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The Pietist Impulse in Christianity

Pietist Impulse BannerLilly logo (small)BGC History Center Logo

The 2009 Lilly Fellows Program Regional Research Conference

Bethel University

March 19-21, 2009

From intellectual inquiry to spiritual practice to social reform, Pietism has exerted an enormous influence on various forms of Trans-Atlantic Christianity, and on Western culture more generally. However, this contribution remains largely unacknowledged or misunderstood because some negative stereotypes—some undeserved, others deserved—cast Pietism as a quietistic, sectarian religion that is interested primarily in a narrow set of concerns.

The goal of this conference is to provide scholars from all traditions an opportunity to explore the many dimensions of the pietist heritage, with a view to understanding the ongoing relevance of the "pietist impulse" for contemporary problems and questions across disciplines.


Confirmed Speakers:

Donald Dayton
Author of Discovering an Evangelical Heritage

Emilie Griffin
Author of Doors into Prayer

Shirley Mullen
President, Houghton College

Roger Olson
Professor of Theology, Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University

Jonathan Strom
Associate Professor of Church History, Candler School of Theology, Emory University


Conference Directors

G. William Carlson
Professor of History and Political Science

Christian Collins Winn
Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology

Christopher Gehrz
Assistant Professor of History