DOCSLIB.ORG

Pietism and the Challenges of Modernity

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Pietism and the Challenges of Modernity occasional papers of the chester ronning centre ————————————————— I ————————————————— Pietism and the Challenges of Modernity R lectures by David J. Goa — Cam Harder Eugene L. Boe the chester ronning centre for the study of religion and public life THE CHESTER RONNING CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE augustana campus, university of alberta OUR PURPOSE To cultivate a deeper understanding of issues and themes at the intersection of religion, faith, and public life and to do so in the academy, in the public forum, and in religious communities. OUR MISSION To establish a hospitable ambience in which women and men of faith and of social concern are encouraged to join in a continuing conversation on the relationship between religion and public life. OUR GOAL To focus and inform the thinking of all who deal with issues and themes where religious faith and public life intersect, and to enhance public com­ prehension and religious understanding on these subjects. We will do this through promoting • interdisciplinary research, meetings, and publications that foster an active community of discourse among scholars and public intellectuals on issues that arise where religion and public life come into contact; • ethical reflection that draws on religious as well as secular sources in addressing such themes as human rights, our care for the life of the world, and our appreciation of di:erences among cultures; • understanding among public figures of the broad significance of religious perspectives for the shaping of public policy; and • awareness within religious communities of the fragile and complex nature of the public sphere in a pluralistic world. OUR ACTIVITIES • Forums on Religion and Public Life • Religion and Public Life Seminars • Augustana Distinguished Lectures • Ronning Centre Consultations • Cafés on Religion and Public Life • Ronning Centre Conferences • Ronning Centre Study Circles • Research Projects • Ronning Centre Round Tables • Publications THE FRIENDS OF THE CHESTER RONNING CENTRE An Invitation The Friends of the Chester Ronning Centre provides an opportunity for interested and concerned men and women, whether or not they are in any way religious, to join us in a hospitable context as we explore the compelling issues and themes that must engage our attention wherever religion, faith, and public life intersect. In this way it becomes possible for a wide and diverse group of people to contribute to, and benefit from, a better understanding of religious perspectives on public life and public perspectives on religious beliefs, practices, and organizations. We invite you to become a Friend of the Chester Ronning Centre. Friends of the Centre will receive • invitations to our conferences, seminars, lectures, forums, cafés, study circles, and symposiums; • our regular newsletter; • noti;cations of our publications and research projects; • invitations to conversations with public intellectuals and scholars, going beyond the mere news stories of the day; and • opportunities to influence and support fruitful conversation and research on the most compelling religious and public issues of our time. For more information please call us at 1 780 679 1558, or write to The Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life Augustana Campus, University of Alberta 4901 - 46th Avenue Camrose, AB t4v 2r3 occasional papers of the chester ronning centre i The presentation and the publication of the papers in this booklet have been funded by the Chester Ronning Centre Distinguished Visiting Fellows Endowment occasional papers of the chester ronning centre ————————————————— I ————————————————— Pietism and the Challenges of Modernity R lectures by David J. Goa — Cam Harder Eugene L. Boe camrose, alberta the chester ronning centre for the study of religion and public life 2011 The Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life University of Alberta, Augustana Campus 4901 - 46th Avenue Camrose, AB, Canada t4v 2r3 <www.augustana.ca/ronning> Director: David J. Goa Telephone 1 780 679 1104 E-mail <[email protected]> R Chester Alvin Ronning, OC, CC (1894–1984), in whose memory the Centre is named, Principal of Camrose Lutheran College, 1927–42, subsequently served Canada as one of her most eminent diplomats. He and his family made their home in Camrose Contents Prefatory Note . vii Pietism, a Prairie Story: Spiritual Transformation or Colonization by David J. Goa . 1 Pietism and the Social Transformation of Norway by Cam Harder . 15 Pietism and the Sacraments in the Christian Life: The Contribution of Erik Pontoppidan by Eugene L. Boe . 39 Pietism and the Bible in the New World: Reading for Friendship, Reading for Proof by David J. Goa . 59 Biographical Notes . 