The Lilly Fellows Research Conference “The Pietist Impulse in Christianity” was hosted at Bethel University, March 19-21. More than 100 scholars, administrators, and pastors were in attendance from locales as far-flung as Calgary, Canada and Costa Mesa, Calif. The event was possibly the largest conference ever to address many different aspects of pietism in their historical and theological contexts.

“You cannot tell the story of evangelicalism,” asserts Bethel Seminary Associate Professor of Church History Chris Armstrong, “without first exploring pietism. It encompasses spiritual regeneration, social reforms, and biblical understanding.”

Pietism began as a distinct movement in the mid-1600s that arose in response to the rationalism and sterility of the state churches of the time. Pietism had its roots in the writing of authors such as Philip Spener and August Franke; it was founded on the belief that Christianity required a change of heart and consequent holiness of life. This was a break from the accepted view that all citizenry were members of the state church. There was also an emphasis on individuals’ rights to gather together to study the Bible for themselves and that they need not be dependent on ordained pastors to lead their meetings. The Pietist movement’s profound effect on many Methodist, Evangelical, Baptist, and Reformed churches lasted for centuries, and its influence is still evident today.

Sponsored by Bethel, the Baptist General Conference History Center, and a grant from the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts, the conference featured plenary sessions with several guest speakers including Donald W. Dayton, church historian and author of Discovering an Evangelical Heritage, and Shirley Mullen, president of Houghton College in New York. Bethel faculty G.W. Carlson, Christian Collins Winn, and Christopher Gehrz served as conference coordinators.

More than 40 papers were presented on topics such as pietism’s role in missions as well as social and political action. A special Friday evening event focusing on “Pietism in Christian Arts, Worship, and Theology” drew 300 attendees, said Carlson, and featured organist Cindy Reents, violinist Mary Sorlie, poet Angela Shannon, the Twin Cities Master’s Chorale, and other performances. In addition, Roger Olson, professor of theology at Truett Theological Seminary, delivered an address on “Pietism: Myths and Realities.”

“The conference drew scholars and theologians from 20 states, three Canadian provinces, as well as England and Germany,” said Gehrz. “Churches from multiple denominations, seminaries, colleges, and universities were represented.”

“It was especially encouraging,” adds Collins Winn, “to see so many professional and scholarly relationships flourish through this shared experience.”