I put in my two weeks notice last Wednesday; our house is on the market; we are having an open house tomorrow. We are coming down to do some house hunting next week. We are excited to move back closer to friends and family, but we will miss those friends we’ve made here in Oklahoma.
More to come…
I’m not generally a fan of Life Church, but these questions from the senior pastor of this “denomination” are worth taking time to read and consider.
Pia Desideria - Philip Jacob Spener
One of the things I like best about Dr. Caldwell is how much he encourages his students in Church History classes to immerse themselves in the primary texts of history. Instead of relying on others opinions about the historical developments (theologically and ecclesiastically), he sets forth a reading list in his classes which include original literature.
Pia Desideria is not a book that I would have picked up on my own. In fact, prior to this class, I had never so much as heard of Spener. So, for those of you who are out there like me, here’s a brief description of him and his work.
Spener was one of the early voices of what became known as pietism. He wrote concerning abuses in the clergy concerning sin (especially drunkenness) and sought to correct imbalances among ministers. Many were more concerned with theological education than they were with holy living. Unlike some of the later pietists who downplayed the importance of education, Spener believed very strongly in the formal theological education of ministers, but also sought to remind them that their calling was to more than books.
However, like many of the heroes of the faith, Spener was not without his errors. As I’ve pointed out in other places, sacramental theology went too far among this heroic Lutheran reformer. Spener sought not to reform the theology (as did his hero Martin Luther), but rather the practices of the church. In advocating small groups and other ways that churches could promoted Christian maturity among their people, he did not abandon his strong conviction regarding baptismal regeneration (of infants). This, along with a high view of the Lord’s Supper, he inherited from Luther. Everything which follows is in no way modified, but rather is directly from Pia Desideria, in which Spener says,
“Nor do I know how to praise Baptism and its power highly enough. I believe that it is the real ‘washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit’ (Tit. 3:5), or as Luther says in the Catechism, ‘it effects forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and grants’ (not merely promises) ‘eternal salvation.’”
Spener goes on to make equally strong statements concerning the Eucharist.
Why would I bother pointing these things out? Just because I continue to be discouraged by fundamentalists who believe that everyone who fails to affirm every jot and tittle of their understanding of theology is damned. In the circles that I run in, holding to baptismal regeneration (which I disagree with) makes the gospel that they preach unbiblical - even unChristian. To call someone a heretic over these issues is to deny that Philip Jacob Spener (or Luther and many others) was a Christian. I don’t think this is a position that is prudent to defend.
While we may disagree with many concerning the candidacy and efficacy of baptism, let us be charitable towards those with whom we see differently.
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