74 v Prefatory Note Having studied theology at Bethel and Göttingen in Germany and later at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, I rarely ran into Pietists who would claim that name proudly. The word Pietist was usually used pejoratively to describe someone who was legalistic, moralistic, pre­ occupied with personal salvation and little given to the social, cultural, and economic issues of our day. Even friends who acknowledged they grew up in a Pietist household and parish oken remarked that they were trying to overcome their past. A common way of doing this was to turn to a historical- critical reading of the Bible rather than the literal and devotional approach that had suIced for their parents. A more radical way was to leave the church completely, since it appeared to require unquestioning adherence to certain moral absolutes and a Fxed set of beliefs. When I moved to Camrose to start teaching at Camrose Lutheran College, I found myself in a town in which many claimed Norwegian Lutheran Pietism as their initial spiritual home: for good or ill. Messiah Lutheran Church and the Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute and Camrose Lutheran College itself were founded by Norwegian Pietists. My perspective on Pietism gradually started to shik. There were those who seemed to Ft into the stereotype of people devoted to their own spiritual purity by “not drinking, not dancing, not playing cards”. But, then again, even some of those seemed to have a deep concern and compassion for others. So I was delighted when David Goa, director the Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life, started talking with Pastor Ken Ward at Messiah Lutheran in Camrose and with the folks at Trinity Lutheran in Edmonton about doing a series on Pietism. What especially intrigued me was that David Goa, whose father was a Pietist and a socialist, was going to try to recover some of the genius of Pietism rather than rehearse the stereotypical critiques. Stereotypes have some truth to them, though one-sided. So what ex­ plains the stereotype that Pietists have a dour piety marked by many “do not”s? David Goa in “Pietism, a Prairie Story” examines what happened to Norwegian Pietism when it came to the USA and Canada. Like other vi immigrants, Norwegian Pietists were confronted by a diJerent language and culture that did not convey the same meanings, associations, or his ­ torical resonances that their Norwegian mother tongue had conveyed. The young generation not only learned to think and speak in English. The theological literature that was available in English and that appeared to have a good spiritual discipline came from Great Plains evangelicalism and fundamentalism and was thus quite diJerent in focus from Hans Nielsen Hauge’s writings and thought. Another reason that it was hard for Hauge’s thought to cross the ocean and be the main inspiration for Norwegian Lutherans was that—in part owing to the inGuence of fundamentalism —“the moral imagination was being colonized”. For Hauge the focus was on a spiritual transformation that led from despair to a life-giving involve­ ment with those in need. But to save the next generation from despair and darkness, many lovingly protective parents replaced spiritual transforma­ tion as the heart of Christian faith with moral do’s and don’ts. Cam Harder gives us a fresh perspective on Hans Nielsen Hauge that many within the tradition in the Prairies will be surprised at. Hauge’s conversion experience at age 25 led him from cynicism and despair to a joyful faith in God and a very active, entrepreneurial life of improving the social and economic circumstances of the bonder in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Norway. He gave women leadership roles. He equipped the laity to study the Bible on their own and to connect their faith to the challenges they and their neighbours were facing in this world. He laid the groundwork for future trade unions and for political parties and voluntary associations in Norway. He rediscovered in his own way that if the church is to fulFl its task of spiritual formation for active disciple­ ship in this world, then “small is beautiful”, to borrow E.F. Schumacher’s phrase. Most of his preaching and teaching happened in small groups in homes (conventicles) and in the open air; and yet he always valued the Sunday gatherings at church for Word and Sacrament. This should give hope to our small rural and urban congregations. The preaching of the Word and the right administration of the Sac­ raments have been the two key signs of where the Church of Christ is pres­ ent from the time of the Lutheran Confessions on. So what are some of the distinctive giks and challenges that Pietism brings to the reading of the Bible and to the use of the Sacraments? To these questions the Fnal vii two articles turn. Eugene Boe describes and analyses Danish Pietist Erik Pontoppidan’s writings concerning the sacraments which had a signiFcant inGuence on Hans Nielsen Hauge. Pontoppidan describes the sacrament of baptism (very much as Luther does) as a means of grace for children.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 61- BOOK REVIEW SECTION (All Inquiries and Correspondence
