Vol. II. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2013), 261. 3 Stein, 264. Yeide, Harry, Jr. Studies in Classical Pietism. (Vol. VI. New York City: Peter Lang, 1997), 8. 4 Brown, Dale W. Understanding Pietism. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdman Publishing Co., 1978), 53. 5 Herzog, Frederick. European Pietism Reviewed. (San Jose, California: Pickwick Publications, 2003), 3. 6 Stoeffler, F. Ernest. German Pietism during the Eighteenth Century. (Leiden, the Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1973), 55. Stoeffler, The Rise, 235. 7 Jaggar, William L. "Philipp Jokob Spener and the Pietist Movement." (Class lecture, Church History II from Luther Rice Seminary, Lithonia, GA, Spring 2014). 8 Stoeffler, The Rise, 229.

3 most often and most intimately associated with Pietism, 9 according to historian F. Ernest Stoeffler. Historians James O. Bemesderfer, David Crowner, Frederik Herzog, and Alister E. McGrath wrote that Pia Desideria provided the stimuli for an otherwise unorganized movement, thus birthing the pietist movement. 10 According to historians Hans Schneider, K. James Stein, John D. Woodridge, and Harry Yeidi, Spener led the Pietist movement for thirty years with the printing of Pia Desideria. 11 Spener wrote Pia Desideria to the faithful elders and pastors of all Christ-evangelical churches 12 with, in the words of historian William C. Placher, practical reforms to improve morals and religious sensitivity (in the Lutheran church). 13 In the document, Spener basically set forth the essential concerns of the (Pietist) movement, 14 and it became the program of pietism. 15 He also tried to dispel the widespread stereotype that pietism should only be an individualistic movement by speaking on the impact of pietism on the local church. 16 According to Stoeffler, the tremendous stir which Spener caused must be attributed to that fact that for the first time [the Pietists] offered a definite program (for the whole church). 17 Spener s argued that his program in Pia Desideria involved a return to the many of the ideas of the early church, including an increased emphasis on the reading of the Word. Spener s program stemmed from a decisively lesser view concerning church tradition than his peers and a resolutely higher view of Scripture than most of his contemporaries. 18 First 9 Stoeffler, 228. 10 Bemesderfer, 18. Crowner, David, and Gerald Christianson,. The Spirituality of the German Awakening. (New York City: Paulist Press, 2003), 8, 10. Herzog, 13. McGrath, 135. 11 Schneider, Hans. German Radical Pietism. (Translated by Gerald T. MacDonald. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2007), 183. Stein, 272. Woodridge, 261. Yeide, 5. 12 Spener, 30. 13 Placher, William C. Readings in the History of Christian Theology. (Vol. 2. Louisville, Kentucky: The Westminster Press, 1988), 91. 14 Yeide, 5. 15 Herzog, 16. 16 Yeide 6. 17 Stoeffler, The Rise, 235. 18 Maxfield, John A., ed. The Pieper Lectures. (St. Louis: Concordia Historical Institute and The Luther Academy, 1999), 59.

4 of all, Spener criticized the symbolic books that his fellow Lutherans had raised equal to Scripture. He did believe they possessed good general statements and could be useful for teaching. Indeed, he advocated Christians to privately consult their pastor if they had a problem with one of these books and to correct their view if, after study, the pastor still found the information acceptable. He wrote that Christians, in order to keep their fellow Christians from stumbling in their faith, should ultimately remain silent on the issue if they just could not change their opinion. 19 Nevertheless, he habitually claimed they did not come from God but from man and routinely applied tools of higher criticism to them. 20 Furthermore, he criticized Lutherans for elevating Martin Luther to the position of Thirteenth Apostle, claiming Luther could in fact err. 21 Though his view that church tradition could be fallible alarmed many orthodox Lutherans because it verged a little from normalcy, 22 Spener s belief in the supremacy, infallibility, and applicability of Scripture became his trademark. 23 According to Brown, Spener s biggest legacy was making the Bible the central pillar of all aspects of Protestant Christianity. 24 Spener judged Scripture to hold, in the words of Stein, everything for the comfort, improvement, instruction, and admonition of the faithful. 25 He believed Scripture needed to be frequently read, diligently studied, and consistently obeyed. 26 According to Tappert, Spener was more interested in their content than in their form and in their effect than in their origin. 27 Indeed, Spener believed 19 Brown, 45. 20 Ibid, 44. 21 Ibid, 38. 22 Stoeffler, The Rise, 239. 23 Stein, 265. 24 Brown, 65. 25 Stein, 265. 26 Brown, 74. 27 Spener, 25.

