In Germany, the evangelical movement of Pietism aroused people to a need for a power greater than themselves. It was also a reaction to the inertness and dogmatism of Lutheranism. Theological controversy in Germany had as its consequences an insistence on dogma, a popular indifference to religion, neglect of instruction of the young people in the fundamentals of faith, and a low level of character and ideals among the clergy. The Thirty Years’ War had demoralized the people as well as left the country barren and desolate. Philip Spener (1635-1705) of Frankfort was the first person of note among the Pietists. He saw the evil conditions of his times, took young men into his parsonage to prepare them practically for the ministry, and showed them how to deal with the unenlightened popular mind. As a pastor, he tried to make his sermons intelligible to the uneducated, but he realized that he was not very successful and therefore invited his people to come together on a weekday evening, where he reviewed the Sunday lesson and explained any difficult points. Later at Dresden and Berlin, he used similar methods and encouraged more lay participation in church activities. His book, Pious Desires, aroused opposition, but he revived the Lutheran religion. August Francke ( 1663-1727) succeeded Spener in the leadership of the Pietists. His chief work was done at Halle, where he was pastor and university teacher. The University of Halle became the center of the influence of Pietism. Francke lectured on the Bible and revolutionized theological teaching elsewhere as well. Christian Schwartz and several other Pietists planted Christianity in India a hundred years before English Baptists sent William Carey to Calcutta.
Impact: Pietism did not create a new ecclesiastical organization, but remained as a force inside Lutheranism. It owed most of its impetus to Spener and Francke, but it was not confined to them alone. Nor was its force spent in Germany, for it made its way into Scandinavia and was welcomed in the cities of Switzerland. There it proved dynamic in awakening an interest in religion among university students and among the people of some of the larger cities. It lost ground because of the lack of leaders to follow Francke, and because of a growing wave of skepticism in Germany.