    BOOK REVIEW SECTION (All inquiries and correspondence pertaining to the reviewing of books should be addressed to: Karen Robinson, PNEUMA Book Review Editor, Library, Oral Roberts University, 7777 South Lewis, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74171). Andreas Aarflot, Hans Nielsen Hauge: His Life and Message (Minneapolis:Augsburg Publishing House, 1979). Reviewed by Donald Dean Smeeton. This book is a cistern from which one might draw many kinds of water, but all are portable. The person os Norwegian descent will find material to satisfy his thirst for his spiritual roots. The historian of theology will taste an often-needed balance to the superficial judgment that eighteenth century Lutheranism was only rationalistic orthodoxy. The advocate of lay leadership will relish this practical paradigm of the lay activist and, of course, the person with pneumatological interests will drink deeply from the creative thinking and courageous life of this preacher-theologian. Although Hans Nielsen Hauge is not widely known outside Scandi- navia, he was the most important revivalist-not in the pejorative sense of an evangelist, but in the truer sense of one who provokes spiritual awakenings-in the history of Norwegian Christianity. Hauge dated his commitment to ministry to a profound, estatic experience which Aarflot suggests "had the character of a baptism in the Spirit as was known later in the Pentecostal movement" (p. 22). Although without formal theological training, Hauge synthesized liturgical Lutheranism and pietistic practice with limited accommoda- tions to the liberation of the Enlightenment. Even if one doubts that Hauge was influenced by the Enlightenment to the extent indicated by Aarflot, Hauge definitely combined the tenets of orthodox theology with the flame of spiritual fire.
    [Show full text]
  • The Free Church Tradition and Worship* I ~Ssl!ME That It Is Corporate and Pu~Lic Wor~Hip That I.S Primarily III Nund
    The Free Church Tradition and Worship* I ~SSl!ME that it is corporate and pu~lic wor~hip that i.s primarily III nund. Our fathers used to call It "SOCIal worship" and r wonder whether any significance attaches to the fact Ijjhat we now caU it ." public worship." :At this point, as with our doctrinal in­ heritance, we are part of the fruit of the great RefoTInation mo~­ ment of the 16th century and the heirs not of one but of several of the great reformers of that century. Our heritage is a varied and complex one. It is this which accounts both for its strength and its weakness. First and foremost comes our debt to Luther. For 'IJhe mediaeval Church the Mass was the centre and climax of worship. It had become by the 16th century-in the words of W. D. Maxwell­ "a dramatic spectacle, culminating not in communion but in [lhe miracle of transubstantiation" (An Outline of Christian Worship, 1939 edition, p. 72). The service was said ~naudibly in a rtongue of which few even df the priests remained really masters. Many of the latter were illiterate and the sermon had long fallen into general disuse. The great contribution of the dynamic 'Luther was to restore the vernacular as the medium of worship. His German Bible and his German IMass sett the pattern for many other lands and races besides the German, among them our own. But Luther did more than Ithat. He revised the Roman service of Mass in the interests of gospel purity and then, perhaps less soundly in the long run, asa medium of instruction.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origin, Development, and History of the Norwegian Seventh-Day Adventist Church from the 1840S to 1889" (2010)
    Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 2010 The Origin, Development, and History of the Norwegian Seventh- day Adventist Church from the 1840s to 1889 Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik Snorrason Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Christianity Commons, and the History of Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Snorrason, Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik, "The Origin, Development, and History of the Norwegian Seventh-day Adventist Church from the 1840s to 1889" (2010). Dissertations. 144. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/144 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. ABSTRACT THE ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT, AND HISTORY OF THE NORWEGIAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH FROM THE 1840s TO 1887 by Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik Snorrason Adviser: Jerry Moon ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: THE ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT, AND HISTORY OF THE NORWEGIAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH FROM THE 1840s TO 1887 Name of researcher: Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik Snorrason Name and degree of faculty adviser: Jerry Moon, Ph.D. Date completed: July 2010 This dissertation reconstructs chronologically the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norway from the Haugian Pietist revival in the early 1800s to the establishment of the first Seventh-day Adventist Conference in Norway in 1887.