5 Scripture held the key for the reform of the Lutheran church. 28 Spener wrote, This much is certain: the diligent use of the Word of God... must be the chief means for reforming something... The Word of God remains the seed from which all that is good in us must grow. 29 He also wrote that the church needed more extensive use of the Word of God and that the more at home the Word of God is among us, the more we shall bring about faith and its fruit. 30 According to Woodbridge, Spener anchored his program for the reform of the church in the faithful appropriation of Scripture. 31 How should the Scripture be appropriated? Through his writings, Spener advised Christians to use Scripture in individual bible studies which they should conduct daily, small group bible studies which they should hold weekly, and in corporate worship which they should attend every Sunday. In his work The Spiritual Priesthood, Spener wrote that one of the duties of all Christians, because of their priesthood, is to let the Word of God dwell richly among them, which would allow the Scripture to edify both the Christian and those around him. 32 He believed that listening to one sermon a week would not affectively lead to sanctification. 33 He wrote I do not at all disapprove of the preaching of sermons... for I myself do this. But I find that this is not enough. 34 Spener advocated daily private Bible reading and meditation, 35 and he wrote that Christians should diligently read it (at home) and have it read to them. 36 Spener wrote in Pia Desideria that every housefather (should) keep a Bible... and read from it every day. 37 Because of this belief, Spener printed his sermons for home study and sponsored mass Bible 28 McGrath, 135. 29 Spener 91. 30 Spener, 87. 31 Woodridge, 453. 32 Halbrooks, G. Thomas, ed. Pietism. (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981), 277. 33 Bemesderfer, 17. 34 Spener, 87. 35 Woodridge, 454.Maxfield, 60. Stoeffler, German Pietism, 57. 36 Halbrooks, 277. 37 Spener, 88.

6 printings. He also wrote hymns and Bible commentaries for private use. 38 Some of his peers worried that laymen would begin to neglect their secular affairs if they began to stress daily bible study. Spener tried to prevent this mindset by promoting the idea that God called every Christian to roles and positions of influence and that God wants Christians to have good work ethics so that they can fulfill these roles, use these influences, and accomplish their work for His glory. Basically, Spener thought God called all Christians to a specific vocation, and he believed that the vocations could be used for God s glory and could be enjoyable. 39 Therefore, though daily bible study is very important for sanctification, God does not want it to take over one s life. 40 Others of his contemporaries argued that all would generate into chaos if laymen read Scripture privately. Spener believed this would only happen amongst those who liked to argue. In addition, he wrote that this would not be an issue if Christians conducted their bible studies correctly. 41 How should a Christian conduct his personal bible study? One can find the answer in Spener s work The Spiritual Priesthood. First of all, Christians should root their bible studies in prayer 42 and try to listen to the Holy Spirit while they read. Spener believed the efficacy of Scripture came not from the divine origin of Scripture but from the Holy Spirit living in believers. 43 However, the Holy Spirit, like God, did not work automatically. It came only with prayer, meditation, and pious living. 44 Unrepentant sin often prevented Christians from fully understanding a Scripture passage. 45 Moreover, though non-believers could read the Scripture and receive some truths, only believers 38 Stoeffler, German Pietism, 55 57. 39 Stein, 238. 40 Halbrooks, 282. 41 Ibid, 282. 42 Halbrooks, 280. Stein, 266. 43 Brown, 69. 44 Ibid, 72. 45 Spener, 21.

