One of the most important impulses in the modern history of Christianity is Pietism, which began as a renewal movement in German Lutheranism, spread to the Lutheran churches of Scandinavia, and shaped the development of several Lutheran bodies in America. Yet most Lutherans and other Christians today know nothing of Pietism — or only know it as something to be avoided.

In this four-part online presentation, historian Chris Gehrz will suggest how the Pietist past can inspire renewal amid the challenges of the present.

May 7 - Part 4 of 4

In the conclusion of our series, Chris suggests how Pietism can help Lutherans and other Christians to love God and love neighbor. Topics include ministries of compassion and justice, the challenge of Christian unity, the Bible as means of relationship with God, and the power of spiritual stories and music.

Further Reading and Viewing for Part Four

• Chris Gehrz and Mark Pattie, The Pietist Option: Hope for Better Times (InterVarsity Press, 2017), https://www.amazon.com/Pietist-Option...

• Chris Gehrz, “The Tender, Gracious God of My Favorite Hymn Writer,” The Anxious Bench, Oct. 2, 2018, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxious...

• Roger Olson, “Pietism: A World We Have Lost,” Aus Memorial Lecture, Luther Seminary, March 15, 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxK7m...

• The Life of Lady Johanna Eleonora Petersen, Written by Herself, trans. Barbara Becker-Cantarino (University of Chicago Press, 2005), https://www.amazon.com/Johanna-Eleono...

• Paul P. Kuenning, The Rise and Fall of American Lutheran Pietism: The Rejection of an Activist Heritage (Mercer University Press, 1989), https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-Amer...

• Evangelical Covenant Church, "Biblical Authority and Christian Freedom" (1963), http://collections.carli.illinois.edu...