The Franckesche Stiftungen in Halle, Germany will be holding a conference entitled “Luther and Pietism”.  The conference begins October 28 and comes to a close on the 30th.  Click here for the conference program.

The Third International Conference for the Study of Pietism begins tomorrow!

Earlier this summer I participated in the Moravian Archive´s German Script Course, and yesterday, I completed the course on German handwriting offered by the Franckesche Stiftungen.  It was a week-long course that combined periods for deciphering handwriting with an extremely useful introduction to the German library system, the various bibliographical materials available, and the offerings of the Stiftungen.

This is the fifth year of the course, and I highly recommend it for those considering research in Halle.

The course is entitled, “Einführungskurs in die Arbeit mit Handschriften und alten Drucken aus den Beständen des Archivs und der Bibliothek der Franckeschen Stiftungen,” and is offered annually.

While Jonathan Strom’s essay, “Promises and Problems of Pietism Research” (Church History, Sept. 2002) has made waves in the field, Robert Kolb’s recent work has gone under the radar.  For a beneficial consideration of current research on seventeenth-century Lutheran orthodoxy see Robert Kolb’s “Lutheran Theology in Seventeenth-Century Germany,” (Lutheran Quarterly, 20:4 Winter 2006).

Craig Atwood’s latest work, The Theology of the Czech Brethren from Hus to Comenius, is now available!

Here is an excerpt, provided by Valentin Ernst Löscher, of an edict from Anhalt-Zerbst issued against Pietism:

Various people have crept in little by little who disseminate all sorts of Weigelian, fanatical, anabaptistic, even Socinian doctrines.  They credibly explained these things, and they endeavored to impart these radical opinions to the simple people.  They taught that Holy Scripture, the imperishable, living word of God, in and of itself was mere dead letter, that it must first be raised to power by the inner spirit and indwelling light of the person who hears or reads it, and that it receives its legitimate explanation and true connection from the same source.  Above all things, they relied on this inner impulse and testimony, even when only this was present.  No special consideration was given to either the knowledge, or the understanding, or the wholesome instruction of the preaching ministry, or to the holy sacraments.  The preached word of God was regarded as having its best and grandest activity from the spirit of the one preaching.  The holy sacraments were regarded as nothing else than a church ceremony grown into much abuse, which one can abandon in the present condition of the church.

For them, everything depends merely and alone on the piety of the will, on the denial of one’s self, on good works (which are certainly not to be rejected in themselves, if done properly), and especially on a holy life secluded from others.  True, saving faith consists alone of keeping the commandments of God.  Not only have the mysteries of faith, which is the principle part of our Christian religion, and the very necessary defense of this faith against false teachers, been pushed into the background, but also the chief articles of our faith (rebirth, justification, sanctification, law and gospel) have been brought into a most dangerous confusion.  Particularly the merit and atonement of our dear Redeemer, through whom alone we must obtain the grace of God, forgiveness of sins, righteousness and eternal salvation, has been obscured and scorned.

Therefore, no one should even think of neglecting to hear the preached word, of slandering the preaching ministry in any way, or of allowing anyone, without distinction, to enter the public ministry under the pretext of the spiritual priesthood.  Further, no one should regard confession, especially private confession, which has been introduced into the church for the better instruction of the simple and the comfort of the troubled, as an abomination.  No one should abstain from receiving the Lord’s Supper with our Christians because they think that this Lord’s Supper is a part of Babel.  No one is to explain the Holy Scriptures in secret conventicles according to fanatical principles, which are found in all sorts of dangerous books, writings and tracts, in which all is dark and unintelligible, and the manner of speaking used is completely different from the expression of God’s word, in which alone our faith is grounded.  These writings are not to be dragged in among the people, since they are blasphemous, Quakerish, filled with the Socinian poison, and doctrinal points are maintained which lead to indifferentism and naturalism.

—March 7, 1709

“The term ‘Radical Pietist’ ought to be reserved for those who are to be placed biographically into the narrower context of the Pietist movement, namely, those who were ‘awakened’ through Spener, Undereyck, or their pupils and thereby received their mentor’s stamp even if they later pursued a more radical course.”

Hans Schneider, German Radical Pietism (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2007), 4.

Wonder how you’ll ever figure out those tricking German script styles of the seventeenth and eighteenth century?  Help is just around the corner – well, just around the seasonal corner.  Every summer the Moravian Archives offers a German Script course focusing on German letters and manuscripts from its collection .  It’s a well run course, providing two weeks of intensive study in a small group setting.  You’ll walk away able to decipher the different letters and abbreviations used at different periods of German script.  It is well worth your time and money.  I should know.  I’m an alumni.  Click on the link below for more information.

German Script Course, Moravian Archives

The Third International Conference for Pietism Research (III. Internationaler Kongress fuer Piestismusforschung) will be held between August 30 and September 2, 2009 at the Historisches Waisenhaus, Franckesche Stiftungen (Halle, Germany). Entitled, “‘Evidenced from God’s Word and personal experience’: Experience-Faith, Recognition, and Action in Pietism,” the conference offers one of the few opportunities to hear current work in the field. Here is a link to the full description:

Pietism Conference, Halle
or this link for the schedule and prices

Editors Hartmut Lehmann, James Van Horn Melton, and Jonathan Strom recently published Pietism in Germany and North America, 1680-1820.  It’s one of only a few volumes that takes up the transatlantic nature of the religious movement.