7 could interpret Scripture correctly and only believers could fully understand a biblical passage. 46 Thus, in contrast to his opponents who believed that an ungodly, unregenerate, but theologically trained man could pastor better than a godly, believing, but un-educated man, Spener believed even pastors and theologians could not fully interpret Scripture if they remained unregenerate. 47 Spener by no means promoted a rejection of training; he just preferred under-trained, inexperienced, but godly pastors who could learn and grow over time to the loose-living, scholarly pastors whose life styles would negate any good they could possible do. 48 To illustrate his position, Spener used the analogy of the seed. The seed s husk represented Scripture; the seed itself stood for the Holy Spirit. One cannot receive the heart of Scripture without the Holy Spirit. 49 Spener believed that a Christian limited the efficacy of his bible reading if he listened to his own reason over the Holy Spirit. 50 Spener wrote that some passages were too bright for us to understand with reason because they are speaking about infinite, holy things and humans live in a finite, fallen world. 51 In addition, because his opponents believed direct revelation could never occur, he criticized the church for quenching the Spirit by swinging too far the other way. In the words of Brown, He feared that a Spiritless Scripture would paralyze the very religious life... which the Bible had been given to awaken. 52 Spener thought that direct revelation did occur in extremely rare occasion. However, Spener believed that the Holy Spirit always worked with Scripture. 53 Also, contrary to many who believed the Scriptures were too difficult for the uneducated to read, Spener believed that even the uneducated believer could receive more truths 46 Brown, 72. Halbrooks, 279. Stoeffler, The Rise, 240. 47 Stein, 217. 48 Stein, 217. 49 Brown, 70. 50 Spener, 21. 51 Halbrooks, 278. 52 Brown, 70. 53 Ibid, 70.

8 from Scripture than the educated non-believer because God s Word gives the simple understanding and confounds the wise. 54 In addition to listening to the Holy Spirit, Christians should study every word because all of Scripture is inspired. As a biblical scholar, Spener not only became one of the first to promote the idea of progressive revelation, 55 but he also became one of the first to promote the reading of the passage before and after the main passage so that the Christian could receive the proper context for the passage they are studying. Furthermore, he advocated that the Christian should compare their passage with all of Scripture. 56 Spener also wrote that all Christians should try to learn the biblical languages so that they could read Scripture in the original languages; 57 however, he also believed that Christians should not use their lack of education as an excuse to not read because, though no translation (even Luther s) was perfect, the vernacular translations were accurate enough to generate edification. 58 In addition to reading in context, this thorough reading of the Word should also include a reading for application, not just for doctrine. 59 Spener wrote that reading the Bible solely to acquire knowledge would greatly hamper the benefits of reading Scripture, 60 especially if one desired to use that knowledge in order to harm another, debate with another, or to glorify oneself. 61 Finally, Spener wrote that Christians, both educated and uneducated, should focus on what is clear to them in Scripture and build on that. He believed that basic doctrine was plainly written in Scripture and that the Holy Spirit would slowly reveal more truth to the believer as 54 Halbrooks, 277 278. 55 Brown, 77. 56 Halbrooks, 280. 57 Stein, 266. Woodridge, 263. 58 Brown, 76 77. Halbrooks, 279. 59 Halbrooks, 280. 60 Spener, 21. 61 Halbrooks, 281.