    [Show full text]
  • Jahresbericht. Unter Mitwirkung
    THEOLOGISCHER JAHRESBERICHT. UNTER MITWIRKUNG E lsenhans, E verling, F ickeb, F oersteb, F unger., H asenclever, H egler, H ering, K ohlschmidt, L ehmann, L oesche, L üdemann, L ülmann, M arbach, Mayer, P reuschex, S cheibe, S iegfried, S pitxa, S ülze. heratjsgegeben Dr. H. HOLTZMANN Dr. G. KRÜGER PROFESSOR IN STRASSBÜRO, ELSASS. PROFESSOR IX GIESSEN'. NEUNZEHNTER BAND ENTHALTEND D I E LITERATUR DES JAHRES 1899. FÜNFTE ABTHEILUNG REGISTER BEARBEITET VOM C. FUNGER, Pfarrer in Heichelheim bei Weimar. BERLIN 1900. C. A. SCHWETSCHKE UND SOHN. LONDON. j NEW-YORK. WILLIAMS & NORGATE. I GUSTAV E. STECHEET. 14, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN. j » EAST 1 6 th ‘ STREET. PARIS LI B RAI R I E PISCHBACHE R. (socrfiTfi a n o n y m e ) 33, RUE de seine. C. A. Schwetschke und. Sohn, IJerlin TV. 35. Handbuch cler Von Friedrich Nippold. Dritte umgearbeitete Auflage. Band I: Einleitung in die Kirchengeschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts. M. 10,— . II: Geschichte des Katholizismus. M. 15,— . ,, . III. 1: Geschichte des Protestantismus: Geschichte der deutschen Theologie. M. 9,— . „ III. 2: Geschichte des Protestantismus: Interkonfessionelle Zeitfragen und Zukünftaufgaben. M. 6,— . „ IV: Amerikanische KirGhengeschichte. M. 6.40.'' Der Entwicklungsgang des Lebens Jesu im Wortlaut der drei ersten Evangelien. Vom Beginn des öffentlichen Auftretens bis zum Beginn der Leidensgeschichte. E in Hiilfsbiichlein für die P>ibelleser in der Gemeinde. Von Friedrich Nippold. Neue Ausgabe. — M. 4,— Register. Die im Bericht über die Kirchengeschichte des Mittelalters unter No. 26 Lokalgeschichte aufgeführten Publikationen, Landschaften, Städte, Bisthümer, Kirchen und Klöster betreffend, sind in das Register nicht aufgonominen worden. Achelis, Th., d. sociale Frage im Lichte Aall, A., Gesch.
    [Show full text]
  • Lutherans Respond to Pentecostalism
    TLC 4 TLC THEOLOgy in thE LifE OF thE Church Vol. 4 The spread and influence of diverse expressions of Pentecostalism through out the world, especially in Africa, is posing significant challenges to Lutheran as well as other churches. At a seminar of the Lutheran World Federation in South Africa, theologians discussed how they are responding to these challenges. Articles in this book highlight how some Lutheran convictions to Respond Pentecostalism Lutherans and understandings can counter, balance or expand upon Pentecostal beliefs and practices. Contributors include: J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Ghana; Ibrahim Bitrus, Nigeria; Musawenkosi Biyela, South Africa; Samuel Dawai, Cameroon; Hans-Peter Grosshans, Germany; Guillermo Hansen, Argentina/USA; Paul John Isaak, Namibia/Switzerland; Rogate Mshana, Tanzania/Switzerland; Sarojini Nadar, South Africa; Cheryl S. Pero, USA; Gertrud Tönsing, South Africa; and Galana Babusa Yako, Kenya. Lutherans Respond The editor, Karen L. Bloomquist, directs the Department for Theology and Studies, LWF, Geneva, Switzerland. to Pentecostalism LWF The Lutheran World Federation – A Communion of Churches ISBN (Europe) 978-3-905676-68-6 DTS-Studies-201002-text.indd 10 02/03/2011 15:55:18 PM Lutherans Respond to Pentecostalism edited by Karen L. Bloomquist on behalf of the Lutheran World Federation— A Communion of Churches Lutheran University Press Minneapolis, Minnesota Previous volumes in the Theology in the Life of the Church series Karen L. Bloomquist (ed.), Being the Church in the Midst of Empire. Trinitarian Reflections Simone Sinn (ed.), Deepening Faith, Hope and Love in Relations with Neighbors of Other Faiths Karen L. Bloomquist (ed.), Identity, Survival, Witness. Reconfiguring Theological Agendas Lutherans Respond to Pentecostalism Theology in the Life of the Church, vol.
