Pietism and the Sacraments: The Life and Theology of August Hermann Francke

Peter James Yoder

Published by Penn State University Press 2021

Pietism and the Sacraments

The Life and Theology of August Hermann Francke

Peter James Yoder

Volume 6 in the series Pietist, Moravian, and Anabaptist Studies

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780271088464

Overview
Contents

About this book

Considered by many to be one of the most influential German Pietists, August Hermann Francke lived during a moment when an emphasis on conversion was beginning to produce small shifts in how the sacraments were defined—a harbinger of later, more dramatic changes to come in evangelical theology. In this book, Peter James Yoder uses Francke and his theology as a case study for the ecclesiological stirrings that led to the rise of evangelicalism and global Protestantism.

Engaging extensively with Francke’s manuscript sermons and writings, Yoder approaches Francke’s life and religious thought through his theology of the sacraments. In doing so, Yoder delivers key insights into the structure of Francke's Pietist thought, providing a rich depiction of his conversion-driven theology and how it shaped his views of the sacraments and the church. The first in-depth study of Francke’s theology written for an English-speaking audience, this book supports recent scholarship in English that not only challenges long-held assumptions about Pietism but also argues for the role of Pietism’s influence on the changing religious landscape of the eighteenth century. Through his examination of Francke’s theology of the sacraments, Yoder presents a fresh view into the eighteenth-century ecclesiological developments that caused a rupture with the dogmas of the Reformation.

Original and vital, this study recognizes Francke’s importance to the history of Pietism in Germany and beyond. It will become the standard reference on Francke for American audiences and will influence scholarship on Lutheranism, Pietism, early modern German studies, and eighteenth-century history and religion.

Author / Editor information

Yoder Peter James :

Peter James Yoder is Lecturer in Historical Theology and Director of Admissions at Reformed Theological Seminary, Dallas.

Reviews

“This close study of August Hermann Francke's theology is the first anglophone book on Francke in generations, and it is sure to become the new standard text on Francke and Halle Pietism. Yoder’s book offers an accessible introduction to Francke and Pietism that will also be rewarding for subject matter experts.”
—Benjamin Marschke, author of Absolutely Pietist: Patronage, Factionalism, and State-Building in the Early Eighteenth-Century Prussian Army Chaplaincy

“Yoder sensitively weaves Francke’s sacramental theology into his larger doctrinal structure, set within the biographical contours that surrounded Francke’s application of his inheritance from Luther and others in the crucible of pastoral care. A stimulating and provocative advance in understanding Pietism.”
—Robert Kolb, author of Martin Luther: Confessor of the Faith

“In this imaginative exploration of the works of August Hermann Francke, Peter Yoder opens up significant new areas for discussion in the understanding of the relationship between God’s Word and personal conversion and faith in Pietist circles. This illuminating assessment is bound to provoke discussion and fresh research on Francke himself as well as on the impact of Pietist thinking on the rapidly changing eighteenth-century religious scene.”
—Irene Dingel, author of Reformation: Zentren – Akteure – Ereignisse

“Peter Yoder has provided an important analysis of two long-neglected dimensions of August Hermann Francke’s version of German Pietism. Francke’s affinity for a version of Reformed convictions about both sacraments and ‘church’ moved both the man and the varieties of Pietism associated with him into post-confessional Protestantism within and especially beyond Europe.”
—A. G. Roeber, author of Hopes for Better Spouses: Protestant Marriage and Church Renewal in Early Modern Europe, India, and North America

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1 The Rise of a Pietist Pastor Theologian Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
2 Biblicism, Conversion, and Reform Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	36
3 From Ignorance to Oath Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	49
4 Baptism Grounded in Christ Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
5 The Baptismal Covenant and Rebirth Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
6 Confession Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	103
7 The Eucharist Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	118
Epilogue: The Church of the Heart Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	136
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	181
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	199

Language: English
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 220
Keywords: Lutheran Pietism; Pietism; German Pietism; Sacramental Theology; Ecclesiology; Early Modern Lutheranism; Lutheran Theology; Early Evangelicalism; Sacraments; August Hermann Francke

eBook

Published: December 22, 2020
ISBN: 9780271088464