9 they matured spiritually. 62 In one of his writings, he likened Scripture to a pool of water that was shallow enough for a lamb to wade but deep enough for an elephant to swim. 63 Therefore, they should not get discouraged if they do not understand everything. 64 He encouraged Christians to pass over temporarily what they could not understand. Later, the Holy Spirit might clarify the passage for them. If they wanted, they could also go to the pastor for an explanation of any passages they did not understand. 65 In order to avoid incorrect interpretations, Spener warned Christians against trying to form doctrine from passages that they found unclear, 66 writing Anybody who is not satisfied with his understanding of a matter should be permitted to express his doubts and seek further explanation. 67 Spener also advocated Christians discussing what they read with other Christians. 68 Therefore, he officially introduced a revolutionary idea in Pia Desideria, an idea that he had been developing for some time (The first known reference to it occurred in a sermon he preached in Frankfurt. 69 ): the small group bible study, calling it the collegia pietatis, or piety class. Spener intended these bible studies to supplement corporate worship, 70 with the goals to edify, console, encourage, warn, reprimand, and help, 71 through mutual inspiration, teaching, and guidance. 72 Concerning his collegia pietatis, he wrote that the preacher would learn to know the members of their own congregation and their weakness or growth in doctrine and piety, and a bond of confidence would be established... At the same time, the people would have a splendid 62 Halbrooks, 278 279. 63 Stein, 266. 64 Halbrooks, 278. 65 Halbrooks, 280. 66 Ibid, 281. 67 Spener, 89. 68 Stein, 91. 69 Spener, 13. 70 Stein, 98. 71 Brown, 67. 72 Crowner, 8, 10.

10 opportunity... to ask their questions... and get answers to them. In a short time, they would experience personal growth and would also become capable of giving (others) better instruction. 73 During these small group sessions, Christians would pray, share personal experience, and study the Bible, 74 as well as read devotional passages and discuss sermons. 75 Furthermore, Spener wrote that songs may be used in the proposed meetings for the praise of God and the inspiration of the participants. 76 Consequently, small groups allowed Christians to teach, convert from error, admonish, reprove, and comfort (each other) 77 as well as allowing Christians to get advice concerning the passages they did not understand. 78 Spener believed the small size of the groups would encourage all in the group to participate in discussions, to give concrete expression to... the priesthood of all believers, and to create a bulwark against the budding Enlightenment, 79 reform within the church. 80 and he believed these small groups would generate the much-needed Many grasped Spener s idea of small group bible study wholeheartedly and small groups began to grow throughout the Lutheran church, calling themselves ecclisiola in ecclesia, or the little church in the church. Many believe that Spener s idea of conducting small group bible studies stands as his biggest innovation and most lasting legacy to Christianity, 81 partly because of its universal and lasting nature since most Christian denominations have implemented small group bible studies. 82 Therefore, many historians argue that his idea of small group bible study helped to propel him 73 Spener, 90. 74 Crowner, 8, 10. 75 Brown, 61. Woodridge, 261. 76 Spener, 91. 77 Halbrooks, 284. 78 Ibid, 280. 79 Crowner, 8, 10. 80 Schneider, 4. 81 Yeide, 7. 82 Herzog, 19.

11 more quickly to the forefront of the Pietism movement than his Pia Desideria. 83 Spener was well aware of the novelty of his idea; therefore, he recommended caution, counseled patience, and advised a reliance on the Holy Spirit in order to avoid conflict and prevent individuals from taking his ideas too far, 84 writing, It would perhaps not be inexpedient (and I set this down for further and more mature reflection) to reintroduce the ancient and apostolic kind of church meeting. In addition to our customary church services with preaching, other assemblies would also be held. 85 According to Herzog, one can see the originality of Spener s idea through the test of delaying tactics; Christians, though later universally accepting the idea, hotly debated it in his lifetime. 86 Indeed, many historians believe Spener received more criticism for his idea of small group bible studies than anything else. 87 Much of the criticism stemmed from false rumors. For example, some falsely believed Spener held these meetings so that women could preach. Others even believed the pernicious lie that men and women often stripped themselves in order to see if their fellow Christians still battled lust. Spener vehemently protested against both of these rumors. 88 Ultimately, when it came to the collegia pietatis, Clergymen felt threatened in their status... (Theologians) resented the brash incursion of outsiders into their academic preserve, and the complacent were disturbed by appeals for change and for departure from what was familiar, customary, and comfortable. 89 In other words, most of the resistance came from those who did not like changing the status quo. 90 83 Yeide, 18. 84 Bemesderfer, 21. Stein, 133, 269. 85 Spener, 89. 86 Herzog, 16. 87 Brown, 60. 88 Stein, 90. 89 Spener, 19. 90 Stein, 103.

