Understanding Pietism

by Dale W. Brown

Dale Brown began his study of pietism nearly forty years ago "during the height of the ascendancy of the bitterly anti-pietistic neo- orthodox scholasticism." At that time pietism was a bogey implying moralism, subjectivism, emotionalism, and a host of other such "-isms." Brown set about to assess pietism in its historical situation, and to clearly define it as a term describing a historical movement instead of a group of traits present in contempory Christianity. Today many Christians are looking to pietism for answers to the problems of postmodernism. The new revision of this classic work will give scholars and laypersons excellent insight into the significant theological movement of pietism.

Genres: Church History, History, Theology

125 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dale Brown's study and apologetic for Pietism offers some wonderful insights into the theology of Spener, Francke and other Pietists. He examines Pietist ecclesiology, their doctrine of scripture and proper interpretation of it, the centrality of regeneration, the experience of new birth in the Spirit, their 'otherworldliness' and the ways in which it was tempered by their activism. He concludes with a contemporary critique of where Pietism has run amok into ethics, individualism but he also explores the gifts Pietism has to teach us in our day (namely as a reform/renewal movement it called people beyond doctrinal formulations to an experiential faith.

Brown's research into the Pietists began while he was working on his doctorate and heard many criticisms and dismissals launched at the Pietists in academia. His own heritage is Brethren so he had a vested interest in exploring the teaching of the Pietists (the Brethren are heirs of Pietism). What he discovered is that many of their so-called weaknesses are offset by their strengths. Pietism calls those who experience new birth to live lives characterized by faithfulness. Such a prophetic challenge remains important.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good explanation of what Pietism is and is not. Brown analyzes the early Pietist writers in relation to their critics and traces the influence of Pietism on later Protestant movements. His last chapter, A Contemporary Critique, however is heavily biased by his personal religious beliefs.This book requires a good grounding in Christian theology and its terminology.

[James Stroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

A valuable contribution that corrects the common caricatures and misrepresentations of this movement, based upon his doctoral dissertation and his continued research in Germany afterwards. Brown evaluates and gives a restrained defense of Pietism primarily in relation to Lutheran and mainline Protestant criticism, and seems to bend over backwards in order to accomodate them, fearful that he might be considered "biased" in favor of the movement. He evaluates primarily the Spener-Francke axis, and does not deal with those "Radical Pietist" who could be considered closer to the western esotericism of Jacob Boehme than Evangelical Protestantism. There are a few questionable historical conclusions, such as tracing Darby-Scofield Dispensationalism to Pietism. In his own views and critiques he does not inform us of his own presuppositions by which he evaluates it. This is primarily a historical study, and contains no careful or thorough exegetical or biblical-theological examination of the movement.

[Denise Kettering · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Dale Brown originally wrote his dissertation on Pietism, there were very few things written about this movement in England, and those that were generally portrayed it as a negative movement that had led to a degenerate Christianity. Thus, Brown sets out to create an apologetic for the movement and generally succeeds in explaining several of the key elements of Spener and Francke's theology as well as how some of these theological themes, when taken to excess by later generations could cause problems. The strength of Brown's work is identifying and carrying through some of the key themes of the early Pietists, such as the ways that individuality and subjectivity became a part of this movement in contrast to earlier Lutheran manifestations in particular. As an introduction to the Pietist movement and Pietist theology, this book continues to serve as a good resource. The revised edition provides an updated bibliography and points towards some newer sources for those that want to read more about this movement.

[Garrett Erskine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brown deals fairly with a subject that is altogether foreign for the North American Church. He explains the key characters in the German pietist movement, known only to North American churches through Wesley's influential interactions with the Moravians. The book covers the two primary figures in the early movement situated in Halle, Philipp Jakob Spener and August Hermann Francke. These churchmen have strongly influenced the Swedish church movements prominent in North America being the Evangelical Covenant Church, the Evangelical Free Church, and the Baptist General Conference. Brown provides a firm outline of these two theologians and provides explanations for the roots of these three traditions.

[Eric Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is now thirty-five years old, I found this to be a great introduction to the pietist tradition and many of its criticisms and misunderstandings. It is easy to read, relatively short in length, and to the point. Although Brown comes from a pietist tradition and makes clear his biases, he nevertheless provides a even handed treatment of the topic, always to point out weaknesses the tradition may have. He also does a fine job separating classical or churchly pietism from radical pietism and the variances that cause confusion with the tradition. His final chapter, a contemporary critique on the tradition, may be more relevant now than when it was originally published.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is foolish to use "pietist" as a negative label. The more I learn about Pietism, the more it seems that the label fits my heritage.

[Joel S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad introduction to Pietism but certainly a bit defensive of some of the more common critiques of the movement.