Very interesting video, Dr. Reeves. Thank you. As a Catholic who is considering joining the Lutheran Church (LCMS), I have been struggling with bringing forward mysticism, so prevalent in Roman Catholicism, pietism and personal emotional experiences that have been my own path to Christian conversion. I am worried that such experiences could present an obstacle to my being a Lutheran. I absolutely love Martin Luther, the Confessions and the Book of Concord, but what worries me is that my accent on the above could be seen as anti-Lutheran or at least questioned by the church leadership.

The great pendulum. It gets us every time.

Hey, my brother. I describe myself as a liberal Anglican Christian, which, I suppose, moves me to a deep appreciation of the even-handedness with which you treat every period, age, group, movement, system and polity making up the Body of Christ. I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to you.

Thank you so much for another great lecture!

Anyone who thinks the Pietist lost to the Orthodox has never spent five minutes talking about faith with a Lutheran layperson. ;)

@benk6737

8 жыл бұрын

Surely that's influence from contemporary evangelicalism, not Lutheran pietism per se?

Lutheran Pietism vs Calvinism Pietism, what's the difference between these two fields of theology? I have read that many in the early Lutheran/Calvinist movement could be described as being divided over the authority of the evolving doctrine of predestination i.e. the idea of free will and whether atonement is universal or limited-works vs faith, justification and sanctification. I find it interesting that by the 1690s Protestantism was seeking out and adopting Pietism as the new brand of discipline in reform Christian belief and that the idea of faith (being incumbent in Christian belief--as such if faith can be clearly defined) was being challenged. As you say, hierarchical Protestantism was being challenged; and as such was becoming outdated in many peoples’ minds. Gives rise to the movement toward Pietism and away from embracing a regimented institutional legalism without the notion of sanctification. Interesting how religion reinvents itself and evolves over time. I have been reading about the ideas of the moderate Lutheran reformer Philipp Jakob Spener and his published Pia Desideria, and the collegia pietatis. In these readings he is described as wanting to avoid unwanted conflicts with the religious power-brokers by limiting and controlling lay participation in Bible study sessions. Was this a form of censorship? Can you elaborate? I’m also reading about Gerrit Tersteegen, Johann Valentin Andreä, Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf as well as other religious groups that seem to embrace some forms of Pietism e.g. Protestant revivalism and evangelicalism (which you mention in this video) of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: Catholic Jansenists, Protestant Camisards, English Methodists and Jewish Hasidism in eastern Europe. Here are a few of my sources: 1) Erb, Peter C., ed. Pietists: Selected Writings. New York, 1983. Excerpts from the works of Spener, Francke, Tersteegen, Zinzendorf, and others. 2) Spener, Philipp Jakob. Pia Desideria. Translated and edited by Theodore G. Tappert. Philadelphia, 1964. 3) Geschichte des Pietismus. Vol. 1: Der Pietismus vom siebzehnten bis zum frühen achtzehnten Jahrhundert. Edited by Martin Brecht. Vol. 2: Der Pietismus im achtzehnten Jahrhundert. Edited by Martin Brecht and Klaus Deppermann. Vol. 3: Der Pietismus im neunzehnten und zwanzigsten Jahrhundert. Edited by Ulrich Gäbler. Göttingen, 1993-.

Dr. Reeves, thank you so much for your lectures. I am a member in a Lutheran Pietistic church and you just converted me to true Lutheranism again. :D

Wow this was tremendously informative! Thank you!

We Arndt justified by feelings. Ayoooo

Great Video! I had been looking for a video on the history of Pietism and how it developed)

Great work!

"no one will be justified other than those intent on sanctification" That sounds like he is saying that those who are justified will seek sanctification. That's not quite the same as making sanctification the grounds of justification. Or am I missing something? I'm just going off of this quote.

@jasonc0065

8 жыл бұрын

It was his way of saying that "if He is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all". Such pressure to prove oneself is hazardous for one's emotional as well as intellectual health. Pietism is the seeker sensitive movement in essence

But seriously thanks for this, it was great!

Dear Doctor Reeve. His name isn't Spencer but SPENER!!! Don't know if this will get to you but the mistake should be a bit embarrassing.

@RyanReevesM

7 жыл бұрын

Honest typo, frankly. The videos were live takes on the mic and edited quickly around this time. Errata from the notes led to me saying it the wrong way. But I have plenty of things in life to be embarrassed by. I embrace my mistakes as an opportunity to learn, at least! :))

@ldwenzel1

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your reply and explanation. I find Spener and this period of German church history very interesting. Have you ever considered doing a talk on Jacob Boehme? Also, I see and plan to hear your many talks on C.S. Lewis. I am fascinated by the attacks by some very conservative Christians who rail on their websites that Lewis (and Tolkein) were inspired by the Occult in their fantasy writing. While one can reject most of their wild contentions, still I wonder if they have even a tiny point to make. There is, for example, Lewis' close friendship with Barfield, a card carrying Anthroposophist a fact that evangelical Lewis scholars seem to avoid at all costs. Care to comment? Here or privately at wenzel.ld@gmail.com

Protestants really need to declare Gutenberg a saint and create a festival for him, cause without that piece of technology, and the existence of a very large class of literates, the Reformation could never have happened. I guess that's why God had to wait so many centuries, so that some northern Euroepan men could finally figure out what Christianity really was...Very sloppy of Him.

@SvenskaKrig1709

6 жыл бұрын

That is a strawman, and you know it. It was never about finding a new way, but fixing the corrupt, and decadent ways of the Roman Church. However rather than fix their sinful ways, the sought to burn, and behead us. So then we decided it will just be better to make a new church.