12 Although some incorrect rumors floated around these ecclesiola in ecclesia, nevertheless they did sometimes incubate some truly negative tendencies. 91 First of all, the small groups tended to focus more on experience than doctrine. Therefore, many mystics and spiritualists not only advocated for these small group bible studies but also attended them. 92 Not only did the small groups tend to focus too much on experiences but they also tended to focus more on teaching Christian living than teaching Christian doctrine. Also, since attendees to the small groups often represented the more spiritually mature in the congregation, 93 the small groups tended to emphasize the universal church, to incubate an inclusive mindset, and to foster feelings of self-righteousness. 94 All of these helped feed the heretical separatists, 95 or radical pietists, 96 who advocated completely supplanting corporate worship with small group bible study. 97 In the words of Tappert, the collegia pietatis sometimes led to Donatism combined with separatism. 98 Indeed, many pietists themselves held separatists beliefs. As proof, many of Spener s opponents pointed out that a separatists group existed even in Spener s Frankfurt. 99 Furthermore, many of Spener s friends, like Jean de Labadie and Johann Jakob Schutz who both greatly influenced Spener s idea for reform and also directly helped him birth the first collegia pietatis, later became separatists, causing many orthodox Lutherans to eye Spener in order to see if he would become a separatist as well. 100 Because of the connection between Spener and his small group bible studies with radical pietists and extreme mystics, many of Spener s contemporaries saw his 91 Yeide, 32. 92 Spener, 27. 93 Herzog, 19. 94 Yeide, 31. 95 Stein, 91. 96 Schneider, 178. 97 Ibid, ix. 98 Spener, 20. 99 Schneider, 21. 100 Herzog, 25.

13 small group bible studies, if not the pietist movement as a whole, as heretical. 101 Essentially, many orthodox Lutherans, in the words of Herzog, tried to throw out the baby with the bath. 102 Partly in response to those who criticized his idea as heretical and partly as a response to the separatist movement, Spener consistently wrote that he did not want to create a sect within Lutheranism, routinely pointing his followers to their local pastors for guidance and habitually admonishing the radical pietists for crossing lines he believed he had clearly drawn. 103 First of all, Spener wrote that the small groups should remain under the authority of the pastor. 104 In Pia Desideria, he wrote, (The preacher) retains leadership in these meetings. 105 Some Christians were even replacing their corporate worship with small group bible study. Sometimes small groups conducted the sacraments in their meetings, something which Spener thought needed to stay within the confines of corporate worship. 106 Spener believed Christians came dangerously close to separatism when they crossed these lines. 107 Spener continually advocated for corporate worship because he did not want to see the Sabbath desecrated by secular activity and because he believed corporate worship often brought great edification and usually led to growth, 108 writing It is wrong to conclude from recognition of the church s faults... that it is not the true church and that separation from its services and sacraments is justified. 109 Ultimately, he taught that a church should strive to become purely regenerate; however, they could never fully achieve it. 110 Because of this, he argued that it was better to stay within the confines of a corrupt church than 101 Schneider, ix. 102 Herzog, 17. 103 Schneider, 178. Stein, 269. 104 Herzog, 19. 105 Spener, 90. 106 Crowner, 8, 10. 107 Brown, 61. 108 Stein, 245. 109 Spener, 20. 110 Stein, 211.