    [Show full text]
  • I Command Seymour Topping; with One Mighty Hurricane Gale Gust Blast; (100) Methuselah Bright Star Audrey Topping Flaming Candles to Extinguish; …
    THOSE FABULOUS TOPPING GIRLS … THE (4) SURVIVING TOPPING BRAT GIRLS & THEIR BRATTY MOM, AUDREY; ARE DISCREETLY JEWISH HALF-EMPTY; LUTHERAN HALF-FULL; 24/7/366; ALWAYS; YES; SO SMUG; SO FULL OF THEMSELVES; SUPERIOR; OH YES, SUPERIOR; SO BLUEBLOOD; (100) PERCENT; SO WALKING & TALKING; ALWAYS; SO BIRTHRIGHT COY; SO CONDESCENDING; SO ABOVE IT ALL; SO HAVING IT BOTH WAYS; ALWAYS; SO ARROGANT; THEIR TOPPING BRAT GIRL MONIKER; COULD HAVE; A MISS; IS A GOOD AS A MILE; BEEN THEIR TOPOLSKY BRAT; YET SO CLOSE; BUT NO CIGAR; THEIR TOPOLSKY BRAT GIRL WAY . OR THEIR AUGUST, RENOWNED; ON BORROWED TIME; FAMOUS FATHER; SEYMOUR TOPPING; ON HIS TWILIGHT HIGHWAY OF NO RETURN: (DECEMBER 11, 1921 - ); OR (FAR RIGHT) THEIR BLACK SHEEP ELDEST SISTER; SUSAN TOPPING; (OCTOBER 9, 1950 – OCTOBER 2, 2015). HONED RELEXIVELY INTO AN EXQUISITE ART FORM; TO STOP ALL DISSENTING DIFFERING VIEW CONVERSATIONS; BEFORE THEY BEGIN; THEIR RAFIFIED; PERFECTED; COLDER THAN DEATH; TOXIC LEFTIST FEMINIST TOPPING GIRL; SILENT TREATMENT; UP UNTIL TOPPINGGIRLS.COM; CONTROLLED ALL THINGS TOPPING GIRLS; UNTIL TOPPINGGIRLS.COM; ONE- WAY DIALOGUE. THAT CHANGED WITH TOPPINGGIRLS.C0M; NOW AVAILABLE TO GAWKERS VIA 9.5 BILLION SMARTPHONES; IN A WORLD WITH 7.5 BILLION PEOPLE; KNOWLEDGE CLASS ALL; SELF-ASSURED; TOWERS OF IVORY; BOTH ELEPHANT TUSK & WHITE POWDERY; DETERGENT SNOW; GENUINE CARD- CARRYING EASTERN ELITE; TAJ MAHAL; UNIVERSITY LEFT; IN-CROWD; ACADEMIC INTELLIGENTSIA; CONDESCENDING; SMUG; TOXIC; INTOLERANT OF SETTLED ACCEPTED THOUGHT DOCTRINE; CHAPPAQUA & SCARSDALE; YOU KNOW THE KIND;
    [Show full text]
  • Defining Lutheranism from the Margins: Paul Peter Waldenström on Being a ‘Good Lutheran’ in America Mark Safstrom Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois
    Augustana College Augustana Digital Commons Scandinavian Studies: Faculty Scholarship & Scandinavian Studies Creative Works 2012 Defining Lutheranism from the Margins: Paul Peter Waldenström on Being a ‘Good Lutheran’ in America Mark Safstrom Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/scanfaculty Part of the History of Christianity Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, and the Scandinavian Studies Commons Augustana Digital Commons Citation Safstrom, Mark. "Defining Lutheranism from the Margins: Paul Peter Waldenström on Being a ‘Good Lutheran’ in America" (2012). Scandinavian Studies: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works. https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/scanfaculty/3 This Published Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Scandinavian Studies at Augustana Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scandinavian Studies: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works by an authorized administrator of Augustana Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Defining Lutheranism from the Margins: Paul Peter Waldenström on Being a “Good Lutheran” in America MARK SAFSTROM he histories of church institutions may often be written by the orthodox “winners,” but dissenters, protestors, and even her Tetics undoubtedly play important roles in giving direction to the parent institution’s evolving identity. Such voices from the mar- gins often set the agenda at crucial moments, prompting both the dissenters and establishment to engage in a debate to define proper theology and practice. Once a dissenting group has formally sepa- rated from a parent body, there is a risk that teleological hindsight will obscure the nature of these conversations, including the reasons for the ultimate separation and the intentions of both the dissenters and the establishment.
