About a decade ago, I was in a school that has a wonderful motto: Head-Heart-Hands. So appealing, isn’t it? Didn’t it sound beautifully integrative? For the next four years, I looked around me to see the balance but in vain. I later understood that humans are often obsessed with right words which can easily degenerate into a simple play of words…But not all. I found in history some exceptions and I’m happy to share with you two cases that are historically connected.

Spener and pietism movement

Only one century after Reformation, the Lutheran church had sunk into formalism and become a lifeless religion. People still held to the reformation tenets but only in their heads. Somehow they found a way to live so unchanged by the truths Luther . They were nonetheless very much proud of their theological heritage.

There was a pastor in Frankfurt who felt so distressed with this lack of piety and devotion within the Church. He wanted to do something about it. He also prayed to be gracefully used by God to bring a kind of second reformation. His name was Philip Jacob Spener.

Collegia pietatis

Though the word may have been used for the first time by the 16th century Martin Bucer, it was borrowed and popularized by Spener. In Martin Bucer context the expression was used to describe informal meetings where scripture was studied, devotional literature read. In the days of Spener, college of piety was small groups that studied scripture together with other spiritual disciplines in an intense way. There was a great emphasis on personal devotion and a high level of personal mutual accountability.

As u can see there was a great effort to combine head and heart. But some think of pietism in individualistic terms since it emphasized personal experience. But few are aware that long before William Carey became the father of protestant missions, the pietistic movement in Germany already sent missionaries overseas in 17th century. The first endeavor was in 1707 in India, later a school of missions was founded that sent missionaries for the next two centuries

Count Zinzedorf and Pietism

Zinzedorf is known as the father of the Moravian church. But his influence is to be understood within pietism context. He was deeply impressed with Philip Jacob Spener who prayed over him when he was young and even prophesied that “He would further the Kingdom of God” This young man was determined to keep his fire burning for the Lord that his personal motto became ”I have one passion; it is Jesus, Jesus only.”

Some people like to think of him as the Rich young man of the Gospels who was asked to give up his possessions and follow the Lord. Count Zinzedorf did not sell them but used them for the Kingdom with such a detached heart. Though from nobility and predetermined to have a brilliant political career, he renounced for the sake of Christ. In times when protestant were persecuted all over Europe, he availed his Estate to welcome refugees from all background. A community was formed and called HERRNUT, in Germany meaning “ The Lord’s watch”

Under Zinzendorf’s leadership, they prayed together, studied God’s Word together, and grew spiritually together.” He believed our theology is only true if it would result in genuine experience of God’s love. And our love for God is genuine if it overflows in passion for the lost. With a small band of joyful, prayerful and courageous saints Zinzendorf reached thousands of heathen in an age when missions were the biggest omission in the church. One of the churches that the Moravians started sent out 200 missionaries. One of the Moravian missionary teams voluntarily sold themselves into slavery so that they could identify with slaves and share the gospel with them.

Paralyzing phobia of theological unbalance

To be honest there have been unbalanced emphases within the moravian community. Whenever Zinzedorf saw them he would try to bring back the community to the Augsburg confession. Still, there are theological flaws he wasn’t able to discern during his time. However even in his imperfections he did so far better than most of us who spend the rest of our life trying to be theologically correct. Tim Keller is a son of the reformed movement. But in his book on Prayer, he was able to notice the concern”

Most conservative Christians, most concerned about conserving true and sound doctrine, neglect the importance of prayer and make no effort to experience God, and this can lead to the eventual loss of sound doctrine”

Quoting the Prince of Puritans, John Owen, he continues saying”

” it is better that our affections exceed our light (knowledge), than that our light (knowledge) exceed our affections…That’s a remarquable thing for a puritan to say. If we are going to be imbalanced, better that we be doctrinally weak and have a vital life and a real sense of God on the heart than that we get all our doctrine straight and be cold and spiritually hard. (Keller, 2014, p.180, 182)