14 remain outside the church. 111 Throughout his life, Spener had to continually distance himself from radial pietists, 112 though he also repeatedly urged them to come back to the church, 113 because he had to routinely defend the pietist movement as a whole against the attacks of his fearful proponents. 114 Though the idea of holding small groups in order to study Scripture still remains Spener s biggest legacy, he also believed in the power of Scripture in corporate worship. Indeed, Spener always worked within the church as a lead pastor and continually promoted his reform from within the context of the local church. 115 According to Schneider, Spener strove to reform the church from within. 116 Spener believed that much of the corruption in the Lutheran church did not spring from the church institution itself but sprang from corruption in the clergy 117 and that the congregants were just following the examples of their leaders, 118 writing What comes from the heart goes to the heart. 119 Spener believed that pastoring came with a special calling. 120 Because God had placed pastors into special positions of spiritual leadership, a pastor held the greatest sway over the renewal or death of his congregation. 121 Because of this, Spener wrote that pastors absolutely must live godly lives or they will corrupt their witness and their ability to lead. 122 In addition, Spener wanted to reform how pastors preached. Spener wrote that preaching needed to be edifying, exegetical, and expository instead of rhetorical, academic, or 111 Brown, 62. Stein, 93. Yeide, 6. 112 Schneider, 62. 113 Brown, 62. 114 Schneider, 21. 115 Yeide, 27. 116 Schneider, 17. 117 Stein, 218. 118 Herzog, 13. 119 Stein, 217. 120 Halbrooks, 277. 121 Stoeffler, German Pietism, 25. 122 Stein, 217.

15 entertaining. 123 Looking at Spener, one sees a man who did not possess great speaking ability. In fact, Spener himself acknowledged this flaw in his writings. However, he did follow his own advice and thus became a good example for other pastors. For example, Spener always prepared extensively for all of his sermons. 124 According to contemporaries, he always attempted to communicate Scripture in a simple way so that all would comprehend. 125 Though a linguistic expert, he very rarely used Greek or Hebrew words in his own sermons because he knew his congregants would not understand. 126 He also possessed great faith and godliness, thus modeling for his congregation what he preached. 127 In the words of Stein, Even his adversaries found little in his life that could be used as ammunition against him... He set a new tone for clerical performance in exegetical preaching, pastoral care, and catechetical instruction. 128 Spener also greatly promoted seminary education, helping to start a seminary in Halle, 129 and he advised seminaries to reform their curriculum in order to focus more on Bible devotion, the Christian life, and linguistic studies. 130 For example, since he believed the pastors held the final say with interpretation in their local churches, he habitually petitioned seminaries to make a hermeneutics class part of the required curriculum. 131 Though he advocated for a new emphasis in these areas, he by no means wanted biblical study to replace theological study. 132 Indeed, Spener himself possessed great theological knowledge. 133 Therefore, Spener saw corporate worship and the pastorate as essential for the life of the church. 123 Brown, 74. Stein, 267 268. 124 Bemesderfer, 17. 125 Stein, 269. 126 Brown, 76. 127 Stein, 269. 128 Ibid, 277. 129 Jaggar, Spener. 130 Stoeffler, German Pietism, 25. Woodridge, 454. 131 Brown, 75. 132 Ibid, 86. 133 Stein, 270.