    [Show full text]
  • Hans Nielsen Hauge: a Catalyst of Literacy in Norway
    NB! This is the final manuscript. In the published version there are changes in litterature and notes. HANS NIELSEN HAUGE: A CATALYST OF LITERACY IN NORWAY Linda Haukland, University of Nordland In this article, I examine the role Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771–1824) played in encouraging literacy in the Norwegian peasant society in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, an aspect of his ministry never before discussed. This poorly educated son of a peasant broke the unwritten rule of never publishing texts for a large readership without the necessary educational skills. Thus he opened up a new literate space where the common person could express him- or herself on paper. Hauge printed around 40 different texts, 14 of them books, in a language the peasants could understand. This inspired his followers not only to read, but also to write, mainly letters to Hauge and to Haugeans in other parts of Norway. Some even became authors. Women played a central role in this wave of literacy spreading throughout the country. Based on Hauge’s original texts, I present some crucial aspects of his mentality and show how his ministry served as a catalyst to the growth of literacy among peasants during the period. NB! This is the final manuscript. In the published version there are changes in litterature and notes. References Archival sources Kvamen, Ingolf, Haugianerbrev Bind 1: 1760 - 1804, Norsk Historisk Kjeldeskrift- Institutt, upublisert Universitetsbiblioteket i Trondheim (UBIT), A 0161 Per Øverland, F Haugianerne i Norge Published sources Aftenbladet December 02, 1859. In Fet, Jostein, ‘Berte Canutte Aarflot’. Store Norske leksikon.
    [Show full text]
  • WHAT IS a "FREE CHURCH"?* There Are Two Misunderstandings of the Church Which Are Very Widely Encountered Today
    1 * WHAT IS A "FREE CHURCH"?* There are two misunderstandings of the church which are very widely encountered today, misunderstandings which confuse almost ©very discussion of the church, her discipline and Indiscipline. Indeed, to raise the very question of church discipline in some circles Is to invite the charge that one represents the "sect-type" or favors the "sectarian Protestant" view of the alternatives, Hear the way in which Professor Max Weber defined the alternative church t$?pe8i "The church is an institution, a sort of establishment of faith ... for the saving of the soul of the individual. The individual is born into it, and is dependent upon it because of the dispensing power of Its office and position. In contrast, a sect is a voluntary association of individuals qualified solely by religious traits, in which the individual freely decides to become a member and the group freely de­ cides whether to accept him or not."* We are reminded immediately of the typology which Weber*s colleague, Professor Ernst Tree Its eh t popularized in The Social Teaching.of the. Christian Churches. *The first of five addresses on this general theme» delivered as the H#ff Lectures at Bethany Theologies! Seminary, Lombard, Illinois , October 15-17, 196 3, by Dr. Franklin H. Littell, Professor at Chicago Theological Seminary. —2 The "church type" represents a kind of continuum of Christ and culture, in which "the church" and "the world" speak the same language. There is no discontinuity of social and educational and religious and polit­ ical values. In effect, the church has consecrated the high places and now serves as one of the mainstays of society.
