What Can Christians Learn from Pietism?
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The concept of piety is often viewed in a negative way today. As a fan of musicals, a song from the 1990 musical Jekyll/Hyde comes to mind. In the second musical number titled “Facade” the characters sing the following:
“Nearly everyone you see / Like him and her, and you, and me / pretends to be a pillar of society/a model of propriety / sobriety and piety / who shudders at the thought of notoriety / ladies and gents here before you / which none of them every admits / may have saintly looks / but they’re sinners and crooks/hypocrites.”
I quote this section of the musical because it reveals a common, although unfortunate, view many Christians have on the topic of pietism. The typical thought that comes to mind for some when they hear “pietism,” “piety,” or “pious” is that someone is “holier than thou,” or pharisee-like. What once meant holiness is now often used as a word of criticism.
So, what, truly, is pietism? Is it simply a word to describe modern-day Pharisees? What is its true meaning? Let's explore these questions and more.
What Is Pietism?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “pietism” means a few things.
- affectation of devotion
- emphasis on devotional experiences and practices
- a 17th religious movement originating in Germany in reaction to formalism and intellectualism and stressing the Bible study and personal religious experience
The practice of piety—devotion to God and holiness—can be found throughout church history. For example, we see this with monks and nuns who devoted themselves to a life of prayer. They left their homes, wealth, and old lives to devote themselves to God in worship and prayer. We also see this with the martyrs of the early Church who chose to die for Christ rather than recant their faith.
Scripture itself describes piety as living out the commands of God by loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27). The Bible is filled with examples of flawed human beings who lived out a call to piety. We see this with Cornelius the Centurion who was a devout Christian who feared God and gave alms (Acts 10:1-2), Daniel the Prophet who worshiped God despite the danger from the Persian king (Daniel 6:10), Anna the Prophetess who fasted and prayed every day and night and eventually saw Christ in the flesh (Luke 2:36-37), and so on.
When we look at Church history, we see that the pietism movement developed in Germany in the 1600s and focused on trusting God through reliance on Scripture and personal religious experience. Missionary work was also emphasized, along with a personal relationship with Christ. An emphasis on pietism also appeared in the Great Awakening movements during the 1700s, spearheaded by Charles and Johnathan Wesley, two brothers of the Anglican Church who influenced the rise of the Methodist denomination.
Historically and Biblically speaking, pietism has been around since before the coming of Christ and can be found in various denominations and traditions of Christianity. This movement was more than simply following the commandments or praying multiple times a day; it also emphasized a personal relationship with Christ.
How Does Piety Differ from Holiness?
Many people may consider pietism and holiness to be the same or very similar, so let's look at how they can be differentiated. Pietism and holiness, while related concepts, emphasize different aspects of Christian life. Pietism refers to a focus on both correct doctrine and personal, heartfelt devotion to God. Pietists stress the importance of a transformed heart and life, seeking to align personal faith with practical, lived-out theology and devotion to Christ.
Holiness, on the other hand, emphasizes the pursuit of moral purity and spiritual perfection, through the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctifying the believer. While pietism stresses ongoing personal renewal and transformation, holiness is more centered on achieving a state of moral and spiritual blamelessness in daily life. Of course, true believers know that both piety and holiness are only achieved through Christ's power in them.
Where Do We See Pietism Today?
In many churches, piety is on display every Sunday and also throughout the week in believers' lives. For example, we see pietism when the priest consecrates the Holy Eucharist during Mass, we see it with monks and nuns devoted to prayer, we see it when church members volunteer to help the needy in their communities, and we see it when Christians share the Gospel wherever God has planted them. All these things are examples of Christians living out their pietism.
From the pulpit to the community, Christians then and now continue to practice pietism as they turn from sin and embrace Christ in prayer, obedience, and faithfulness. So based on these examples in Scripture and in history, what are the strengths of pietism?
What Are Pietism’s Strengths?
Piety can lead to many great things for Christians of any denomination or tradition. First, pietism can help us grow in our walk with Christ through various forms of ministry and participation. In many ways, Pietism reflects our posture of repentance as Christians who put on new life in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). It is always important to remember that true Biblical pietism is accompanied by truth and love. As Paul says himself,
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:1-3).
While pietism can result in great changes in Christians along with a heart to do the good works prepared for us by God, we need to be mindful of our motivation for striving after holiness.
What Are the Downsides to Pietism?
Some Christians criticized pietism as Pharisaic. For example, the Pharisees openly prayed in public and not only held themselves strictly accountable to the Mosaic Law, but others as well and criticized anyone who defied them (Matt. 6:1-5). Christ himself even calls out their piety as hypocrisy as they ignored mercy and faithfulness for outward appearances (Matt. 23:1-36).
Self-righteousness, legalism, and pride disguised as Pietism are nothing short of false pietism. Other downsides to pietism can include: judging by mere appearances, gaslighting, enforcing beliefs on others, controlling other Christians, refusing to seek reconciliation, or being unwilling to admit wrongdoing and seek forgiveness. All these, of course, are counter-intuitive to Christ and Scripture.
While pietism can be corrupted into pride, striving for holiness is in itself a positive thing, and something Christians are called to. Pietism should always return the focus to Christ as we seek to become more Christlike in our faith and actions.
How Can We Practice the Best Elements of Pietism Today?
There are many ways to focus on piety. Fasting and giving generously can help us focus less on the world's distractions and more on Christ. Volunteering can also help us give our time back to God. How you choose to volunteer is entirely up to the individual and should be undertaken with prayer and discernment.
As mentioned earlier, when it comes to our faith and sharing it with others, we need to speak the truth in love. This involves grace, understanding, patience, and relationship building. Pietism is an ancient Christian practice that deserves more credit than criticism. Rather than defining it by poor Christian acts and attitudes, pietism should be defined by how Christ and the Apostles lived their lives on earth.
Related Articles:
- What Made Pietism So Influential in Christianity?
- What Does the Bible Say about Piety?
- What is Piety? Bible Meaning and Importance of Being Pious
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