16 Though Spener greatly valued the pastorate and believed in the edifying power of exegetical preaching, seeing it as essential for sanctification, nevertheless, Spener also promoted the increase in the exercise of the priesthood of all believers. Indeed, according to Stein, Spener may have been the first person to realize the full potential of Luther s doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. 134 For example, he wrote that pastors should seek ministerial help from laymen, and he admonished laymen to help their pastors in ministerial work. 135 In addition, though some advocated that only pastors needed to know the deep understanding of a passage and that laymen should just be willing to accept a simple reading, Spener advocated all Christians striving toward a deeper understanding. 136 Spener wrote that those advocating only keeping a simple reading were actually disobeying God, diminishing His honor, and ultimately hindering the good which would have come from a deeper understanding of Scripture. 137 Indeed, Spener also believed that individuals should not just blindly trust what a preacher said in his sermon. He believed pastors could preach fallible sermons. 138 He wrote that Christians should test the teaching of their preacher... Their faith [should] not be founded upon the reputation and faith of a man, but upon divine truth. 139 If they found the preacher s interpretation to be correct, then they should do what the pastor says. If not, then they should privately seek the advice of other Christians in order to see if their own interpretation possesses some error. After multiple meetings, if the Christians cannot rectify their own interpretation, then those Christians should privately meet with the pastor to discuss the passage. If after several meetings, the Christians still see an error 134 Stein, 91. 135 Woodridge, 454. 136 Halbrooks, 281. 137 Ibid, 277. 138 Maxfield, 60. 139 Halbrooks, 277.

17 in the pastor s interpretation, and the pastor will not repent of the error, then Spener wrote that the church should see the pastor as a false teacher. 140 Therefore, Spener advocated reform of the Christian life and the church through more extensive use and better use of the Word. In order to accomplish, he promoted his ideas of daily independent bible studies and weekly small group bible studies to supplement Sunday corporate worship. First of all, because Spener believed Christians needed more Scripture in their lives than one Sunday a week, he advised Christians to have daily individual bible studies. While conducting these bible studies, they should listen to the Holy Spirit, study the Scripture thoroughly, build off what they understand, and leave what they don t understand for later. As well as individual bible study, Spener advocated Christians attend a weekly small group bible study where they can fellowship and learn from other Christians. Of all his ideas, this one generated the most opposition and the most problems but left the longest legacy. Though Spener saw individual bible study and small group bible study as necessary for spiritual growth, he viewed Sunday corporate worship as the most essential because this allowed Christians both to worship God in mass and to hear edifying preaching from a learned and godly pastor. In the end, though Spener s revolutionary ideas precipitated great opposition, most Protestant churches since his time have implemented his ideas. In the words of Tappert, The influence he had on his contemporaries and on later generations... cannot easily be comprehended. 141 140 Halbrooks, 287. 141 Spener, 28.

18 BIBLIOGRAPHY Bemesderfer, James O. Pietism and its Influence upon the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Evangelical Press, 1966. Brown, Dale W. Understanding Pietism. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdman Publishing Co., 1978. Crowner, David, and Gerald Christianson,. The Spirituality of the German Awakening. New York City: Paulist Press, 2003. Jaggar, William L. "Philipp Jokob Spener and the Pietist Movement." Class lecture, Church History II from Luther Rice Seminary, Lithonia, GA, Spring 2014. Halbrooks, G. Thomas, ed. Pietism. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981. Herzog, Frederick. European Pietism Reviewed. San Jose, California: Pickwick Publications, 2003. Maxfield, John A., ed. The Pieper Lectures. St. Louis: Concordia Historical Institute and The Luther Academy, 1999. McGrath, Alister E. Historical Theology. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Placher, William C. Readings in the History of Christian Theology. Vol. 2. Louisville, Kentucky: The Westminster Press, 1988. Schneider, Hans. German Radical Pietism. Translated by Gerald T. MacDonald. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2007. Spener, Philip Jacob. Pia Desideria. Edited by Theodore G. Tappert. Translated by Theodore G. Tappert. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1964. Stein, K. James. Philipp Jokob Spener. Chicago: Covenant Press, 1986.

19 Stoeffler, F. Ernest. German Pietism during the Eighteenth Century. Leiden, the Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1973.. The Rise of Evangelical Pietism. Leiden, the Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1965. Woodridge, John D., and Frank A. James III. Church History. Vol. II. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2013. Yeide, Harry, Jr. Studies in Classical Pietism. Vol. VI. New York City: Peter Lang, 1997.