    [Show full text]
  • Maryland's Role in Religious Liberty and the First Amendment Kenneth Lasson University of Baltimore School of Law, [email protected]
    University of Baltimore Law ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law All Faculty Scholarship Faculty Scholarship Fall 1989 Free Exercise in the Free State: Maryland's Role in Religious Liberty and the First Amendment Kenneth Lasson University of Baltimore School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/all_fac Part of the First Amendment Commons, Legal History Commons, and the Religion Law Commons Recommended Citation Free Exercise in the Free State: Maryland's Role in Religious Liberty and the First Amendment, 31 J. Church & St. 419 (1989) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Free Exercise in the Free State: Maryland's Role in Religious Liberty and the First Amendment KENNETH LASSON Perhaps it is both inevitable and appropriate that the bicen­ tennial of the Bill of Rights has generated a new and lively de­ bate over the scope and meaning of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Parameters of free speech, press, and assembly are frequently drawn, challenged, and recast. Few issues are argued more keenly than those involving reli­ gion: the constitutionality of creches on Christmas, school prayer, Sunday closing laws-even the propriety of having a preacher for president. The Supreme Court's docket is liberally sprinkled with petitions calling for renewed interpretation of the religion clauses.
    [Show full text]
  • Pietism As an Ecclesiological Heresy
    Christos Yannaras Pietism as an Ecclesiological Heresy Chapter 8 of The Freedom of Morality (St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY: 1984), pp. 119-136. 1. The historical coordinates We give the name “pietism” to a phenomenon in church life which certainly has a particular historical and “confessional” starting point, but also has much wider ramifications in the spiritual life of all the Christian Churches. Pietism made its appearance as a distinct historical movement within Protestantism, at the end of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries, around 1690-1730.1 Its aim was to stress “practical piety,” as distinct from the polemical dogmatic theology to which the Reformation had initially given a certain priority.2 Against the intellectualist 120 1 There is a rich bibliography on pietism, chiefly in the form of monographs dealing with the numerous local pietistic movements and the personalities of their leaders. Although not very systematic, the fullest study of the phenomenon as a whole is still A. Ritschl’s three-volume work Geschichte des Pietismus (Bonn, 1880-1886). A recent work, exceptionally informative and well-documented, is Martin Schmidt’s Pietismus (1972). The Roman Catholic approach, with a concise, objective and reasonably full description of the phenomenon and history of pietism, may be found in Louis Bouyer, Orthodox Spirituality and Protestant and Anglican Spirituality (History of Christian Spirituality 111, London, 1969), p. 169ff. As for the rest of the bibliography, we note here some basic aids: W. Mahrholz, Der deutsche Pietismus (Berlin, 1921); H. Bornkamm, Mystik, Spiritualismus und die Anfänge des Pietismus im Luthertum (Giessen, 1926); M.
    [Show full text]
  • History of the ELFK Including Its Ministry Discussion
    A Brief History of the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Germany Including Its Recent Ministry Discussion by Gaylin R. Schmeling The History of the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church Our ELS has a sister church body in Germany known as the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church (Evangelisch-Lutherische Freikirche [ELFK]). We have been in fellowship with this church for over 100 years through the former Synodical Conference. This church has endured very difficult circumstances, first it spent many years under communism, then it faced a break in fellowship with the SELK (Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche), the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod partner church in Germany, and recently it has had serious questions concerning the doctrine of church and ministry in its midst. Yet the Lord has been with our sister church and these questions have been resolved with a scriptural and confessional statement on the doctrine of church and ministry. The ELFK has a membership of about 2,000 souls in some 30 congregations and preaching stations. Most of these congregations are in the former East Germany but mission work is being carried out in places such as Augsburg and in Ludesch in the Vorarlberg region of Austria. Our sister synod is proclaiming the Gospel in its truth and purity in Lutherland where today that Gospel is seldom heard. Many of the great and beautiful churches of Germany are virtually empty on Sunday mornings. But in the modest churches of the ELFK the Gospel resounds to the glory of our gracious Savior. These buildings and gatherings may be modest but they are rich in spiritual beauty.
    [Show full text]